Beebe Cline, White Rock Realtor

The design requirements of the average front yard may seem restrictive, yet the possibilities for creating a beautiful, relaxing or wildlife-attracting outdoor space are plentiful — and that’s where landscaping expertise comes in.

To get the balance between practical and pretty just right, however, there are some key decisions to make. Here, experienced landscape designers answer questions to help you prep for that all-important first consultation, giving you a head start in creating an inviting new outdoor space for your home.

1. How Do I Want to Use the Space?

“Before getting carried away with planting or paving ideas, be clear what the space will be used for,” says designer Simon Orchard of Simon Orchard Garden Design. “Parking? Bin storage? A bike shed? Screening for privacy? Providing a nice view from indoors? Impressing passersby? Only then can you start thinking about how it will all fit together.”

Landscape designer Phil Hirst of Phil Hirst Garden Design agrees. “The choice between the amount of paving and the amount of lawn or planting you have is often dictated by practical considerations,” he says. “How many vehicles need to be parked on the [driveway] and, if you’re on a busy road, do you need to be able to turn, so you can drive in and out.”

This isn’t to say that if your front yard is used for parking, it can’t also include some plants. “A front [yard] always looks better with at least some planting, even if it’s in containers,” Hirst says. He also suggests you might want to think about adding low-growing and shade-tolerant planting up the middle, where car wheels won’t run over it.

2. What Sort of Planting Would Work?

“Even if you have a postage stamp-sized front [yard], there’s always room for a few plant pots or window boxes, which will brighten up the space, attract the odd butterfly and, hopefully, put a smile on the face of a passerby,” Orchard says.

As front yards tend to be smaller than backyards, landscape designer Terrey Maufe of Outerspace Creative Landscaping highlights that trees, shrubs and planting need to be proportionate. Trees in particular can be structurally problematic if they’re too large or planted too close to the house or boundaries.

The aspect of your front yard will also influence your choices. “If you have a north-facing [backyard], you may want to make the most of the sunny aspect of your front [yard],” Maufe says. “There’s nothing to stop a front plot being the primary garden if the aspect is favorable and the design requirements can be met. It can also be a productive space, with herbs, fruit or even vegetables being grown there.”

“Tradition has it that front [yards] tend to be more formal and ordered — keeping up appearances and all that,” Orchard says. “But the great thing about gardening is you can be free to experiment and choose plants that will give you the most pleasure. So if you’d prefer to turn your nose up at a double row of lavender either side of your path or topiary balls in planters by your front door in favor of a rambling cottage garden or a lush tropical oasis — go for it!” he says.

“The most important thing is, doing something in your front [yard] rather than nothing,” he adds. “What better way to strike up pleasant conversations with neighbors than spending more time in there pottering about?”

“Bear in mind this will be the first impression visitors and passersby get of your property,” Hirst says. “Try to make the style of planting appropriate to the architectural style of the house. A contemporary garden with clean-cut paving and minimalist planting would look incongruous with a country cottage.”

Hirst suggests considering evergreens to provide year-round structure. “Topiary or low hedges can be a good way of defining a front [yard],” he says.

3. Where Should I Site a Path to the Front Door?

All the designers agree this is a key decision. “It should be clear to anyone entering the [yard] which route they need to take to get to the front door,” Hirst says. “This might mean ensuring the door is visible from the entrance to the [yard]. If the area is large and has more than one path, make sure the one to the front door is wider or more direct.”

Orchard adds that a winding path is a great way to slow down the journey, so you take the time to enjoy any planting as you walk from the gate to the front door. “However, that may not be so great if it’s pouring down,” he says.

“Also,” he adds, “we quite often take a shortcut to get to our destination — known in the trade as ‘the desire line’ — whether this be straight across a lawn or hopping over a narrow bed, so you may find your winding path is sometimes ignored.” Your designer will help to ensure that this quick route doesn’t contain all your most delicate plants or features.

4. Which Surface Should I Choose for the Path?

“Try to avoid uneven materials that are difficult to walk on or ones that will soon need replacing, such as bark chippings,” Hirst says. He and Orchard both agree that gravel can potentially be a great choice for paths and driveways. “It’s cheap and feels nice underfoot, and the sound is a great burglar deterrent — plus there are lots of material and color options,” Simon says.

He highlights some considerations, though. “Small-diameter gravel can get caught in shoe treads and car tires. The trick is to go for a 20mm diameter gravel rather than 10mm.” Also, talk to your designer about the available products, such as stabilizing grids, to prevent gravel getting churned up and displaced.

Maufe, on the other hand, is not a fan of gravel — or other loose materials — for purely pedestrian routes, as the surface can take quite a bit of maintenance. For curved paths, she suggests smaller module pavers or blocks, and for straight paths, larger paving slabs or modules.

Talk to your designer about functionality. “Some materials can become very slippery, especially in winter,” Hirst warns. “Make sure too that the materials are easy to keep clean and won’t show up dirt that will inevitably get trodden across them.”

5. How Can I Make the Garden Wildlife-Friendly?

“If possible, include a range of different plants that have flowers attractive to pollinators, or evergreen leaves that will provide shelter for birds and insects,” Hirst says. “Try to have as little bare soil as possible and consider using a gravel mulch, which will provide lots of nooks and crannies for mini-beasts. It may even be possible to incorporate a small pond.”

“Water is a magnet for wildlife,” Maufe agrees. “Including a bird bath can provide a natural focal point to attract birds and other wildlife. Positioning it close to a hedge or trees can further increase the appeal, as birds are more likely to use it if there’s cover nearby. The same goes for bird feeders, which are another good front garden addition.”

6. Do I Need Space for a Car?

“Providing space for cars without them dominating or compromising the property’s front [yard] is a challenge designers frequently face,” Maufe says.

“If you’re having hard landscaping, drainage is very important,” Hirst adds. In fact, a permeable surface is often desirable or even required. “If the ground is relatively level, gravel is often the most cost-effective surface [for cars],” Maufe says, “but attention should be given to creating good edges and borders to contain it.”

“If you opt for a material that isn’t permeable, then run-off water should be directed into planting beds or [a stormwater basin],” Orchard says.

7. Which Materials and Colors Should I Pick?

“There are no hard and fast rules, but I try to keep the number of different hard landscaping materials in a scheme to three or less, where all the materials work in harmony,” Orchard says.

Hirst adds that materials should tie in with the color of the house. Coordination with the backyard may also be a consideration. “That doesn’t mean colors have to be the same, but they should be complementary. Sometimes, it might be good to match the materials used in neighboring [yards], particularly where houses are of a similar architectural style.”

Depending on where you live, it may be necessary to obtain advice from the local planning authority or homeowners association to ensure materials used are in keeping with the character of the neighborhood.

8. What About Privacy?

What does this mean to you in relation to your front yard? Do you want to stop passersby from peering into your living room or prevent them from seeing you and your family using the space? Everyone will have their own preferences.

“An obvious way of achieving privacy is by having a hedge or fence at the boundary to prevent passersby seeing in,” Hirst says. “However, this can also mean light is excluded from the garden or even from the house. Hedges and fences can also mean intruders are not visible to passersby.” He suggests that a well-positioned tree or large shrub could provide enough privacy to people in the house without these downsides.

“Direct paths from pavement to front door can be rerouted to avoid casual passersby gaining a clear view into your home,” Maufe says.

In terms of spending time in your front yard, Hirst points out that an afternoon of vigorous pruning with music blaring might not be as enjoyable in the front yard as it would be in a secluded back garden. In such cases, consider how much upkeep your choices will require.

9. Will I Need to Accommodate Trash and Recycling?

Trash bins are a necessary evil in many of our front yards, Orchard says. “If you have the space, try hiding them behind an evergreen hedge or tall planting – or create a screen from trellis panels, on which you could grow a climber.”

Maufe adds that they can be contained within a simple slatted wood housing to blend them into a scheme. “Planting can further help to soften the structure.”

Alternatively, you could buy a ready-made trash enclosure. “But be aware they can be quite a bit bigger than your one or two wheelie bins,” Orchard says, “so can attract even more attention.” If this is your choice, Hirst suggests positioning it so you look at it sideways from the road. “In this way, it doesn’t become a feature as you look towards the house. Or locate it behind the front wall, fence or hedge, so you see over the top of it into the [yard].” He suggests you could also give it a green roof, so the structure becomes part of your planting scheme.

“The other solution is to create something nice to look at in another corner of the front garden,” Orchard suggests. “So the eye is drawn away from the ugly bins to some colorful planting or a beautiful multi-stemmed tree.”

10. Would Space to Wash a Dog Be Useful?

“If you are forever cleaning up muddy canine footprints from your hallway carpet after your morning dog walk,” Orchard says, “why not build a doggy foot wash in your front garden?”

“However many practical considerations need to be met,” Maufe says, “one important aim not to lose sight of is that the space needs to feel like a garden. Unlike [backyards], we pass through our front [yards] every time we leave or return to our homes, so they should feel welcoming and have the potential to provide as much pleasure and interest.”