The The front garden is the first impression, essentially the calling card of the house. It should look friendly and inviting, perhaps even be an eye-catcher for passersby. But how do you achieve that? How do I proceed? What do I need to pay attention to?Tips on how to design the front garden
First of all, it is very important to think carefully about how the front garden should look and how the rest fits in. Here, one should consider whether the environment is more urban or rural, and what the architecture of one's own house is like. It looks more harmonious if the elements of the front garden are coordinated with it.
Planning
Usage
Furthermore, the usage is interesting: should it just be the access to the house, or the driveway? Or do you perhaps want to spend time there as well? And if you want to spend time there, would it be nicer if you were protected from views, noise, or dust? Then you should plan for walls or high hedges. However, if the front garden is very small and/or narrow, you must keep in mind that high walls will make it look even smaller and you will have to expect a lot of shade.
Plant selection
For the choice of plants, it is also very important which soil, light, and climate conditions prevail there. Because every plant has different needs and not every plant can tolerate direct sun or thrive in the shade. In addition, it should be noted whether a heavily trafficked road with high pollutant and salt exposure is to be expected. In that case, so-called industrial-resistant plants would be more suitable.
Entrance gate
For the selection of the gate, it also applies that it should appear harmonious with the character and style of the house and the surroundings. Additional considerations, such as the purpose, then come into play: Should it only be decorative, or rather very secure; should it allow views or rather shield them? Does it need to be childproof? Do you have your own pets, or are there dogs and cats nearby? Because if gates have gaps that are too large, animals can climb into or out of your garden.
Utility areas
Another important consideration is how and where the trash cans should go. There are already great solutions here so that these do not influence the overall picture. Also, perhaps include bicycle parking spaces, space for the trash cans, car parking space, mailbox, lighting, and doorbell in the planning. You don't want to have to tear everything up again because of such things.
Designing the front garden
Once these questions are clarified, you can move on to the design of the front garden. There are 2 variants here:
the openly designed
- or the enclosed front garden
- Openly designed front garden
If you would like to design your front garden "openly", then walls, fences, or high hedges are dispensed with. If you have a lot of space, you can sow a lawn and plant beautiful trees or shrubs. If the house is more modern, gravel or crushed stone areas, which are structured with evergreen woody plants, fit very well. The path can be lined with colorful flowers and thus appears very inviting. If you still want a little privacy, you can plant denser vegetation directly by the house. Openly designed front gardens are also excellent for terraced houses, as they visually enlarge the garden.
Enclosed front gardenThe "enclosed" front garden is characterized by walls, fences, or dense hedges. These prevent people from looking directly into the garden. Here, for small and narrow areas, one should rather opt for a low or transparent fence so that it does not feel oppressive. It looks very pretty if you use a fence with wooden or metal bars where climbing plants can grow along. Climbing plants also look very nice on the house wall. It becomes interesting if, for example, you let ivy grow only around the entrance.Container plants
Also a nice eye-catcher are plants that stand in pots right by the entrance. Here you can use either boxwood trimmed into shape or flowering standards, such as roses. I have created a small "miniature garden" in a flower pot at my place. Add some lighting and the whole thing is a nice eye-catcher.
The TreesIf a tree is to be planted in a small area, then choose small-crowned trees or large shrubs, such as tulip magnolia, ornamental apple, or a Japanese ornamental cherry. These bloom very beautifully and also grow very slowly. If a conifer is desired, then definitely make sure that it is not planted too close to the house. Otherwise, it can happen that it takes away the light from the living rooms.
With good planning, a wonderful entrance can be conjured up, which ensures that you enjoy coming home and perhaps even harvest appreciative glances from neighbors and passersby.
Posted on: 08/26/2009 on Tips for designing the front garden 08/25/2010 at 15:16
Many thanks for the article, I have never thought so carefully about my front garden before, but simply planted a few pretty flowers. I think I really need to develop a real concept here and not follow the Italian way as before: Nice on the inside, ugly on the outside!
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Photos by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
Household tips - Gate in the garden