Front Garden Design Tips For Enhanced Kerb Appeal
Garden design is usually focused on the back garden, as this is the largest landscape most homeowners have access to. However, our front gardens are just as important as they provide the first impression people get of your home, and by extension, your family. An overgrown, unattractive front garden makes your home look unkempt.
Whether you’re thinking of selling or want to improve your current living conditions, front garden design is so important, although it often gets overlooked.
As a premier landscaping and driveway company, M&M Driveways understands how effective front garden design can be. We have helped many clients over the years create a beautiful entrance to their home with our services, and are using this experience to help you today. In this post, we are sharing some of the best tips for front garden design and how you can create a welcome home to look forward to every single day.
Understand Your Space: Measuring For Front Garden Design
Before we can dive into the tips and methods for better front garden design, you first need to assess your current set-up. Taking the time to measure and inspect your front garden will make all future decisions easier, while also ensuring your efforts will last a long time.
This is why the first stage of all landscaping and driveway projects performed by the M&M Driveways team is a site consultation. This is where our team gets to learn more about your landscape, its condition and size, as well as your desires for it.
For front garden design renovation, various factors need to be considered, such as:
- Garden Size And Shape: How big your landscape is and its shape determine what kind of work can be done. It can also determine the scope of renovation, materials needed and how much labour is required to get the design complete.
- Soil Conditions: Assessing soil conditions is needed ahead of planting and landscaping installations, as it determines whether the plants will thrive and how much maintenance is needed to keep your landscape looking its best.
- Sunlight Patterns: How much sun and shade is present in your front garden also influences both hard and soft landscaping decisions, as it determines what plants will thrive and whether surfaces will fade over time.
- View From All Angles: Is your front garden visible from inside the home? This may also play a role in your front garden design, as you will want it to look good from all angles. Not only should your front garden look great from the street and to visitors, but you want to be able to enjoy it yourself, whether inside or outside the home.
- Any Existing Features: Features such as retaining walls, hedges or driveways that you currently have in your front garden design need to be considered, as you may want to keep them. If they need to be repaired or upgraded, this can be added to your final design.
Front Garden Design: Key Elements To Consider
Once you understand your current front garden layout and what you desire from front garden design, it is time to begin planning your new space. Front gardens are both functional and attractive, as they form the main entrance to your home. To align with both these requirements, consider the following design elements:
Driveways And Parking
For a lot of people, the majority of the front garden is dedicated to parking. Having a private driveway can be extremely beneficial, as it keeps your vehicle safe and out of the way. This is an extremely attractive feature for your home, especially if you are planning to sell, making it a great investment for your front garden.
At M&M Driveways, we specialise in the design and installation of driveways to suit all kinds of properties. We offer block paving, tarmac and resin driveways, each of which can be customised to suit your specific desires or property style. Resin is an ideal solution for modern homes or those seeking a long-lasting, low-maintenance surface; however, traditional homes and cottages may benefit from block paving with its custom installation options.
Based on the shape and size of your front garden, your driveway can be installed in a bespoke layout to offer maximum parking space and access to the property. Due to the required scope of driveways, this is likely to be the main area of your front garden design.
Pathways And Access
As well as access for your vehicles, your front garden design needs to provide access to your property. Hardscaping, such as pathways or paving stones, plays a large part in garden design and can be customised to suit your specific tastes and requirements.
In front garden design, paving is primarily required to be used as pathways, stairs, or paving stones to direct people to your front door. There are various options for this, based on your needs, including:
- Porcelain and Granite Tiles: Ideal for modern properties seeking an elegant entrance to their home, porcelain and granite paving tiles can be used to create a sleek pathway directly to the front door. They can also be used to design patios and hardscape areas that can make your garden easier to maintain and suitable for all weather use.
- Stone Paving: Whether natural stones or paving blocks, these are highly customisable solutions for front garden design. You can create a stepping stone pathway or curved path to your front door, evoking a sense of adventure. The unique shape of these kinds of pathways is suitable for both small and large gardens.
For additional appeal of your front garden path, use bordering and edging in contrasting colours. For example, slate granite or grey porcelain paving can be contrasted beautifully with dark block paving bricks as the edge. This defines the boundaries of your front garden and creates an attractive layout that is certain to complement your home.
Front Garden Planting Ideas
Cohesive garden design provides a beautiful combination of both hard and soft landscaping – this applies to front garden design too. Creating an attractive front garden requires plants and flowers to soften the hardscape areas, like the driveway, which are certain to take up the majority of your available space.
Some of the best planting ideas for your front garden include:
- Evergreen Shrubs For Structure: Evergreen shrubs are a great way to create an attractive and private front garden design that remains throughout the year. Shrubs such as box and yew maintain their foliage throughout the seasons, making them an effective screening solution for your front garden. They can also be used to define the boundaries of your front garden or add structure to the garden design, such as by separating zones or highlighting pathways.
- Seasonal Interest Plants: To mark the changing of seasons, add bulbs, perennials, and ornamental grasses across your front garden design, Whether planting in pots and containers, or in flower beds and borders, these plants can add seasonal pops of colour to the front garden and ensure you have a unique display at different times of the year.
- Fragrant Flowers: Fragrant flowers, such as lavender and jasmine, are attractive and a great option for your front garden design, as with strategic planting, you can invite these floral scents throughout your home. Plant fragrant flowers and shrubs next to the front door, whether in pots, hanging baskets or flower beds. Each time you open the front door, you will be greeted by welcoming scents and fresh air.
Turfing Or Hardscaping?
A major decision for your front garden design is whether you want to have a lawn or not. If you have the space available, a lush green lawn can bring the whole design together, but it needs to be maintained throughout the year.
Keeping a lawn looking its best, frequent mowing, fertilising and aerating are needed with each passing season. If this is too much for you or something you cannot afford, there are alternatives to real grass you can incorporate in your front garden design, such as:
- Artificial Grass: For those who desire the green appearance without the maintenance, artificial turf is a great alternative. This is designed to look and feel like real grass, but it looks great all year round. Simple cleaning and the removal of debris are all that is needed to keep it looking its best.
- Paving and Hardscaping: Replace your lawn with a patio or hardscape area, such as porcelain paving or block paving in complementary colours to your property to reduce maintenance without compromising the appeal of your front garden design. For colour, potted plants and flowers or climbing plants can be added across the landscape.
Garden Lighting
Lighting is both decorative and functional, making it an ideal addition to your front garden design. Some of the best garden lighting elements for front garden design include:
- Driveway and Pathway Lighting: These illuminate the main pathway to your front door, keeping it safe at all times of the day. Whether you choose solar-powered lanterns, stake lights, or lanterns, these features will highlight the main area of your front garden design while keeping the garden accessible at all times.
- Uplighting Plants And Trees: Placing spotlights and uplights underneath trees, shrubs, or tall structures can create beautiful displays of shadows and lights. The elongated shadows will make the garden look like a new landscape at night, while also keeping the focus on your favourite design elements.
- Solar Powered Lights: From twinkle lights to warm-toned lanterns, solar-powered lights automatically come on when the sun goes down, keeping your garden illuminated without the effort.
Conclusion
Front garden design is just as important as any other form of landscape renovation, but it rarely gets the attention it deserves. There are various ways you can improve the appearance of your front garden to create a welcome home that you always look forward to.
Working with professional landscapers like M&M Driveways gives you access to premier materials and expert advice regarding the layout and installation of your front garden. We offer paving, planting, and driveways to create outdoor spaces that are as beautiful as they are practical.
Contact Us Today
To learn more about our services or to request a quote, please contact the team today.
