Your front yard needs proper fitting because it is the first thing people see when they arrive at your home. It is also what you and your family members see most of the time.
There are several options you can choose from when you plan to design your front yard. Some of these options include trees, shrubs, rocks, and concrete.
To create a unique design, invest in landscaping that adds to your home’s future value. A good curb appeal provides a sense of accomplishment and pride that yields the desired results.
Here are the seven top design ideas you can consider for your home.
- Selecting the Right Plants
Ground covers, shrubs, and trees are easy to plant, but you have to choose the right places to plant them. Not only that, but you also have to pick the right plants. The greatest advantage of plants is you can easily change them as your taste changes.
When choosing plants, make sure they blend well with the fixtures in your home.
A mixture of ground covers, shrubs, and trees will do wonders for your home. Trees will fit well in areas where you are planning to relax outside. Shrubs will do well along the pathways, while ground covers will fill up any space.
- Using Trees and Shrubs for Impact
You should give trees and shrubs, especially the large ones, serious consideration when designing your front yard. Giving your house a framed view will make it look more attractive. For a framed view, plant tall trees or large shrubs on either side of your house and some behind it.
The trees or shrubs will give your house and yard an elegant look. You should trim the trees and shrubs to different shapes — weeping, pyramidal, or round — to have a greater visual impact. Also, use trees with varying leaf sizes and shapes to add more visual effects to the home.
- Use Accent Trees
Also known as ornamental or specimen trees, accent trees will provide additional shade and beauty to your front yard. You can place them strategically between your house and the street. They make a good impression and can even make your home easily identifiable. For example, someone could refer to a home with a Japanese maple or dogwood in the front yard. When selecting these trees, pick the native types. They are more reliable, and pests don’t easily attack them.
- Using Borders and Edges
Borders and edges are very important elements in your front yard. When done well, these landscaping options give your yard an outline that makes the home look more attractive. Edges provide spectacular contrasts of color, texture, and form. If you want something permanent and neat, you can use bricks or concrete.
You can also buy ready-made edges from garden centers and have them installed in your front yard. Other options include rubber or metal strips that are serviceable and inexpensive.
You can use borders of ground covers, bulbs, and flowers with other edges to add variety. Do not place plant borders too close to the pathways unless they can spread their branches to the pathways.
- Ensure the Landscape Elements are Balanced
Designing a landscape involves more than planting trees and putting outdoor fixtures wherever there’s space. You must balance these elements to create harmony. You must position the elements, so their texture, color, size, and other aspects give equal weight on both sides of the house.
The way you balance these elements will depend on your personal preferences and how you style your house. If your house is symmetrical, whatever you do on one side, you should duplicate on the other. For example, if you plant one tall tree on one side of the house, do the same on the other. If your house is asymmetrical, you can use trees and other outdoor fixtures to create balance.
- Outdoor Fixtures
Outdoor fixtures include everything you may want to make your home more comfortable and attractive. They may include the lighting, benches, tables, etc.
For example, the lighting system should add aesthetic value to your home. Lights come in different colors. Pick colors that blend harmoniously with other outdoor fixtures and plants. Light fixtures are also a source of security at night. Therefore, you need to make sure you install bright lights in areas most likely to face security breaches.
Having benches and tables under some selected trees is another way of making your home more comfortable.
- Create Perfect Walkways
Before you design a walkway, evaluate your front yard and its terrain. Walkways that work in one yard may not work in another. Therefore, before you lay your sand, pea gravel, bricks, or concrete, check your yard’s natural flow of access patterns.
For example, you do not have to force the path from your gate to the front door to be straight. You can make it curve naturally as the terrain of your yard allows. It is also good to have curving paths because straight ones are not charming at all.
You should not have so many walkways in your yard. Having plants and gardens is better than having many walkways.
Ideally, walkways should not be too sloppy. If your yard is very steep, use ramps, steps, jogs, or curves to make walking or driving easier. Do not make any hedges, fences, or walls near walkways over 2 feet high. This is to give people enough space to carry packages or swing their hands without feeling squeezed.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are lots of things involved in designing landscapes. Apart from functionality and aesthetics, there are also costs to consider. The design you choose should be within your budget.
You can consider using locally available materials, such as rocks, to design your yard to keep costs down. If you find it difficult to design your yard, you should hire an expert landscaper. These professionals will take care of everything.