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15 Front of House Landscaping Ideas You’ll Love

15 Front of House Landscaping Ideas You’ll Love

Searching for “front of house landscaping ideas?” Don’t worry; you’re in the right place.

This guide features smart and hard-to-resist ideas that will differentiate your home from the rest. Read on to get inspired.

Front of House Landscaping Ideas

Piece on front of house landscaping ideas with an image showing an aerial view of a guy laying sod and creating landscaping beds alongside a walking path

Virrage Images/Shutterstock

Although highly overlooked, landscaping for the front of the house can significantly increase your home’s curb appeal and value. A well-done front yard is a reflection of your lifestyle and personality.

It makes your home look well-kept and inviting. The best part is that you don’t have to be a landscaping expert to transform your space. Furthermore, landscaping your front yard can significantly reduce utility bills.

For instance, planted trees offer shade, thus reducing the cost of air conditioning during the hot season.

Most importantly, landscaping promotes eco-friendliness and adds to your privacy. Check out these unique ideas to inspire you in your front yard landscaping project.

1. Color Your Space With Window Boxes and Floral Borders

For a piece titled landscaping ideas for front of house, a few flower boxes sit alongside a mulch landscape bed next to a stamped concrete patio

Ami Parikh/Shutterstock

If you love flowers and colors, you can’t go wrong by planting flowering plants along the entryway. The idea is super simple, but it can revitalize your front of the house if done well. The best part is that you don’t need to spend a fortune on this.

Go for perennial flowers such as petunias or hydrangeas. You may mix them with evergreen bushes for a pop of color while keeping your space green throughout the seasons. You may use window boxes to make the design more appealing.

Floral borders are an excellent landscaping choice for houses that are on the market for sale. They are the first thing that potential buyers will see once they get to your property. And with proper care, the design will increase the house value and speed up the sale process.

2. Be Different With a Planted Wheelbarrow

Image for a post titled Landscaping Ideas for Front of House featuring a wheelbarrow planter in the middle of a green lawn

Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH/Shutterstock

That old wheelbarrow that you no longer use can be an excellent planter. Imagine a shabby chic wheelbarrow overflowing with colorful flowers on your front hard.

The idea brings out a statement of style and class. You don’t have to be a landscaping expert to create a planted wheelbarrow.

Clean and prepare your wheelbarrow, then look for drought-resistant flowers and plants if you are not always around to water them. Wheelbarrow planter landscaping is a perfect project for DIY lovers, and the possibilities are endless.

They have ample bed space, so you can design the planter and plant multiple types of flowers in one wheelbarrow. You may shape the flowers to look like a cage for a more outstanding design. Also, invest in great potting soil for better results. 

3. Plant Perennial Shrubs

Front yard landscaping idea with lots of concrete flower beds lining a grey paver patio

Joanne Dale/Shutterstock

Perennial shrubs such as hydrangeas are great all-season ideas to keep your home colorful and blooming throughout the years. The shrubs are quite affordable and easy to maintain. Additionally, these plants are an excellent addition to your property if you intend to resell it.

They boost the curb appeal of your home and create the perception that you have invested in the care and maintenance of your property. And this increases the home value. Mix the perennial shrubs with annuals to create an all-season landscape.

Also, get quality soil, feed, and water the plants regularly to retain their bright appearance. Nonetheless, it will help to seek expert advice on the tips and the best time to prune and trim the perennials.

4. Add Flowers Around the Mailbox

Plastic mailbox with flowers surrounding the base for a piece on front yard landscaping ideas

Annanass/Shutterstock

The mailbox is probably the first thing visitors see when they get to your home. Therefore, you should upgrade the area to make a good first impression.

There isn’t a better way to do this than to create a garden around the mailbox. Get easy-maintenance flowers, such as annual flowers, and a border for mulching.

5. Invest in Landscaping Lights

A front of house landscaping idea featuring a blue house with black mulch landscaping beds, mulch-lined trees, and lots of landscaping lights in the mix

Breadmaker/Shutterstock

Most homeowners don’t know where to start when selecting landscaping lights, let alone how to layout the fixtures in a way that compliments their home.

Other than improving your home’s curb appeal, landscaping lights offer a sense of security by illuminating the entry points.

You have a range of lighting ideas for the front of the house. You may choose path lights, hanging lights, spotlights, and wall-mounted lights. Choose a placement method that matches the style and design of your home.

Most landscaping lights are solar-powered, so you have no reason to be left out. Even better, they come in different colors, so you can choose the ones that match your home style. Stick the lights along the walkway and flowerbeds, and let them light up your home at night.

6. Create Flower Beds Around Tree Trunks

Front of house landscaping idea with a green lawn and trees with large mulch beds around them, in which sit small annual flowers

Alan Budman/Shutterstock

If the front of the house has trees, that is a plus. You can get creative with the trees by adding flower beds in circles. Ensure that the beds complement the already-existing beds around your house. Normally, the under-the-tree area harbors all kinds of grass.

But you can turn yours into a point of attraction as soon as visitors enter your property. Flowers will thrive perfectly due to the availability of shade.

However, avoid planting holes when planting the flowers. The reason being that creating holes could damage the roots of the trees. You should also avoid making a raised bed to ensure that the tree gets adequate nutrients.

Most importantly, plant the right flowers that can comfortably share the limited nutrients with the tree. Go for colorful flowers and some perennials. The beds will demand less work as they already have enough shade from the trees. 

7. Add a Potted Border

Front of house landscaping idea with a potted plant with wooden planter housing boxwoods

Africa Studio/Shutterstock

The best thing about potted borders is that they are easy to update with seasonal changes. Get some potted flowers, creeping ground covers, or shrubs that you can swap after every season.

Potted borders are an excellent idea for busy people and nomads, rather than leaving their front yards bare and neglected.

8. Install Raised Garden Beds

Raised wooden garden beds in the middle of a mulch bed surrounded by vertically-stacked bricks for a piece on front of house landscaping ideas

Joanne Dale/Shutterstock

Don’t be afraid to create a raised garden bed on your front wall. The idea brings a touch of style and elegance to your driveway, which is a perfect selling point.

You can’t go wrong with a mix of white flowering Valerian and evergreen grass to create a contemporary feel and brighten your yard.

Such plants thrive in any soil and require minimal attention to retain their lush appearance.

9. Utilize All-Season Informal Landscaping

Informal all-seasons front of house landscaping idea with smart use of moss, flagstone pavers, and natural shrubs alongside pots

Polbkt/Shutterstock

If you are into informal styles, ditch the usual landscaping and try out something different with evergreens. You will love the unique texture of these plants. The constant movements are a great element for sunny seasons.

Blend different ornamental grasses, such as Mexican feather grass, moor grass, and feather reed grass, if you live in a hot region.

You may also add a hint of architectural perennials to complement the grass and give the pathway a dash of color.

10. Go Formal With Straight Intersecting Paths

Intersecting walking paths that lead up to a house and are lined by trees for an idea for front of house landscaping

Quiggyt4/Shutterstock

Straight intersecting paths with clipped topiaries are a winning combination for elegance and class. They suit all kinds of properties, from modern townhouses to cottages. Formal pathways are a fun project for stone collectors and DIY lovers.

And although they demand time and resources, the results are worthwhile. If you own a large front yard, intersection paths can divide it into small, welcoming areas.

The paths are also a focal point of your home and reflect the style of your landscape. You may line up your garden beds along the border of your property, then create paths with a lawn in the middle. Or go out of the norm by circling the garden bed.

11. Movable Entry-Way Barrier With Plants

Front of house landscaping idea titled Moveable Entry Way Plant Barrier

Molly Shannon/Shutterstock

Movable barrier landscaping is a perfect idea for renters. While you may not be in a position to create a permanent landscape, it doesn’t mean that you should neglect the entryway. 

Invest in large ornamental grasses or evergreen plants and plant them in large pots. Place them stylishly along the entryway to create a charming entrance.

With the movable barriers, you can change the plants as many times as you wish, probably to match seasonal or preference changes.

12. Get Creative With Trash Cans

Urban-style front yard landscaping idea in which trash cans are hidden behind a brick wall with built-in planter behind a locked gate

The Curious Eye/Shutterstock

Trash cans don’t always have to be disgusting to look at. They are a chance to get creative and make them a focal point of your entrance. Paint the exterior with a color that blends with the rest of the coloring.

Then go a step further to crown the bins with plants or flowers. Low-growing succulents and alpines are the perfect combo to create a year-round landscape. Be sure to get good potting soil and water the plants regularly.

13. Install a Mini Water Fountain

Front of house landscaping idea with a natural stone-look walkway in the middle of brown cedar mulch

Artazum/Shutterstock

You don’t necessarily need a large front yard to include a water element in it. Get creative with mini-water fountain ideas. 

Whether you want to go all out with a front yard landscape design or are looking for a simple DIY project, adding a fountain, pond, or waterfall is a thoughtful upgrade to your property.

The location of the fountain depends on the style of the front of the house. If your front garden is formal, make the water feature the focal point.

It is best placed at the intersection of pathways. On the other hand, if your garden’s design is informal, the fountain is best placed at a corner or along the path.

14. Use a Bicycle as a Planter

Old rusty bicycle to which flower planters are attached as an idea for front of house landscaping ideas

Mira Drozdowski/Shutterstock

Landscaping the front of a house is all about creativity and making use of available resources. Convert your old bicycle into a planter and transform it into a point of attraction for your front yard.

The bike’s rear pannier and front basket can work as hanging baskets to help you come up with a shabby chic design. The idea works best if you have a tree or enormous plant in your lawn where you can lean the bicycle for support.

Plant some colorful annual flowers. You may also add decorative elements, such as rustic signs, but ensure to use the best quality potting mix to keep the plants alive during the hot season.

15. Use Cinderblocks for Planter Beds

Idea for landscaping in the front of a house with block concrete planters in which sit boxwoods and yellow flowers

VDB Photos/Shutterstock

When you think of class and elegance, you should be thinking of Cinderblocks. They can quickly transform your front space from basic to classy with only a few touches.

 Play around with the layout of the blocks to create small planters and a large main bed. For the small planters, get some succulents for minimalism.

Look for plants that can thrive in your climate, such as hostas, evergreens, and fans. Cinderblocks help keep your space clean and simple and can be used in all kinds of properties, including modern landscapes.

Things to Consider When Landscaping

If you wish to invest in front yard landscaping, it is critical to consider all aspects that could result in the success or downfall of your project. Some essential things to consider include:

  • The architectural style of your property
  • Consider the functional design of the landscaping ideas
  • Ensure the landscaping ideas don’t compromise the privacy of the street side of your property

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I design landscaping in front of my house?

Our favorite landscaping ideas for the front of your house:

  1. Color Your Space With Window Boxes and Floral Borders
  2. Be Different With a Planted Wheelbarrow
  3. Plant Perennial Shrubs
  4. Add Flowers Around the Mailbox
  5. Invest in Landscaping Lights
  6. Create Flower Beds Around Tree Trunks
  7. Add a Potted Border
  8. Install Raised Garden Beds
  9. Utilize All-Seasons Informal Landscaping
  10. Go Formal With Straight Intersecting Paths
  11. Add Movable Entry Way Barrier With Plants
  12. Get Creative With Trash Cans
  13. Install a Mini Water Fountain
  14. Use a Bicycle as a Planter
  15. Use Cinderblocks for Planter Beds

What is the difference between a landscape designer and a landscape architect?

A landscape architect has a degree and a landscape designer is not required to have a degree.

Landscape architects typically work on large, public projects and landscape designers typically work no smaller residential jobs.

What is a good budget for landscaping?

As a rule of thumb, a good budget for landscaping is to spend 10% of your home's total value on landscaping. So, if your home is $250,000, spending up to $25,000 is appropriate.

Like our Landscaping Ideas for the Front of Your House?

Neat idea for front yard landscaping with ample use of rocks and boxwoods in mulch landscaping beds

Karamysh/Shutterstock

Landscaping the front of the house adds visual interest to the walkways and entrance. However, choosing the best design can be overwhelming, especially with limitless ideas to try.

The above guide is a great starting point to help you choose a unique yet super-affordable design. Consider the available resources, the size of your front yard, and your style and preference before settling for one.