Sarah Metlova
Front Yard Landscaping Ideas For Small Yards – A front yard serves a number of important functions, from first impressions to representing the personalities who live there. We all know the concept of “containment” and we want to present our homes to the street and the world in the best possible way. Whether your goal is to increase resale value, provide personal enjoyment, provide a welcoming entrance for guests, or simply impress passersby, a front yard can do a lot for your home. While a tall, towering path of trees is a big draw, here at Tillis, we know that any yard is too small to make an impact. Here are some fun (and easy!) landscaping ideas to consider for a small front yard — most of which are DIY-friendly!
Planters are a great solution for small front yards. They create small, inclusive designs that can be just as impressive as a treasured garden. Choose planters that suit the color scheme and style of your home. For example, simple, repetitive planters of a single species work well in modern yards, while a diverse mix of colors and shapes can be exciting in a cottage garden. A pot full of succulent plants can be the perfect choice for adding texture to a southwest front yard with small rocks and cacti! The containers can be placed on either side of steps up to your front door, patio or porch.
Front Yard Landscaping Ideas For Small Yards
A basic foundation is always safe for garden design to start with simple. Use evergreen shrubs to create a frame and fill flower beds with color and texture. Don’t go crazy with a large selection of plants, which can be eye-catching and mesmerizing. There are a few styles that include a variety of plants (think naturalistic, cottage, or eclectic gardens), but simplicity is an easy way to achieve if you’re not a master gardener.
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Consider layout when planting your front patio. High in the back, then mid-height, and short in the front. This may seem obvious, but we’ve found that many people only do two of the three, leaving a blank space in the middle. A tall evergreen may look like a slightly forward-looking perennial and a medium-sized forward-facing tall shrub will look more full with a small splash of ground in your garden bed under a tall shrub. For visual interest, remember these three rules!
All plants have natural fluctuations, with winter being the slowest growing season and spring being the most blooming season. If you want your garden to have color and visual interest beyond spring flowers, you need to plan how your plants will look each season.
If seasonal color is an attractive goal for you, try selecting plants with different bloom times. If you really love lilacs, remove flower beds to show them off and enjoy simple structural greenery for the rest of the season. Choose deciduous trees if you like vibrant fall leaves, but if you want a little green in the depths of December, evergreens are a great option for you. Seasoning isn’t always effortless, but this step can really make your front yard landscape look professional.
Don’t feel like you have to plant every nice plant from the nursery outside your front door. Choose from a variety of types and use them in blocks or rhythms. It is clear to the eye and has a sense of purpose. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by nurseries when you’re shopping – but instead pick 2-4 plants you love and focus on them. Again, be sure to plant them at varying heights so they don’t compete for space.
Small Backyard Ideas To Make The Most Of Your Space
If you’re stuck when it comes to landscaping a small front yard, a great place to start is by creating symmetry. It’s hard to find fault with the simple landscape design seen on either side of the front door. It also provides a nice base for your landscape which you can change when you are more comfortable or have a better idea of what you want! Think of a classic green fence, filled with flowering shrubs, roses, a pop of hydrangeas~ and of course, native plants.
If you don’t have a lot of horizontal space in your front yard, you can create a vertical design. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including choosing a fun paint shade! A good mix of colors on doors and shutters can add a dash of personality to the home. Check out our post on door colors for inspiration.
Forever reliable friend! Arborvitae, Chamaecyparis, boxwood and taxus, among others, are great for small front yard landscapes because they do double duty for year-round greenery and privacy.
Evergreen plants give structure, form your foundation, and provide a visual transition between the hard edges of a building and the soft landscape trees. Evergreens can play many roles in a front patio and follow the lines of a front porch or street border, add a big pop of color to the bottom of your flower bed or in a container for the final touch!
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If your small front patio puts your home on the street – use that to redesign your home! Climbing vines are a beautiful addition that can be supported by trellis, fences, walls or your own home to add charming charm.
It’s not just shrubs and bushes, a front yard will have some great shade trees that will take pride of place on your property for years to come. Whether you prefer evergreens for year-round greenery, deciduous trees for vibrant fall foliage, or ornamental plants for seasonal flowers and color, historic trees help define a neighborhood. Even though you may have to start small and be patient, planting a beautiful tree will pay off in terms of beautifying your front yard, providing shade, and establishing a homely feel.
Window box planters are a great landscaping option to share to enhance the look of your abode.
Refresh the view outside your window. You can change the decorations depending on the season and enjoy it!
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If you have a small front patio, you can be creative with outdoor decorating ideas, such as how you furnish your patio! Create something unique that will become part of your home’s style—or even a great modern focal point. There’s lots of inspiration online or just take a walk around your neighborhood for ideas.
If you’re looking for some low-maintenance yard landscaping ideas, consider cutting your own grass or adding artificial turf. The absence of grass means you don’t need to store the lawn mower, saving you hours of mowing time. Not only is artificial turf easy to maintain, but it will look great all year round. Focus on drought tolerant plants and native plants and you’ll be good to go!
Your front driveway (and driveway if you have one!) is an important part of your backyard landscaping! If your front yard is small, a path is a great place to invest. Whether it makes a statement or is simply neat, the walkway really is anyone’s first step into your property. You don’t want loose stones or wobbly bricks!
Add a small fence or wall around a small front yard to add uniqueness to your property. There’s a reason why the ‘white picket fence’ is so famous! A classic entry gate or a pretty flower bed along a fence surrounded by rose bushes is a great way to embrace and play in the front yard.
Functional Privacy Fence Ideas That Look Great In Your Yard
Landscape lighting is another way to beautifully highlight a small front yard and features of your architectural style. From lighting your home to soft chandeliers beaming down trees, to simple path lighting on your front path, light fixtures enhance the look of your landscape and highlight exactly what’s needed. You want to show up well after the sun goes down.
There are also a number of tricks you can use to keep your front landscaping to a minimum. Xeriscaping is a landscape design technique for areas with limited water. Choosing plants native to your climate will always require less care than imported tropical plants.
Stick to ideas that work in your region—for example, if you live in the Southwest, a great low-maintenance option for desert-inspired landscaping is rock hardy plants such as succulents from around the world. Rocks can be used for the garden. Or you can try a Zen garden that focuses on the sand.
If you’re trying to implement ideas on a budget, don’t underestimate the power of good design maintenance! Nothing is as catchy as exterior paint peeling off the sides of your house. Simple maintenance tasks like painting and decorating can help keep your entry looking neat and well-maintained without damaging the bank.
Small Backyard Landscaping Ideas You’ll Love
We often reserve events and activities for your backyard. But if your backyard is too small, it has some possibilities.
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