Front Yard Landscape Design
Your front yard landscaping should be a reflection of you.
Each home and its landscape should be a reflection of the people who live there. The front yard is the visitor's first impression of the home and its inhabitants. When first seen, it should be inviting and direct the guest easily to the front door.
Before purchasing any plants or other landscaping materials, indeed, before beginning to plan a design for the front yard, it is essential to evaluate what already exists. You need to take inventory of what you have, what works in the landscape and what needs to be changed. Having a base plan allows you to evaluate objectively what you already have and provides an invaluable tool for creating a pleasing landscape for your front yard.
As you evaluate your site, consider the architectural style or character of your house. Is your house one story or two (or more)? Is it rustic or formal, modern or traditional? One of the goals of effective landscaping is to draw attention to the house in much the same way that an attractive frame enhances a picture. The most effective landscape shows a definite relationship to the style of the house.
The landscape should also reflect something of the character of those who live there. While it is important for the front yard to be visually compatible with the neighborhood, the choice of plants and structural materials such as paving and fences can be unique to you.
Landscaping should be more than just window dressing for the house. A good landscape design makes the space useful. Generally, the front yard is considered the public area of the residence. As such, this area has two primary functions: presenting an attractive appearance to the neighborhood and getting people safely and easily from the street to the front door. Depending on the residents and the area, the front yard also may be used for entertaining guests.
"Curb appeal" refers to how the front of the house looks from the street and is what most people want from a landscape design. Curb appeal increases a property's value and allows the residents to take pride in the appearance of their front yard. There are many ways to attain curb appeal through proper landscaping of the front yard.
Traditional landscaping practice is often limited to "foundation planting." This usually consists of lining the foundation of the house with a row of shrubs, usually evergreen and often pruned into geometric shapes. Larger shrubs are planted at the corners of the house to blend the sharp lines of the building into the landscape. An ornamental tree or two placed somewhere in the lawn completes this typical design.
Foundation planting originated in the Victorian Age as a way of hiding the unattractive high foundations that were prevalent at that time. The majority of today's homes do not have foundations that require disguising, so covering the foundation with a row of plants is no longer necessary or even desirable. Although this type of landscaping is better than an empty expanse of lawn, it lacks interest and individuality. Ideally, the front yard should contain an element of uniqueness, should relate to the architectural character of the house and to the style of the owners, while maintaining visual compatibility with the neighborhood.
Landscaped correctly, the front yard will be attractive all four seasons of the year. Incorporating a few basic design principles will give the front yard unity, balance and interest throughout the year.
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