10 Front Garden Landscaping Ideas: The Ultimate Guide to Designing Your Dream Landscape 

The front garden is one of the home’s most important visual areas. Not only can it boost your general well-being and help the environment, but well-executed front garden landscaping improves the aesthetic and curb appeal of your property. 

Typically the first thing visitors see before entering your home, your front garden should be the ultimate first impression and greet guests with a friendly welcome. Keeping the space neat and tidy should be your starting point, before considering aspects like flowers, plants, fencing, and more. 

With our top ten front garden design and landscaping ideas, you can provide a feast for the many eyes that see it, which is much more than the rear garden, by the way, no matter your garden size, home style, or your budget.  

1.Embrace natural borders 

Add borders to your garden path and around the exterior to create a more naturalistic feel to your property. The options are plentiful, too, and you can opt for plants of different shapes and sizes, small trees, and shrubs, depending on the space you have available. 

Floral borders also help to create a multi-sensory experience for your front garden, with the right smells going a long way to improving your mood and the general atmosphere. 

If you aren’t too fussed about fragrance, evergreens are a strong option for natural borders because they’re easy to maintain and don’t grow too high. They also allow you to create a real shape and structure without having to water them too often.  

Of course, fences can also achieve a natural effect and protect your space, and there are lots of materials and accessories you can add to a front garden fence to match your style preferences. 

2. Raise the roof with raised flower beds 

Raised flower beds should be planted in straight lines to add symmetry and cohesion to your front garden landscaping. This approach also helps to keep things looking organised instead of planting various flowers haphazardly, which could look unkempt instead of natural and pretty.  

You can play around with the heights of flowerbeds which adds more depth to your garden space, and they’re easy to maintain which is a bonus. For flower inspiration, try seasonal perennials for some colour and evergreens for some consistency. 

3. Plant some trees 

A statement tree is best kept for larger front gardens, but having a smaller space doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some form of tree action. 

Potted trees, for example, can be used to decorate each side of your front door for that cottage vibe, and you can add smaller trees to your natural border, as we’ve looked at above. 

Be cautious when planting trees into your garden soil, however, as roots may grow under your home’s foundations and be difficult and damaging to remove. If you have your heart set on a large tree, make sure you have the space to accommodate it and keep it as far away from your house walls as possible. 

4. Keep it seasonal and keep it simple 

Having a seasonal garden helps you celebrate the changing of the seasons in style, and the front of your home is arguably the best place to add these kinds of flowers because you see them daily.  

For spring, try daffodils, bluebells, tulips, and cherry blossoms, and for summer, sunflowers are most people’s go-to. However, you can also add a pop of vibrance with foxgloves and sweet peas during the sunshine months. 

For the autumn lovers, dahlias and marigolds are always a strong option, as well as pansies and chrysanthemums. Then, there’s winter, which is primetime for holly, cyclamen, and hellebores. All of these bring with them their unique benefits and encapsulate the magic of each season. 

Don’t be afraid of evergreens or lavender that grow all year round, either, because both can ensure you have a consistently beautiful front garden with little to no maintenance. 

But remember, don’t go overboard or your house will stick out for all the wrong reasons. Save the experimental stuff for the back garden where you can test your creative juices in a more secluded, less prominent space.  

5. Pick a colour scheme 

Colour schemes aren’t just the inside of your home and there’s no reason at all not to embrace them in your front garden landscape.  

Try colourful flowerpots and combine colourways with your exterior walls and flowers until you find the right fit. You can also match the colour of your front door with plants and accessories in the garden, as well as climbers, shrubs, and tiling.  

As well as keeping things co-ordinated from a colour perspective, add a splash of colour if you’re going for a more natural, green or brick aesthetic. Potted plants can then be changed with the seasons or if you just fancy a change. 

6. Light up your front garden 

Garden lighting is a novel way to illuminate your favourite areas or specific spots in your front space. The right lights provide a warm welcome to guests but can also act as a form of security to deter unwelcomed visitors in the dead of night. 

Fairy lights are a lovely option for winter and create a magical atmosphere in your front garden space as well, and the fact that many are solar-powered means you don’t have to worry about batteries dying. 

7. Mix it up with your path design 

As well as floral borders for your paths, consider the materials and design ideas that can add more to the walkway to your front door. 

Not only does this create a defined space, but you can get creative with the elements you choose. From tiles to paving, wooden decking, and decorative gravel, there are lots of ways to add personality to your front garden landscape with your pathway design.  

Be wary of tiles, however, as they can be slippery in wet weather conditions, so they may not be suitable. It’s also key to consider the layout of your front garden before committing to a garden path because they can be a little overbearing and detract from other aspects of super-small front garden areas.  

8. Pull up a pew and enjoy the view 

A garden bench gives you a space to reflect and enjoy your front garden, spending time there that you might otherwise spend indoors or out the back. A great place to reflect and enjoy your home, it’s even better if you have a sun-facing garden, helping you make the most of the sun’s rays whenever they show their face.  

If you think garden benches are only reserved for bigger garden areas, you couldn’t be more wrong. There are lots of options available and even the smallest of front gardens can enjoy the serenity of a garden bench, so don’t be put off if you don’t have the space.  

9. Create a natural archway  

If you’d like your home interior to flow effortlessly into the front garden, a natural archway could well be the answer.  

Use climbers or a trellis to get the job done quickly and with less effort, or train plants to grow across your front door, instead. This is achieved by weaving opposing pairs of hazel, willow, or birch materials together to form an arch, using thin, imperceptible climbing supports to guide the shape. 

If you like, you can go longer with your archway and turn it into a tunnel, or on the flip side, you can simply add it to your front door. This also acts as a shelter to protect your front door from rain and weather damage.  

10. Consider security 

We’ve touched on the security benefits of lighting in a little detail, but there’s another side of the coin when it comes to your front garden – theft. 

Having small potted plants and ornaments might look the part, but they could be stolen by jealous neighbours or passers-by. If you have expensive, stealable objects in the space, consider them for the back garden, instead, where they aren’t on permanent show.  

Large plants can also provide cover for burglars trying to gain entry to your property, so be cautious and have security on the mind with your front garden landscaping.  

Let’s get gardening! 

Armed with our front garden landscaping ideas, it’s time to get cracking with your own garden space. Make it something you’re proud of and create a welcome entry to your home that you’re happy to call your own. Your home deserves it!