Boosting your front yard landscaping will enhance your home’s curb appeal and create a welcoming entryway to your home. When choosing your front yard landscaping features it is important to consider the style of your home, the size of your lot and the amount of sunshine it receives and the amount of time you want to spend on landscape maintenance. The landscaping features of your front yard include both hardscaping (walkways and driveways to raised beds, planters, and decorative containers) and plantings (bushes, shrubs, flowers and trees). Below are five ideas to enhance your front yard landscaping.
Idea #1: Emphasize Your Front Door
The front door is the focal point of your front yard landscaping. Avoid overcrowding the front entrance with overgrown plants or trees that obscure the door. Instead, design your landscape so it effortlessly leads your guests to your uniquely decorated, easily identifiable front entrance.
Idea #2: Create a Welcoming Pathway
- A pathway, whether straight or curved, should be wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
- Pathways should be illuminated with solar accent lights so your nighttime guests can safely find their way to your door.
- So guests will be greeted with a blast of color that leads them to the front entrance, plant borders of bright flowers along the walkway.
Idea #3: Frame and Dress your Home with Trees and Shrubs
- Plants near the house soften its angles and roofline and help the home blend in with its surroundings:
- To give your home a look of stability and security, plant tall trees on either side of the home.
- Shrubs along the foundation line should be simple and scaled to enhance, not hide the house; and, consider evergreen trees and shrubs for year round appeal.
- Plant a size appropriate accent tree, such as a redbud or Japanese maple, between the street and your home to add beauty and shade to your front yard.
- Shrubs and trees can also be used to create a natural fence along your property line.
Idea #4: Consider the Size and Style of Your Home and Yard
- Landscape and hardscape should match and not overwhelm the size of the home and yard. Choose plants that will complement your home’s size at the plant’s maturity.
- Formal homes should have a formal landscape with strong geometric lines, clipped hedges and uniformly shaped plants and beds.
- Informal homes should consider more natural looking designs and whimsical gardens.
Idea #5:. If you have limited time to garden, select low-maintenance plants and hardscape.
- Plant trees, shrubs, and groundcovers. All of these increase in size and value over time and are low maintenance.
- Lawns are high-maintenance. Consider alternatives to lawn, appropriate to your region, such as moss, clover, stone, gravel, shells, etc.
- To limit lawn and garden areas, use mulch or groundcovers around trees and shrubs.
Visit Caliber Homes for more front yard landscaping ideas. 