Alternative Landscape Design Ideas for Front Yards
If your front yard is little more than a space to transverse when entering your home, you’re missing out. Your front yard is not only the first thing guests will notice when they approach your home – it’s also an important part of your property’s curb appeal. Below, we provide solutions to common front yard landscape design dilemmas.
“I want a beautiful front yard design but I don’t want a lot of maintenance”
Ask your landscape designer about lawn alternatives. Some lawn substitutes, such as Scotch and Irish moss, do not require mowing.
You may also consider embracing a grass-free landscape. There are many benefits to eradicating grass from your landscape design. Portland residents, for instance, are often concerned with the size of their carbon footprint. For such eco-conscious homeowners, a lawn represents unnecessary energy and water expenditure. It also demands fertilizer to stay vibrantly green. And you’ll probably need to apply harsh weed killers to keep your lawn looking consistent. Even if you’re not overly worried about these aspects of lawn care, you still may prefer a less work-intensive design.
Landscape design services can recommend any number of beautiful, useful non-lawn options. For instance, you could install a deck or patio where your lawn once was. Or you might ask your landscape designer to create an enchanting pathway of pavers surrounded by gorgeous plant specimens. Green-thumb types may choose to install a pathway with terraced raised beds for vegetables and flowers. Other low-maintenance design ideas include rock gardens, native species and rain gardens. These approaches will allow you to sit back and enjoy your yard with little hassle, equipment or maintenance.
“I want a space for entertaining family and friends”
Most people assume outdoor entertaining is best suited for the backyard. But consider creating a front yard area to fulfill this need. With the right design elements, you can create a protected, inviting area for social events. If the idea of sharing your parties with the entire neighborhood makes you feel uncomfortable, you can add shrubs or trellis to create a sense of privacy. On the other hand, you may purposefully choose to place your outdoor entertaining area in the front yard to encourage interactions between neighbors.
Your landscape design service may recommend creating a cozy, protected space by erecting a short wall. Your landscape designer will probably prefer to match materials to your home’s exterior. For instance, if your home‘s exterior features brick, a short brick wall with brick pavers will create a sense of unity across your property.
“My home’s style does not jive with the traditional American front yard”
Embrace your unique style and select a harmonious design. Landscape options from around the world can complement your home’s décor. For instance, if your home has an Asian motif, you may choose to extend this theme. In Japan and China, land is extremely limited, so homeowners traditionally erected tall fences with elaborate front gates. This allowed for family privacy. Consult with your landscape designer to learn which garden styles would best complement your home’s design. Landscape design services will typically jump at the chance to step outside of traditional Americana.
“My front yard is just plain boring”
Get creative. Many American front yards are overly formal. For instance, many front yards feature two identical squares of lawn bisected by an uninspired, straight sidewalk. It’s easy to rush by such a mind-numbing design.
Landscape experts have several approaches for spicing up boring front yards:
Play with multiple materials. The human eye delights in variety. To jazz up your front yard, ask your landscape designer to work with a variety of materials. For instance, you can divide your space into sections of pavers, gravel, and ground covers.
Seek elemental balance. The ancient practice of Feng Shui recommends achieving balance by incorporating equal parts water, metal, fire, earth and wood. Notice how each element is represented in your design. Landscape pavers are typically classified as earth, for instance, as stones come from the earth. A reflective looking ball can bring metal into your design. Fountains add water, obviously. And vibrant flowers such as sunflowers can bring in fire in case you don’t want to add a fire pit.
Consider how you want to use your front yard. You’ll never be bored if your yard is designed around your own preferences. Love fresh berries and veggies? Ask your landscape designer to create an “edible” front yard. Need a space where the kiddos can play? Place a sandpit off to one side of your yard. Want a protected, private space to lounge? A stucco-walled retreat will work nicely. When working with landscape design services, always begin by reflecting on just how you want to use your space.
If none of these ideas inspire you, your landscape designer will doubtless have a plethora of ideas to create the perfect front yard for your family.
