The front yard includes the pathway from the driveway to the front door. Between this distance, there are so many elements that add to the visual appeal of your house. Let’s find out how you can beautifully landscape the front yard.
Complete Assessment Of The Front Yard
When it comes to landscaping the front yard, you should first assess the space to identify what you can and cannot do with it. For this assessment, walk down the street, and look back. Moreover, get in your car and slowly drive through your house. Does your house complement the ones nearby? Does it look appealing? Does it complement the house or looks out of place?
List down all the positives and negatives that you come across during the assessment. Additionally, also consider all the things that you like in the front yard of other houses. Based on the outcome of the assessment, you can move forward to the planning phase.
Select A Style Or Theme
Before starting to decorate the front yard, you should be clear about the style or theme you want for space. Spanish, cottage, colonial, oriental, etc., are some of the common themes for the front yard, Whether you want to add furniture somewhere or keep it all-natural, click here to get access to furniture designs on sale.
Once you have selected the theme, all the gardening elements should be in alignment with it. Additionally, you also need to design whether you need an informal or formal landscape. The informal design focuses on more natural-looking elements, whereas formal gardens have stronger architectural features and geometric lines.
Landscaping With Right Plants
The architectural features that you include in the yard will be expensive as well as permanent. You can add elements in different stages. First, focus on the driveway, walks, and steps, and lastly, move towards the fence or porch. When doing this, make sure you select materials that work together perfectly.
Adding plants is an easy way to upgrade your landscaping. And you can keep adding the plants without burning a hole in your pocket. But make sure that you plant them in the right locations. Following are the plant options you can include in the front yard:
1.Shrubs And Trees
Shrubs, trees, and groundcovers tend to increase in value and size. Along with being permanent, they do not need much maintenance. Additionally, edible plants are also a great addition to the landscape. But they need extra work and take time to flourish.
2.Lawn
To create a lawn, you will need a lot of resources and tools. To save energy and fossil, you go for alternatives to it especially, if the region you live in has water scarcity. And if you have a big front yard, it is going to be difficult for you to constantly water and mow it. In this case, you can use ground covers or mulch for trees and shrubs. Dedicate an area for the turf and the rest of the space to be used for woodland, pasture, and meadow.
3.Flowers
These need care and constantly need replanting. But they are a perfect way to fill the gaps between the growing woody plants. Annuals such as impatiens, strawflower, four o’clock, moonflower, etc., are great substitutes for shrubs and last for a year or two.
Elevated Planting Bed
These are either used with or as a substitute for foundation plantings. Create bottomless planting beds; keep them deep enough to store soil. This will facilitate the root growth while ensuring that the soil below and the bedding soil mixes properly.
Considering that the soil in this bed dried quicker than ground soil, put these beds in a shady area during the day. Flowering shrubs, perennials, fruit trees, bulbs, etc., are some of the popular options.
Create Impact With Trees
When landscaping the front yard, trees should be the first factor to consider. Consider planting taller trees on the sides and back of the house. They offer to soften the roofline or second story against the sky. Moreover, adding trees the right way can offer permanence to the whole structure. Along with the frame, trees offer mass to your front yard.
Furthermore, you can prune the shape of the trees to make them appear cleaner and more appealing. These are also excellent options for separating different areas and boundaries.
Foundation Planting
Earlier, plants were grown in a place where the house connects with the ground to hide the first-floor basement and foundations. But today, foundation planting is highly disregarded. Builders place plants that have volume but lack character, so you won’t be able to reap their usefulness.
Plants closer to the houses are important to soften the angles and blend everything together. Instead of the foundation line, you should consider the overall setting. Plants and trees should be added to enhance the overall appeal, rather than hiding the house itself.
Think Long Term
If you are planning to add trees at the front, they should be there for at least 12 to 15 years. These are known as permanent fixtures and should not be planted too close to the house. And green-garden with trees are assets to your house and can increase the sales value.
And if you plant a tree that offers less than a decade worth of growth, then they are a liability. So when investing in a tree, make sure you buy the one that can last you for many years to come.
Plan The Walkway
How a walkway should differ from one yard to another. Following are some things that you should consider when planning a walkway for your front yard:
- When laying out walks, follow the natural access patterns.
- Do not add steps, jogs, and curves, without any need. Only use these elements for steeper walkways.
- The walk should not slope above 10%.
- Add fences two feet apart near the walk so that it is not crowded.
The Bottom Line
Designing a front yard requires you to be clear about your vision. Since you will be spending so much money on building a front yard, ensure that you choose an experienced and reliable contractor. This will make sure that your space turns out to be exactly the way you wanted it to be.
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