Ideas & Photos for Front-Yard Landscaping

A Good First Impression

• A well-kept front yard adds value to your home. Plants should be trimmed, garden beds weeded, adequate watering should occur and old plantings and mulch should be replaced when they start to detract from the tidiness of your yard. The yard is to lead visitors to your front door by installing a walkway to your door, building an arch over it, painting the door an eye-catching color and putting in focal lighting for nighttime guests. Flowering plants will draw the eye of passersby and add excitement to your front yard. It is important to keep the edges of your lawn trimmed and remove dead flowers and dying leaves. Placing a pond along your front walk creates white noise and a focal point for your visitors.

Go Lawnless

• Trade the traditional lawn-centric front yard for a design that focuses on trees, shrubs and a variety of bedding plants. This is a great way to free up gardening space for special plants if you have a small yard. Choose plants that will be attractive from the street and inside the house. Vary plant heights to create interest and be sure to include selections that will keep greenery and color going in every season. First, plan where your paths and garden borders will be. Then, determine the space needed for each plant before beginning to plant. Trees provide height while shrubs soften the hard foundation lines and define the edges of a garden bed. Use smaller plant selections, flowers and herbs to accentuate your front-yard design.

Rev Up Curb Appeal

• Large hardwood trees are a plus in your front yard adding shade that will keep your home cooler. Shrubs that can be trimmed to linear designs and curves create structure in your yard that will keep your landscape well-defined and add an air of simplicity. Add personality and attention-getting power with flowers and varied foliage textures. A water feature, such as a fountain or pond and sculpture makes a positive design statement. Cobblestone, old bricks, flagstone, slate or even glass beads add a distinct touch to garden beds and pathways.

Inspirational Photography

• Looking for a sampling of front yard landscape ideas to inspire you and make you want to move forward in improving your yard? There are many websites and books from which to choose. YardShare.com, Front-Porch-Ideas-and-More.com and Landscape-Solutions-for-You.com offer beautiful photographs and tips to get your creative juices flowing. (See Resources 1, 2 and 3) Three prime examples of books you can find at your local bookstore or library include "Front Yard Gardens: Growing More than Grass," "Taunton's Front Yard Design Book" and "The Artful Garden: Creative Inspiration for Landscape Design." They all include hundreds of pictorial representations of creative landscaping and ideas on how to get started.