Front Garden Ideas
Front gardens are unique and very different from rear gardens. They are often for show, not for relaxation, and curb appeal, not for parties and play.
There are many ways to create immediate impact and maximize space out front, all while adding value to your property. No matter how small your front garden is, you can make it both a beautiful and valuable space with careful planning.
Before your house comes into view, your front garden is the first thing visitors will see, and a neat exterior will most certainly create a warm welcome. A well-maintained, flower-filled front garden also adds to the overall look of your neighborhood. Most importantly, ‘A front garden full of plants also means a home and food for wildlife,’ says Leigh Hunt, horticultural adviser at the Royal Horticultural Society.
In reality, we’re likely to see more of our front garden than our back for much of the year. – until spring and summer arrive, of course. Every time we walk to our car or out of our house, whatever the weather, we’ll be immersed in this front garden, so why not give it the attention it deserves?
Fit in with the street scene
Every road has a ‘look,’ and if you take your front garden too far away from what’s typical for your street, you will create a ‘wow,’ but not in a good way. But you can still raise the tone – if other front gardens in your street are neglected, you can go for quietly brilliant, and if every other park has been made over like a daytime TV program, you might have to work a bit harder. If in doubt, go for low-key, neat, and formal.
Symmetry and structure
In a front garden, lean towards well-defined flower beds, straight lines, and solid planting. The most brutal look to pull off in a front garden is a wildflower meadow with plants flowing everywhere – go for the opposite of this, and you’ll be on the right track.
Think about winter
A structure like this will work in winter and summer – and winter is a critical time in the front garden. This will likely be your one glimpse of greenery on your way from house to car, so getting the winter look right is crucial. The shapes of the flower beds will be seen, and the structural bones are visible in winter, so it’s essential to make sure those bones look good.
Consider the layout lay out – the bones of the garden – need to signal where people should go. It’s an obvious point but one that needs to be remembered. When visitors walk into your house, the front garden needs to show them the way to the front door; its purpose, if you like, is to direct. The easiest way to do this is with a clear path and a significant signal to mark the front door. Big pots on either side of the front door will do the job.
Work with the house
Work with the house and the windows when you’re putting in the structure. So planting is high between the windows, low in front of them. Accentuate the patterns of place, don’t work against them. This will often give you an excellent way to copy around the rest of the front garden. The pace of the lower and higher planting can be used at the sides and alongside the road. Use the same spacing, and the whole thing will come together like a symphony.
Kerb’s appeal
You may think about selling later, but it’s likely to happen at some point, so if you’re putting money and effort into your front garden, think about curb appeal to buyers. What would you like to see if you considered buying this house? It’s another excellent reason to avoid anything whacky at the front. Kerb’s appeal is about looking neat, well-maintained, and cared about. Case in point: Dustbins can be a real eyesore, so screen them with shrubs or trellising, invest in wheelie bin storage, or as a horticulturist, Alys Fowler suggests, ‘Make your garden so pretty your eye won’t be drawn to the bins at all!’
Watch out for planning rules
These are often specific to front gardens and can cover anything from the height of your front fence to the color of your house. To find out what applies in your area, the planning department of your local council will be an excellent place to start.
The main requirements for plants in a front garden are that they give structure and don’t take too much looking after. They need to be steady, not glamorous. As a general rule, choose plants that flower every season; that way, you’ll always have something new to welcome you home, and window boxes are great for adding a splash of color.
Evergreens
Shrubs which stay green and have a good bulk all year round are critical to front gardens. Toy Box or Yew, hebes or sarcococcas. Choose the size you need to create your look; one of these will fit the bill.
Climbers
If your house isn’t pretty, there’s a great temptation to grow climbers up the front. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. What could be a better idea is to grow self-clinging climbers. So, say no to ivy, Boston ivy, and climbing hydrangeas – these all have suckers and will find their way into the guttering, the mortar, and, eventually, the windows. The climbers that are less likely to damage your house need support to grow up, such as wisteria, clematis, and roses. These can’t get a hold of themselves, so they are a lot less scary. A good tip is to grow them up the sturdy trellis, which is just hooked onto the wall. The frame (and the climber with it) can be removed for cleaning or painting the walls.
