5 Steps for Front Yard Design

Your front yard design is important. Think about it. Curb appeal is not only for your visitors but for you! When you come home, is there a sigh of relief or a groan? If it's a groan of despair, hang on. I've got a few tips and tricks for your front yard design.

So many times when garden designs are done, people plant plants around all of the objects in the yard and around the house. What do I mean? Well, the mailbox, the driveway, the trees, and the house all get 'outlined' with plants.

What does this do? It gives the front yard design a cluttered, messy look. Ugh! After all the work you did, it should look polished and new, right?

Step 1: Plan Your Style

First step in a fabulous front yard design is planning. You've heard this before, but it's the truth. Take a step back for a minute. What do you want your entire front yard to look like?

Do you want a formal, manicured look? Country garden casual? Cottage style? Get a firm grasp on the style you like.

That's step 1. If you're stuck, check out some magazines and cut out all of the landscape or garden pictures that you like. See what kinds of gardens you love.

Step 2: Plan Your Lawn

If you've got many, little planting beds, what shape is your lawn going to be? Long, smooth curves or straight lines, make sure that your lawn is a nice shape.

Love shopping for plants? Plan for some beautiful containers in the front. You can fill them with annuals each year for a burst of color.

Step 3: Plan Your Trees

Trees are a great idea for your front yard BUT. But, don't just plant them and run. Plan them. How big are these going to get? Don't be the person who plants a cute little Christmas tree in the front yard only to have it completely envelope the front door or block traffic (ok, so I'm exaggerating, but only a little)

Don't plant under power lines. Even the small crabapple trees get 15' high or higher and will have to be trimmed. Frankly, when the power company trims them, it looks like they are beheaded. NOT a good first impression.

Don't plant a tree directly in front of the door. When this is the huge 30 year old Maple, you won't want to cut it down, but it might look like it's sitting on the 'nose' of the house. Odd.

Don't plant a tree too close to the house. The roots can cause problems with the basement AND when the trees are removed, it can cause more basement problems.

Don't plant too close to the septic. Same goes for shrubs. They interfere with your system and can ruin it.

I've seen these rules broken a lot.

Step 4: Plan Your Shrubs

When you're working on your front yard design, research your shrubs. Find out how big they will get. If they're supposed to get 10' high, will that block your window or overtake the front walk? That cute little evergreen at the nursery could get up to 40' high. Find out now.

Find out what light they need. Elementary? Yes, but it's easy to overlook if you just run out to the nursery. If your planting area is the North side of the house, -- within 4' of the house -- it won't get as much sun. Watch and note what areas are sunny and what aren't.

Step 5: Plan Your Perennials

Yea! I love perennials in a front yard design. With care, your front yard can look like you've fussed and fussed -- with just a few perennials.

Here's the trick -- use easy-care perennials if you don't have much time for maintenance. Daylilies, daisies, sedum, decorative grasses, astilbe and hosta are all easy-care. They'll give you a lot of color for little work. Just make sure you choose the right perennial for the right spot.

Check the light and soil requirements of all your plants.

Repeat -- in other words, use the perennials in more than one spot.

Best of luck with your front yard design. With a little planning, it will turn out great!

Is the front yard stressing you out? DeStress in the Backyard!

Return FROM Front Yard Design TO The Art of Landscape Design HOME