Front Yard Landscaping

There are many features required to make a front yard landscape both functional and attractive.  Some of the main considerations in your front yard landscape planning and design may seem basic, and they are, but they also create the foundation for a front yard landscape that stands out as exemplary.
 
Primary Front Yard Landscape Features to Consider:

Front Lawn – Think of the front lawn as a canvas to paint on.  Although a healthy green lawn may not stand out to the casual onlooker, a brown unhealthy lawn will.  Creating a good lawn and keeping it healthy is an ongoing effort, not a one time job.

Trees – Trees are the crowning jewel in any landscape because they are such a long term investment.  Because they take so long to mature, trees should be planted as soon as possible unless you can afford to bring in a grown tree.  Don’t cheap out on trees either.  If you buy a low quality tree or don’t to a proper planting job for your front yard landscape and it dies, everyone will see it and you will have lost the years that you have put into it.

Front Yard Flowers – If planned properly you can have flowers blooming in your front yard landscape from early spring through the fall.  It does take some effort of course.  Some perennials will come up on their own without a lot of work, but to have color all year long will likely require planting some annuals now and then.

Planting Around Foundations – These plantings are the border between your home and your front yard landscape.  They should be designed to create a nice visual transition between the home and the front yard landscape.

Water Features – Fountains, ponds and waterfalls should be planned with care.  They can obviously add a lot to a front yard, but they may be safer in the back. Use discretion.

Driveways and Walkways – Although you may not have a lot of control over  the location and design of sidewalks or possibly even driveways, there are still a lot of choices of material that can make an important contribution to the overall appearance of your front yard landscape.  Different colors of concrete, brick pavers and outdoor tiles are only of few of the possible ways you can customize your front yard landscape.

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Many features are involved in making your front yard landscape not only functional but attractive as well.  Included below are the primary features you will want to consider in your front yard landscape design.

For the most attractive and beneficial use of your front yard landscape, you will want to include most of the features outlined below. Essentials, such as a good lawn, thriving shade trees, paths and walks are often taken for granted, yet they are usually the most difficult to acquire, and may end up absorbing a major part of your initial effort, as well as your landscaping budget.

On the other hand, a project such as an outdoor living room, cooking and entertaining facilities, may have been overlooked in the past because it sounded too difficult to accomplish.  Yet these seemingly difficult features can add a great deal to your enjoyment and may, depending on what type you choose, be obtained with relatively little effort and cost!

Primary Front Yard Landscape Features

Trees – Perhaps if any one landscape feature can be singled out as basic to a successful front yard landscape, it is the presence of fine trees.  The unfortunate trend of developers cutting down trees in a wholesale manner, and the increased use of treeless fields for new building, has focused attention on the property owner who usually must begin with nothing when it comes to trees. Architects agree that a single shade tree, even of medium height, can make a tremendous difference in the comfort and livability of a house.

A Good Healthy Lawn – A basic requirement for attractive and enjoyable grounds is a good lawn. When planting a tree you do so realizing that you are planting for years to come, even for future generations.  Few people realize, however, that fine lawns must be planted in the same spirit.

Flowers – You will want flowers for cutting, as well as flowers for contributing cheerfulness and charm to your front landscape. The aim of the successful gardener is to have a regular succession of flowers from early spring to late fall.  You can plan from the start to have perennials which bloom at different seasons. 

Foundation Planting – The special planting which is set close to the house is called foundation planting and has great importance since it can improve and enhance the proportions of your house, as well as relate the house to the grounds.

Service Area – You may need a service area near the front of the home. Try to plan the service area out of sight yet close enough to the front so that it is convenient.

Paths and Walks – Planning your driveway and front yard walks, so that they take up a minimum amount of room and yet provide a strong enough surface for the traffic they will bear, calls for careful thinking.

Check out our other posts for more information on how to design a front yard landscape.

Technorati Tags: Front Landscaping, front yard landscape, Front Yard Landscaping

There are many features involved in making your front landscaping not only functional but attractive as well.  Included below are the primary features you will want to consider in the planning and design of your front landscaping
 
For the most attractive and beneficial use of your front landscaping grounds, you will want to include most of the features outlined below in your plans. Such vital essentials as a good lawn, paths, walks and thriving shade trees, are often taken for granted, yet they are usually the most difficult to acquire, and may end up absorbing a major part of your initial effort, as well as your front landscaping
budget. 

On the other hand, a front landscaping project such as an outdoor living room, cooking and entertaining facilities, may have been overlooked in the past because it sounded too difficult to achieve.  And yet these seemingly difficult features can add  a great deal to your enjoyment and may, depending on what type you choose, be obtained with relatively little effort and cost!
 
Front Landscaping Essentials

Trees—For Shade and Beauty – Perhaps if any one feature can be singled out as basic to successful landscaping, it is the presence of fine trees.  The unfortunate trend of developers cutting down trees in a wholesale manner, and the increased use of treeless fields for new building, has focused attention on the property owner who usually must begin with nothing when it comes to trees. Architects agree that a single shade tree, even of medium height, can make a tremendous difference in the comfort and livability of your front landscaping.

A Good Lawn – A basic requirement for attractive and enjoyable front landscaping is a good lawn. When planting a tree you do so realizing that you are planting for years to come, even for future generations. Few realize, however, that fine lawns must be planted in the same spirit.

Flowers – You will want flowers for cutting, as well as flowers for contributing cheerfulness and charm to your front landscaping. The aim of the successful gardener is to have a regular succession of flowers from early spring to late fall.  You can plan from the start to have perennials which bloom at different seasons, (for example, iris, which reaches the peak of its bloom just as the peony season begins). 

Foundation Planting – The special planting which is set close to the house is called foundation planting and has great importance to front landscaping since it can improve and enhance the proportions of your house, as well as relate the house to the grounds.

Outdoor Living Room – One way to extend your house is to use your outdoor space to full advantage. And many homeowners make rooms look larger by visually extending them into the lawn or garden.

Service Area – Plan to have your service area out of sight of the front landscaping yet close enough so that it is convenient. 

Paths and Walks – Planning your front landscaping driveway and walks, so that they take up a minimum amount of room and yet provide a strong enough surface for the traffic they will bear, calls for careful thinking.

Garden Pools and Fountains – Water, in almost any form, enriches your front landscaping and delights the senses.

Check out some of our other posts to learn more about front landscaping.

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