Landscape design for University Park, MD.

University Park is one of the most carefully cared-for residential neighborhoods in PG County — a small town tucked between College Park, Hyattsville, and College Heights Estates, with mature canopy, older homes, and a strong sense of place. Here's how I think about working in UP.

What's distinctive about University Park yards

Old houses, old trees. Most University Park homes date to the early-to-mid 20th century, sited under canopy that's been growing the entire time. The result: very little full sun, lots of dappled-to-deep shade, and root competition from trees that can't (and shouldn't) be removed.

Compact lots. Most properties are well under a quarter acre. The design challenge is figuring out how to make a small space feel larger and more functional. Restraint pays off.

Heavy clay soil under the duff layer. UP's underlying soil is the standard PG County clay — slow-draining, dense, often compacted. The top few inches (where the leaf litter has been doing its quiet work) are often beautiful. Below that, you're amending or working around.

An engaged neighborhood. University Park is small enough (~1,200 households) that what one garden does, others will notice. A well-designed front yard will be the talk of the town in a good way!

Plants well-suited to University Park

• Hydrangea quercifolia · Oakleaf Hydrangea — a structural native shrub that thrives in UP's part-shade, has four-season interest (bloom, fall color, peeling bark, dried flowerheads), and reads as established immediately.
• Carex pensylvanica · Pennsylvania Sedge — the workhorse shade groundcover for UP's tree-canopied lots. Reads as a soft meadow, tolerates dry shade, eliminates the patchy-lawn problem.
• Aralia spinosa · Devil's Walking Stick — an unusual structural native for the right corner — late-summer bloom, pollinator magnet, dramatic foliage. Not for every yard, but striking in the right one.
• Amsonia tabernaemontana · Eastern Bluestar — sky-blue spring bloom, chartreuse summer foliage, electric gold in fall. Tolerates the part-shade UP yards offer, deer-resistant.
• Athyrium filix-femina · Lady Fern — a delicate, slow-spreading native fern for shaded beds. Pairs with tiarella and heuchera for layered shade plantings.
• Chionanthus virginicus · Fringe Tree — a small native tree for UP's mid-story when there's room — fragrant white spring bloom, golden fall color, and a refined silhouette that suits older houses.

Common patterns in University Park projects

Front-yard updates that respect the historic feel. UP houses don't need contemporary landscapes — they need plantings that match the historic neighborhood. Native shrubs, structural perennials, and quiet groundcover layers capture the sense of place.

Lawn-edge softening. Many UP yards have abrupt foundation-to-lawn-to-tree transitions. Adding a 4–6 ft planted buffer at the foundation transforms how the house reads from the street, without losing usable yard.

Working under (not against) the canopy. The mature trees are the asset, not the obstacle. A good UP design starts by mapping what's already there — root flares, dripline boundaries, light pockets — and plants into the gaps.