Ranch style houses are one of the most popular type of houses in the United States. People started building these houses during the 20s. They were popular till the 70s. Ranch style houses mostly have a single floor, however there are some houses which have two or three floors too. Ranch style homes are long and close to the ground and often are accompanied with large landscapes. The big landscapes around the house can look boring and out-of-fashion, however with some landscaping ideas you can make the home and the landscape look beautiful. Here's how to. Landscape Ideas for Ranch Style Houses The first thing you need to do is sketch out a design. This will give you a clear perspective of what you want to do on your landscape. So, if you already have something in mind then draw it on a sketch board with pencil. However, if you are low on ideas, use these. First of all decide if you want to have a symmetrical landscape design or an asymmetrical one. If you have a house which has a symmetrical design with equal number of doors and windows on both sides, then go for symmetrical landscape design. For this purpose place equal number of trees and shrubs on both sides of the house. However, if you have a house which is of asymmetrical design for example if the driveway is on one side of the house, then go with an asymmetrical design. To create a balanced and symmetrical design of landscape, place two trees at the corner of the house. Make sure you always place ornamental trees which will reach to a maximum height of the roof. So, you can place two ornamental trees at the corner of the house and two trees at the back corner of the house. This will give a balanced look. Also, place suitable landscaping shrubs and bushes on both sides. Shrubs and bushes for landscaping, whether it comes to symmetrical or asymmetrical landscape design, should be placed in odd groups of three or five. So, if you wish to create asymmetrical landscape design then place two to three ornamental trees. And make groups of bushes which are of medium height. Avoid adding too many flowering plants or trees. As flowering trees or plants are accents, they should be used to a minimum. You can add two to three flowering plants to the landscape to give it some color. If you want you can even place few colorful plants in pots here and there near the house to add more interest. You can also grow some low growing plants or grow grass for the lawn. Now, to make your landscape look even more beautiful and practical add some hardscape elements. These can be lights, patio, fountain, etc. You can install brick, cement or concrete for your driveway and paint it if you like. Make sure it is large enough to fit a car and a bike together. Then add some lights. You can do this by adding lampposts or create random tree lights or hang lamps over the landscape. Also, you can put some floor lamps if you like. To make your ranch style home landscape more practical consider building a patio. There are many outdoor patio ideas to choose from. You can add a large pond patio, or a simple pergola patio with table and chairs. You can also keep a barbecue or an open fireplace on the patio. These were the various ideas on landscaping for ranch style homes. So, choose wisely and create a beautiful and inviting landscape for your ranch style home. Good luck!