Applying some quality landscaping to your home can return 20% of your home’s value. Expect the best return on investment (ROI) from your landscaping work when you focus on the front yard.
The front yard creates curb appeal, which is one of the biggest selling points for a home.
Consistent lawn care and garden landscaping upgrades can transform your front yard more than you know. Here are some of the best landscaping ideas to try out for your front yard.
1. Get Your Driveway in Order
One of the most important aspects of front yard landscaping doesn’t even involve your grass. A driveway that is neatly paved and decorative will accommodate your cars and beautify your property.
Prioritize this work if your driveway has potholes, is discolored, or has large cracks. You’ll also appreciate how brand new your front yard will look after a new driveway installation.
Some driveway styles that you might appreciate include stamped concrete, gravel, brick, concrete, and permeable paver driveways.
2. Make Use of Lighting
Adding lighting is one of the most important landscaping design changes that you can make. An illuminated walkway makes your yard safer at night. You can install a light-emitting diode (LED) for options that use 75% less energy.
Pod lights that line your driveway and the pathway leading up to your porch steps can illuminate and create a serene environment. Other options that you might explore include dramatic uplighting, glowing lanterns, year-round Christmas-style lights.
3. Embrace Some Plant Life
You won’t get the full potential from your front yard without embracing plant life. Install some trees and shrubs in areas that make the most of your landscape layout.
Some of the best plants for a front yard include succulents, azaleas, roses, tulips, daisies, hostas, and several evergreen shrubs. Your beautiful landscaping will be aromatic and teeming with life when you add the right plants.
4. Give Your Grass Some TLC
Call up a landscaper so that you can learn more about the health of your grass. They might suggest re-seeding from scratch, mulching, adding different blends of fertilizer, or fixing bare areas that need some help.
A nursery can sell you quality seeds of grass that will blossom after you or your landscaper work the yard in the offseason. Some of the best types of grass that you can plant include Fine Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, and St. Augustine Grass.
Get consistent with mowing and watering your grass. Invest in a mower that cuts your grass down to the length that you like. Rake your leaves in the fall and lay down some mulch so to protect new seeds or the sensitive roots of young plants.
5. Install Some Water Fixtures
There are several water fixtures that will add a lot to your front yard. A sophisticated drip irrigation or micro-irrigation system will hydrate your lawn while saving water.
Decorative water fixtures like fountains are also a fun touch. A fountain as the centerpiece of a garden can create a nice little nook for you to sit out and enjoy coffee and watch the birds.
6. Build a Decorative Walkway
“Flow” should be the operative word for your front yard. When a front lawn has flow, it’s inviting for anyone that enters it.
Direct people’s eyes with the patter of the grass and alignment of plants. Pair it with a walkway that lets them travel the path. Brick pavers are an excellent way to accomplish this since they’re easy to arrange however you’d like.
Some brick paver options that you might prefer include clay, concrete, brick, and natural stone. Aligning your walkway with plant life and lights makes it a sight to behold day or night.
7. Set Up Some Planters
Planters are yet another way to make your front yard look unique. They’re boxes or pods that contain life plant life. These pods are often decorated and can serve functional purposes in your yard.
People use these planters to create perimeters or to double as lights. They’re also a unique way to have multiple little gardens or flower beds spread throughout the yard. You can diversify your plant life and test out your green thumb at the same time.
8. Fix Up Your Front Porch
Always make sure that your porch is taken care of. Take care of the concrete, brick, or stone floor and perimeter, and fix the steps. Cracked steps are an eyesore and a safety hazard to anyone using them.
Many homeowners decide to fly flags in their front yard. They may want to express their patriotism or fly flags for their alma mater, favorite sports team, military branch they served, fraternity, or others.
A flag pole company can sell you the perfect option for your porch.
Install plants in front of your porch that are lush and uniform. These should be evergreen since they’re the focal point of your landscape.
Apply the Best Landscaping Ideas
The best landscaping ideas will help you fall in love with your home all over again. Nailing these ideas will also teach you more about home improvement, can create some much-needed equity in your home.
Don’t get discouraged if some of these suggestions have a learning curve. You can always hire a landscaper to help out, and we’re dedicated to providing regular posts on these kinds of projects that you can soak up like a sponge.
Make us your resource for landscaping ideas, and check out our other articles related to home improvement, health, business, and more.
