Front yard landscape design will almost always be created around access and entry into the home. Also, being the first thing that folks see when they visit or pass by your house, the front yard landscape will usually focus on curb appeal, invitation, and the first impression of your home as well as your landscaping. Not generally designed for a lot of recreational use, front yards are basically designed to serve as the entry and exit of the house.
Planting ideas for front yards most often place a lot of focus on the placement and position of the house. Just like other landscaping elements like fences, walkways, and driveways, it’s important that the plants placed around the home also complement it. The shrubs, trees, and other larger plantings can often unify the home with the landscaping and make it seem more like it’s a natural part of the landscaping.
Special consideration should be given to your landscaping design in the areas of the door and the corners of the house. The door, as a focal point of the house, is usually best planted in with shorter plants on either side of it and not tall plants that will eventually grow up to block it. On the other hand, tall plants are a great choice for the corners since they help soften the corners as well as lead the eye toward the focal point of the front door.
A few trees in the right locations is good in landscaping ideas for front yards also because trees are one of the few elements large enough to proportionately frame the home. They can place interest on the house making it the main feature of the property. Generally, you should grow trees that have a mature size that is close to the same scale of the house. Take special care to not plant any trees with a mature height that is hugely taller than the house as they will end up dwarfing and possibly overpowering the house. And just the opposite, to plant trees that are shorter than the house can make it look taller than it actually is which will also seem out of proportion.
Consider the different tree shapes and then select the ones with a shape that will accent the style of the home. Houses with steep roofs will usually look best with pyramid shaped trees like Spruce and Birch. For the low lines of ranch style homes, maples and dogwoods trees which are horizontal or round, are great choices.
Aside from the other plants and trees, an open lawn area is also important in most landscape design styles as it can create a good setting for the house. A patch of lawn in the front yard with clean flower beds, shrubs, and ornamentals can help create the illusion of more space than there really is. Be mindful when planting shrubs as they can appear to be out of place and floating on their own if not planted in designated planting beds or groups.
Front yard landscapes often place the main focus on creating an inviting entry while also accenting the view of the home. And creating the perfect front yard landscape can literally be as easy as placing the walks, driveways, and entryways and then designing the landscaping and planting schemes around them.
