If you want to make a big impact, focus on the changes that get noticed first, says landscape designer Adam Kober of Kober Design Group. The right trees can also add privacy to a yard, another reason mature specimens carry so much weight in a designer's first look. In an effort to keep a yard looking tidy, it's tempting to reach for the shears more often than a shrub actually needs. Shrubs can be redesigned relatively easily, but building placement, natural topography, and large trees are far more difficult to alter. Adding a fresh layer of mulch to your scrub beds is a simple DIY project that quickly tidies up the appearance of a yard, says Kober.