Don't let peripheral plantings compete with the house for emphasis -- the eye is to be drawn to the house. Borders are incidental to the central focal point of the landscape, which is the house.
Frame and mass at the edges, to leave the center of the place open. Keep the largest plantings off to the side.
Avoid scatter -- no flower beds in the middle of lawns, no brilliantly colored plants without a background of green foliage to set them off.
Make flowers incidental, to supply color and finish. The lawn and the mass plantings are the main pieces of the plan. Flower sparingly.
Consider position carefully. Far more important than the right choice of plant is its correct position with reference to other plants and to structures.
