How to Landscape Your Front Yard.

Creating the perfect front yard for your house requires more than just a well-maintained lawn. There’s much more to consider. We’ve made it stress-free with these simple and easy tips for successful landscaping.

Less is more

Overcrowding your garden with endless flower species is a common mistake. It can be tempting to continually add new plants to your collection. As a general rule, have no more than 10 species of perennials at any one point. You’ll also want to have 3–5 different shrubs and one, possibly two trees. Group similar species together and repeat in sections throughout the garden. This will give a more uniformed and aesthetic look that still remains unique. If your front yard is small, think about removing the lawn and replacing it with a stone courtyard or gravel. This will keep it looking good, since little maintenance is required, and there’s no more need for lawn mowers, which you can purchase from Tesco online if you do decide to stick with your lawn.

Match the house

Don’t forget about the architectural style of your property when you’re landscaping. A contemporary designed garden would not suit a traditional house and vice versa. The front yard is your chance to express your individual character. You can do this by adding a focal point. For instance, you could include a sculpture if you enjoy modern art or your favorite flowers as a centerpiece.

Size is key

The landscape of your front garden should match the scale of your property. Its main objective is to compliment the look of your house and boost its charm. Planting trees too tall or including too many large shrubs can dwarf your home and have the opposite effect. However, trees such as cypress trees can be a great way of hiding parts of the façade that look bad. For planting beds, be sure to cover at least half the width of the house.

Create a year round garden

Before you make any landscaping decisions, you’ll want to bear in mind all of the different seasons. After all, you’ll still have visitors and want your yard looking its best all year round. Evergreen trees and shrubs will ensure foliage throughout the year. It’s also good to plant trees which attract wildlife. The crabapple tree with its colorful fruit is a favorite of many species of birds.

Highlight the front door

It’s the entrance to your home and should be the main feature of your front yard. For any large scale plantings including trees, picture how they will frame the front door. You’ll also want an easy recognizable walk way, best kept at least four feet wide. This may also be curved but make sure the doorway is in sight and never hidden.

As you can see, it’s not that difficult to create an attractive and easy to maintain front yard. It just requires a little planning and some smart decisions.

Images by Gardener Susan and Bobolink, used under Creative Commons license