Enhancing your front outdoor space should be just as important as developing your back yard. Whether it adds curb appeal, welcomes guests or provides security, a thoughtfully landscaped front yard is a valuable to your home. Don’t know where to start? Comb through these tips to find inspiration on how to upgrade your anterior outdoor dwelling.
Pick the right path
Make your home’s entrance memorable, functional and to the point by creating a clear walkway. An entry path should be easily recognized and convenient to follow. You don’t want mail carriers, delivery drivers or guests trampling through your freshly planted flowers or manicured lawn trying to get to the front door. Besides providing a safe and designated avenue, adding paths and walkways can bring an appealing visual element to your landscaping. Some common options include flagstone, cobblestones, decomposed granite, concrete, wood decking, brick, steppingstones or even a combination of the few.
Focal point
Without a focal point, your landscaping’s design could be lackluster and may leave the eye without a direction to land. Depending on the size of your yard, a focal point can be many different things – a large tree, sculpture, fountain, garden bed, or even just the front door. Build your landscaping layout to encompass around this feature and support it with the use of color, sizing and textures in your remaining elements.
Privacy where it matters
If you live on a busy street, or just have nosey neighbors, privacy in your front yard can be hard to come by, but you do have some options. Hedges, bamboo and ornamental grasses are helpful green additions to your landscaping that aren’t as obvious as a chunky metal fence. Slated or gapped fences and trellises can also give a great balance between privacy and intended invitation. If surrounding neighbor homes have a direct view into your space, cascading landscapes can provide a perimeter barrier while giving your yard some creative dimension. If you install bamboo, make sure to include root barriers which will avoid unintended spread.
Conceal or reveal?
While privacy may not be an issue for you, maybe it’s the presence of unavoidable eye sores on your property. Conceal unsightly features like AC units, trash cans, hoses or power boxes as an easy way to clean up the aesthetic of your anterior area. Mini sheds, lattice, wood boxes or tall plants are fairly simple and cost effective options for camouflaging what you don’t need seen. Out of sight, out of mind!
Lighting
Boost visibility and safety while transforming your yard from dark and dull to dazzling and glowing. Up-light trees or focal points, guide paths and walkways or brighten up your lounging patio with mood setters. From LEDs to solar, there are a wide range of lighting options that could help illuminate your front yard without eclipsing your budget.
Protection
Installing motion detector lights is another useful addition to your front yard. Warn off burglars or startle away unwanted critters. Take it a step further by putting in a security camera system and you’ll have real-time peace of mind whenever you can’t be at home. There are also motion sensor sprinklers if you want to chase off those unwanted racoons and skunks.
Ground cover
There are many eco-friendly ground covers that you can utilize in your landscaping besides grass. Explore low maintenance alternatives like creeping thyme, clover, ornamental grasses, native perennials or even artificial turf. For even more ideas, check out my previous Landscaping Lesson on Xeriscaping and how you could build a water efficient, climate-happy front yard for your home.
Above all, create a space that encourages outdoor community and evokes enjoyment. Catch sunsets on a porch patio set or sway in a hammock while catching up with nearby neighbors. The front yard is the entrance to your home and should reflect the same warmth and care you carry for it on the inside.