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What Are the Different Types of Front Garden Designs?

Norma Jean Howland
Norma Jean Howland

Front garden designs can be elaborate, colorful, or classic depending on the taste of the homeowner. Some gardeners prefer a manicured look with plush lawns, sculpted shrubs, and brick edged walkways. Others enjoy more of a country type setting, with a white picket fence and multi-colored wildflowers that cover the yard and spill over the front gate. Yet another type of front garden landscape may have more unusual designs, such as exotic rock gardens, ponds, and miniature waterfalls.

Some homeowners want an attractive but understated entrance to their home, with a healthy, green lawn, flanked by small bushes and a stone pathway. Such front garden designs may include white gravel under potted plants that line the walkway. In this type of garden a few rhododendron bushes and a birdbath may ornament the way to the main entrance of the home. Small trees planted in front of the windows may offer both privacy and curb appeal in a classic front yard.

Sunflowers make colorful additions to gardens.
Sunflowers make colorful additions to gardens.

For gardeners who enjoy a more elaborate display, front garden designs might include statues that double as planters, polished pebbles, and waterfalls. This kind of garden may feature a walkway lined with colorful pebbles alongside a Koi fish pond that can be lit after dark. Some homeowners design their own rock gardens, using textured rocks to form pictures or words that can be changed whenever desired. A variety of plantings, such as pussy willows, Japanese maple trees, and Rose of Sharon may add color and texture. A pond might have a waterfall under a willow tree, along with a wooden, swinging bench.

Front garden designs might include containers of flowers on the front porch.
Front garden designs might include containers of flowers on the front porch.

If the front yard has a fence, combinations of wildflowers and perennials may grow on both sides, in an variety of natural front garden designs. For a fence that is white or natural wood, colorful combinations of sunflowers, daffodils, or tulips can create a pleasing contrast. Plants like clematis and wisteria can be trained to climb the fence posts. A gazebo may fit well within such a design. Hanging plants and wind chimes might be placed inside to create a peaceful sitting area. In a large yard, a multi-storied bird house can round out this combination of natural and man made features.

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    • Sunflowers make colorful additions to gardens.
      By: Smileus
      Sunflowers make colorful additions to gardens.
    • Front garden designs might include containers of flowers on the front porch.
      By: Valda
      Front garden designs might include containers of flowers on the front porch.
    • Japanese maple can add texture to front gardens.
      By: Dusan Kostic
      Japanese maple can add texture to front gardens.
    • Birdbaths can be ornamental as well as functional.
      By: Sam Spiro
      Birdbaths can be ornamental as well as functional.