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Simple ideas for small front gardens

Aug 23, 2018
Ideas for small gardens

When it comes to your front garden, first impressions count. It’ll be the first thing you and any guests see when you approach your home, and can set the tone for what lies behind your front door. If you want your house to stand out from the crowd, or simply look the smartest in your road, you’ll need to think about your front garden design carefully. There are so many different ideas available that it can be hard to narrow down your choices. To help you get started, here are some simple yet effective ideas to inspire you.

 

Keep things basic

If you want a low-maintenance garden you could just have a lawn and a couple of flowerbeds, or even get rid of the grass altogether by opting for gravel or artificial grass. Shallow flowerbeds are a great way of introducing some colour and you can add shingle to prevent weeds coming up.

Think about the seasons

You want your front garden to look good all year round so make sure you put in some perennials that will last from early Spring to late Autumn, and some winter plants too. If your borders look tidy then they’ll look good in the winter, especially if you have some Winter Aconite, Heavenly Bamboo and Scarlet Willow dotted around.

Add an archway

A beautiful arched pergola on the way to your front door can look stunning, especially if it has attractive climbing plants in bloom growing up it. Whether you opt for a metal or wooden pergola is up to you.

Consider where you put your high planting

Don’t block natural light from streaming through your windows, leave the high planting to either side of your windows or by your drive/the road. Have lower planting underneath the windows and if you have more room to play with, consider adding an elegant bench or seat. In having planters at different heights, you can add some interest and layering to your planting. Feel free to vary the material and colour you use for your planters, they don’t necessarily need to match.
 

Boarders that wow

To separate your garden from your neighbours’, or to give yourself more privacy, consider adding a hedge to the side. You can have fun with it and get it shaped, just make sure you prune it regularly. If you’re looking for a tidier alternative, picket fences are a low maintenance boarder that can add elegance and flair to the edges of your garden.

Put your garden in the spotlight

Why not add some up down lights? They will show off your garden by night and give the front of your home that ‘wow’ touch. Some lighting options will have different colour settings so you could opt for a bold colour like purple or green. If you use lighting creatively to light up flowerbeds or tree canopies, you can create a spectacular ambiance throughout your outdoor spaces. It’s worth noting that solar powered light fitting are being coming increasingly common and more effective. Depending on your fixtures, sensible placement of subtle solar powered lights further away from your home and power sources will reduce the need for long, hidden cables throughout your home.


Straight lines

Give your flowerbeds clearly defined edges and keep them running in straight lines. A simple way to start is with a uniform planting using just two or three colours. Lavender, English Bluebells and Jack Frost (Brunnera macrophylla) are excellent choices. If you’re looking for a style with more freedom, a wildflower look can be created with ease. A patch of open grass in a sunny area can be transformed into a mini meadow using wild grass seeds or tuff.
 
While this is a little untidy, you can guarantee colour in your garden form the first days of spring right through to the last days of summer. For a finishing touch, mark your mini-meadow with a slate sign so that your guests know how intentionally wild your garden is. If you want to create a garden that’s stylish and sophisticated, why not have square stepping stones leading to your front door, and symmetrical planters?


Get more ideas

It’s also worth taking a walk around your neighbouring streets to see what other people have done with their gardens. If you like a particular feature in a garden, such as the stone path leading to the front door, there’s nothing stopping you from knocking and asking the homeowner what the stone is called, where they bought it and who laid it for them. Have a look through gardening magazines and browse Pinterest for ideas too. Designing the front garden of your home can be so much fun, especially if it’s a new build home as the garden is a blank canvas.

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