Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's Vertical Planting Is The Easiest Way To Add Depth and Texture to a Home's Facade

What makes the front of a home beautiful? High-quality materials and expert building go a long way, but excellent planting is the cherry on top that pulls the whole design together. The perfect example can be found at Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne's former Los Angeles home.

Their Hancock Park property, recently listed by Sharon for $17 million, has been a masterclass in vertical planting since the early 2000s. Images of the outside of the Spanish Revival-style home show a facade rich with clematis vines. The surrounding palms, white flowers, and hedges are the perfect complements to the climbing vines, creating a gorgeously layered look. Altogether, the landscaping enhances the already beautiful home with depth and texture.

So, why does it work, and how can you create a Sharon and Ozzy-worthy look at home? Homes & Gardens spoke with two garden design experts to get to the bottom of it. We also curated an edit of our favorite climbing plants and tools for dealing with them, so that the perfect facade is just one click away.

Latest Videos From

Watch full video here:

Shop The Vertical Planting Edit

Though the climbing plants look gorgeous on Sharon and Ozzy's former estate, they are also the ideal pick for elevating a small garden where you have limited space.

Matt Baldock, Garden Trading's Outdoor Expert, explains: 'When it comes to smaller gardens, we often forget to look up. Vertical planting allows us to maximize greenery, without sacrificing floor space. Climbing plants, trellises, and raised planters can all help create the lush, layered aesthetic increasingly associated with high-end outdoor spaces.'

Like at the Osbournes' home, this tactic brings warmth to any house's facade, and your garden itself. Matt states: 'Vertical planting draws the eye upwards, which naturally enhances the perceived scale of a garden. It’s one of the easiest ways to create depth and texture without overcrowding the layout.'

To tap into this vertical layering trick, choose plants that complement the home's exterior. James Holmes, home design expert at Validus Construction, advises: 'Flowers are usually what draw people into a garden, but they are not the best starting point if you want the garden to feel connected to the house. The better test is to look at the leaf color against the materials it will actually sit beside, such as brick, paving, render, fencing or stone.'

He recommends: 'One simple way to do this is to take a photo of the front or back of your home before going to the nursery. When choosing plants, compare the foliage against the colors already in that photo. It makes it much easier to see whether the plant will soften the space, add contrast, or clash with what is already there.'

As the Osbournes' home demonstrates, much of the charm of this look is in its necessary imperfection. James states: 'The garden does not need to match the house perfectly, but the fixed materials should guide the choices you make. If the foliage works with the brickwork, paving, and fencing, it can show that the garden has had a lot of thought put into it.'

Love celebrity news and interior design inspiration? Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox.