Front Yard Landscape Secrets

Planting colorful bloomers is a surefire way to make your yard feel more welcoming. Use bold, bright hues to create a big impact even if you don't have a lot of space.

Another great way to give your yard a more welcoming feel is to add a patio. Just like the front porches of days gone by, you can sit back and wave to neighbors while enjoying a cold glass of lemonade on a summer evening.

Transform your front walk into a stylish statement by edging it in easy-care plants such as variegated hosta and boxwood. Conjure even more magic by putting a gentle curve in the path; it will offer your walkway with a soft, gentle look.

Grassy slopes can be hard to maintain, so turn your front-yard hillside into a beautiful display and keep it easy to care for by covering the slope with your favorite plants. The plantings rising up to the house make a home appear grander.

Answer the call of the wild in your yard simply by following nature's lead. Select plants and other landscape materials native to your region. The birds and butterflies your front yard attracts will enchant you and your guests.

Plant a variety of evergreens to keep your yard looking classically beautiful through all the seasons. Choose from a wide range of evergreens, including groundcovers, dwarf shrubs, and large trees. Plus, their foliage offers a wealth of textures and colors.

Pack a small front yard with medium-size plants to help shield the home from street noise. Growing a variety of plants makes the yard look larger by giving your eye more textures, colors, and shapes to look at.

A container garden provides a riot of color even if your front yard is primarily paved. A handful of large pots filled with bright or fragrant flowers transforms your front landscape into a work of art.

Many homeowners think of their front yard as one band of land between the sidewalk and the home. But make landscape magic by breaking it up with perpendicular plantings. A curved border, for example, adds a note of grace and elegance.

Small city properties aren't limited to foundation shrubs and postage-stamp lawns. The layered look shown here features a variety of sizes and shapes for an eye-catching landscape that won't be missed.

Lacking height or grand proportions, small ranch-style homes can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Good landscaping gets them noticed. For example, use an ornamental arbor or fence to call attention to the house and mark the entrance.

Blend natural and artificial elements to give your yard an established, comfortable look. For example, place boulders near the path and use groundcovers such as pachysandra. Flowering shrubs, such as azalea, rhodedendron, and pieris soften the look of the stone.

Select bold elements that call attention to themselves to help your landscape make a statement. For example, spiral-pruned junipers flanking the front walk create a sense of grandeur and formality.

Elements of your home sometimes provide clues about where to take the landscaping. In this case, the intricate brick-and-stone detailing calls for a similarly decorative landscape. The lines of the low boxwood hedge echo the architecture of the porch and lend an air of formality.

Give guests an enticement to walk through your garden by splitting your path. That way, more sections of your landscape are accessible to inspection.