The front yard is the first thing we see when we look at a home. Make yours stand out and leave an impression with skillfully placed flowers, plants, and landscaping. Need some ideas to get you started? We’ve got you covered!
Make use of window boxes. These small planters bordering the bottom of your windows draw the eye to your home itself. Coordinate with the color of your home or shutters to really make your home look polished.
Use border plants around the perimeter of the home. Keep your home looking good all year by using both annual and perennial plants, as well as evergreen bushes for consistent greenery and to fill the gaps between your other plants.
Use a border of potted plants. This is both unique and practical, allowing you to easily replace and update your plants by season or when they’ve run their course. Create a rock-bed to act as the backdrop for each pot. Unless you’re going for a truly whimsical vibe, keep the pots in the same color and style to create a sense of uniformity to tie them all together.
Use stone or rock planters. Give your home a more natural forest look by utilizing large stones as planters. Apart from your favorite florals, fill these with many small succulents that are smaller and easier to care for. Be sure to bring them in during extremely cold or wet weather.
Trail your home with trellises. Want to make the side of your home less flat? Use a trellis and have flowers like clematis grow along it, creating more visual appeal and a beautiful backdrop for other landscaping ideas you might include in your designs.
Upcycle old items. Don’t want to go out and buy new décor for your landscaping endeavors? See if you have anything you’re no longer using and refurbish it for your landscaping needs. Whether it be an old bicycle that your kids have outgrown or a dollhouse, breathe new life into it by repainting it and pairing it with some potted plants or flowers. Create “antique” signs at home to decorate it, or include statement pieces of artwork your kids have made. Use a potting mix that will drain well but retain moisture so that your plants and revitalized item can live together in harmony.
Create shapes. Particularly good if you have trees or larger bushes in your yard, creating a flower bed around them will give them a refined look that lets others know you put intention into your work. Create intrigue by using specific shapes, like circles or squares, especially if your focal point is a bush that is trimmed into a specific shape as well.
Create a lamplit walkway. Line the path leading to your front door with solar lamps to create an ambiance when a late-night driver passes by. Keep this area looking good at daytime by placing small plants in between each light.
Utilize larger fixtures. Add a fountain or birdbath into your designs. Include a stone feature or rockery. Supplement these larger statement pieces with your plants and flowers to draw attention to them.
Hang your plants. If ground space is lacking or you feel like you’re missing something, hang some planters from your porch roof to allow some plants to hang down when coming to the door.
Get a unique home plate. Depending on how you get it made, your house plate might be the most unique thing to showcase. Doll it up with flowers in a window box beneath it. You can do something similar to this with your mailbox in some areas.
Drive home the romance. There might not be anything out there that can create a more romantic look than an arched arbor lined with roses. Complete this look by using corner fences at the entryway of your home, which can double as a subtle way to keep critters out of your flower beds.
Pave the way. Rather than stick with a simple straight walkway to your porch, get creative and design a path that uses different textures and elements to really make a standout walkway. Whether it be curving stones or a rocky road, no one can have the same one as you.
Minimalism goes a long way. Not every design has to be extravagant to make a statement. Sometimes, less is more, and only a few well-placed decorations or plants can be enough to highlight the main star: your home. Let it do the talking while making it seem like its design was effortless.
Finishing touches. Complete your look with your classic rocking chair on the front porch, or other small chairs with a table for enjoying the fresh air. Including lawn ornaments that you love can also give your home a touch of your personality. If you want to be bold, install landscape spotlights to really make sure your focal points can always be seen, day or night.
Other things to consider:
Remember to plan what plants you want to use and map out where you want them to go. Certain plants and flowers might have limited use because of their care requirements. You also don’t want to go too overboard; if people can’t see or even walk up to your house, it will look less like curb appeal and more like an eyesore. The same goes for regular maintenance and trimming where applicable. If you have interest in creating a themed lawn, like Mediterranean or tropical, consider using plants native to your area to recreate a version of it, rather than attempting to force a plant to live in an environment that can’t sustain it. Finally, don’t neglect to check with your city, HOA, and township regulations for certain elements you want to install. Nothing would be worse than investing into something only to be told it’s not allowed.
