7 Front Garden Design Ideas to Improve Kerb Appeal
Does your front garden inspire joy or excitement? For many people, their front gardens are simply no more than a mere attachment to their home. Most front gardens, unlike the back garden, are misused, overgrown and poorly organised.
While your focus during landscaping may be on the back garden, because this is the largest outdoor space you own, the front garden deserves some attention too. Your front garden creates the first impression of your home and is the main entrance to your property, so you want it to reflect you well.
As leading landscapers, Green Acorn Landscape Design understands how impactful a well-designed outdoor space can be, and we believe that all gardens deserve the best – including front gardens. In this post, we are sharing some of the best front garden design tips to increase the kerb appeal and functionality of your home.
How to Plan Your Front Garden Design
Before you can begin implementing front garden design tips, you first need to understand what you’re working with. The first stage of any landscape renovation when working with professionals for the front or back garden, is a site consultation.
At Green Acorn Landscape Design, we take pride in offering an extensive consultation process ahead of all outdoor work. We take the time to understand our client’s needs and desires, as well as assess their landscape to get accurate dimensions. The more detailed our work is during the process, the better the results will be.
To learn more about our services and what we offer, see our post Why Partner with Green Acorn Landscape Design for Your Next Garden Project?
When renovating your own front garden, you first need to determine what kind of space you have to work with. This means not only measuring the front garden, but also determining what you want.
Ask yourself questions such as:
- Is your front garden purely decorative or does it need to be functional, such as with a parking space and front door access?
- What is your family like? For example, young children or elderly people who need specific access to the home
- Are you interested in natural elements or desire a more low-maintenance outdoor space?
By defining your needs early on, you can narrow down the best front garden design tips and create an outdoor space that aligns perfectly with your home.
7 Front Garden Design Ideas to Improve Your Home
Now that you understand what kind of space you’re working with and what you want to do, it is time to get inspired. These are some of the best front garden design ideas that can be personalised to suit your specifications:
1. Create a Balanced Front Garden Layout
To ensure maximum kerb appeal of your front garden design, consider implementing a balanced, symmetrical layout. This is especially valuable when using the front garden as your main entrance to your home, as it is appealing and easily accessible.
Using the front door as the central point, rely on a combination of pathways and soft landscaping features to create a balanced front garden design. Ensure that each side of the garden has equal plants, the same level paving and straight lines.
Focal points, such as structural plants or trees or garden sculptures, can be used to define the boundaries of your front garden and draw attention to key areas.
When designing a balanced layout, you need to consider how your front garden looks from all angles. This means ensuring the front garden design looks great from windows looking out from your home, as well as from the street, for maximum kerb appeal.
2. Make the Entrance Clear With a Defined Pathway
Paving plays an important role in any front garden, creating a clear and practical route from the pavement or driveway to your front door. The shape and style of the path can then be designed to complement both your home and the space available.
For a contemporary property, a straight pathway using block paving or porcelain can create a clean, simple entrance. Traditional homes and cottages may suit a softer approach, with gravel, resin or natural stone used to create a more relaxed route through the garden.
The paving itself should also work with the character of your property. Warmer tones can complement traditional brickwork, while greys and other cooler shades often work well with contemporary homes. Planting alongside the pathway can then soften the edges and help connect it with the rest of the front garden.
3. Incorporate Practical Driveway and Parking Space
For a lot of homeowners, the majority of their front garden design is dedicated to the driveway. It is extremely convenient and attractive to have a private driveway in front of your home.
If you are planning on moving or want to increase property value, investing in driveway installation is a smart move, and there are options to complement all needs.
Whether you own a traditional or modern home, permeable driveway options are typically the best solution. Materials such as resin-bound driveways or permeable block paving are designed to be SUDs compliant, avoiding flooding and drainage issues.
Most local authorities have drainage regulations, which usually come into play for large renovations such as a new driveway. Working with professional installers, like Green Acorn Landscape Design, gives you access to a range of driveway solutions as well as expert guidance on drainage, building regulations and planning permission.
We provide resin, tarmac, gravel and block paving driveways which can be personalised to suit your home and align with drainage requirements in the area.
4. Soften Hard Landscaping With Planting
Planting can soften driveways, pathways and other hard landscaping while making the entrance to your home feel more welcoming. Borders, containers and planting around the main pathway can also help draw attention towards the front door and connect different areas of the design.
Some good plants to consider for a front garden include:
- Lavender: A great choice for sunny front gardens, lavender brings soft purple colour and fragrance to borders and pathways, while also attracting bees and other pollinators.
- Ornamental grasses: Perfect for adding movement and texture, ornamental grasses can soften the edges of paving and driveways and work particularly well in contemporary designs and low-maintenance landscapes. For more low-maintenance options, see our post The Best Low-Maintenance Plants for UK Gardens.
- Hebe: With neat evergreen foliage and seasonal flowers, Hebe is an easy way to keep borders and containers looking full even when other plants have finished flowering.
- Sedum: Ideal for sunny spots, sedum provides clusters of late-season flowers that keep borders interesting as summer begins to fade into autumn. For more year-round planting options, see our post The Secret To A Garden With Colour In Every Season.
- Rosemary: Plant rosemary near pathways or the front door and you can enjoy its fragrant evergreen foliage whenever you brush past, as well as delicate flowers during the growing season.
- Star jasmine: If you have a wall, fence or trellis to fill, star jasmine can bring height and greenery to the entrance, along with beautifully fragrant flowers in summer.
As well as choosing individual plants, consider how they work together. Combining evergreen structure with seasonal flowers, grasses and fragrant planting can keep the front garden interesting at different times of the year without overwhelming the space.
Our planting experts can recommend and supply plants suited to the conditions and style of your front garden, creating a scheme that complements the wider design.
5. Add Privacy With Hedging and Fencing
Front gardens can feel exposed to the street and neighbouring properties, but screening can provide more privacy while still keeping the entrance welcoming. Options include:
- Evergreen hedging: Yew and other evergreen shrubs provide natural screening while keeping greenery in the front garden throughout the year. Hedging can work particularly well along boundaries or beside a driveway, although it should be regularly trimmed to keep paths and entrances clear.
- Fencing: Timber or contemporary fencing creates a clear boundary between your garden, the street and neighbouring properties. Different heights and styles allow you to balance privacy with an open, welcoming entrance, while the finish can be chosen to complement your home.
- Climbing plants: If you already have a wall, fence or trellis, climbing plants can provide additional coverage without taking up much ground space. They also soften harder boundaries and introduce more colour and texture to the front garden.
- Combined screening: You do not necessarily need a tall fence or hedge to create privacy. Combining lower walls or fencing with shrubs and other planting can provide screening while keeping the front garden feeling open and connected to the property.
For more garden privacy ideas, see our post The Best Garden Screening Ideas For Overlooked Gardens.
6. Use Lighting to Make the Entrance More Welcoming
Good lighting can completely change how your front garden feels after dark. As well as helping you see pathways, steps and the front door more clearly, a few carefully positioned lights can make the entrance feel much warmer and more inviting.
You do not need to light every corner. Low-level path lights can guide the way to the door, while subtle uplighting can pick out a favourite tree or planting area. You could also use wall lights around the entrance to provide practical illumination without overwhelming the garden.
For more inspiration on choosing and positioning lights, see our post Garden Lighting Ideas To Enhance Your Outdoor Space.
7. Make Space for the Practical Stuff
Bins, bikes and utility boxes may not be the most exciting part of a front garden design, but they still need somewhere to go. Planning for them from the beginning means they are less likely to end up taking over the entrance once everything else is finished.
A timber bin store can keep wheelie bins tucked neatly away, while fencing, hedging or planting can screen storage areas without making them difficult to access. If bikes or other equipment are regularly kept at the front of the property, consider where they can be stored without blocking the main pathway.
These small details can make a big difference, helping the front garden stay tidy and attractive while still working for everyday life.
How To Bring Your Front Garden Design Together
The best front gardens balance appearance with the practical things you need every day. Your driveway, pathway, planting, boundaries, lighting and storage should all feel like part of the same design rather than separate additions.
Try to repeat materials, colours or planting across the space to create a more cohesive look. For example, paving used around the entrance could complement the driveway, while repeated plants can connect borders on either side of the garden.
Most importantly, think about how you use the space. Clear access to the front door, convenient parking and enough privacy can all be incorporated without sacrificing kerb appeal.
Conclusion
Front garden design is the key to enhanced kerb appeal and functionality of your home. Your front garden is the main entrance to your property and the first impression people get of your home, so it needs to count.
By considering the layout, the hardscaping materials, and planting placement, you can design a front garden that looks amazing all year round.
Working with professional landscapers and driveway installers, like Green Acorn Landscape Design, gives you access to expert advice and quality materials. We will help you create a front garden design that aligns with your home and is the perfect welcome home every day.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How can I make a small front garden look better?
Keep the layout simple and make every part of the space work hard. A clear pathway, compact planting, defined boundaries and a limited range of materials can create a more organised and welcoming entrance without making a small garden feel overcrowded.
What plants work well in a front garden?
Choose plants based on the sunlight, soil and space available. Lavender, ornamental grasses, Hebe and sedum can work well in sunny areas, while evergreen shrubs are useful for providing structure throughout the year. Always consider the mature size of plants before positioning them near paths, windows or driveways.
How can I make my front garden more private?
Hedging, fencing, climbing plants and strategically positioned shrubs can all provide screening. Combining lower boundaries with planting can be particularly effective if you want more privacy without completely enclosing the front garden.