The expectations of a successful front yard are high. It should be inviting, harmonize with the building and represent a floral reflection of the seasons. Let yourself be inspired by a collection of creative ideas for imaginative front garden design.

Blooming, colorful front gardens invite you to enter

Front garden design is spatial art - important basic rules at a glance

In order for your front garden to become a piece of paradise, other premises apply than in the design of large ornamental gardens. It is truly an art to creatively combine decorative and functional aspects in a confined space. Anyone who heeds the following basic rules of front garden design will not fall into the overload trap:

  • Match the garden style to the architectural style of the building
  • Designate small trees as house trees, such as maple (Acer platanoides 'Globosum')
  • Use columnar trees as structure, such as columnar cherry (Prunus serrulata)
  • Small shrubs with a long flowering period combine with annual summer flowers
  • Include the house facade in the design with flowering climbing plants, such as the climbing rose 'New Dawn'

With a composition of trees, perennials and flowers with different growth heights you create a varied look. Arrange the plants in groups and leave enough space between them so that the tuffs do not crowd each other. This brings calm to the appearance and prevents a motley hodgepodge.

Tips for the route

Plan the entrance to the house through the front yard to be as narrow as possible and as wide as necessary. So that two people can easily pass each other, calculate 60 cm per person, so a minimum width of 120 cm is recommended. A covering of natural stone slabs or paving stones guarantees safe access in any weather and harmonises with any garden style.

Hill bed cheats small front yard bigger - Here's how it works

Where building land is scarce and expensive, there is little space for the front yard. With a clever design trick, you can cheat the small area much larger. Proud owners of a semi-detached house also use this gardening trick to impressively stage their front garden. This is how the plan works:

  • In the middle of the bed, fill a 50 cm high mound of humus-rich garden soil with compost
  • Plant mountain avens (Dryas x suendermannii) around this island
  • Arrange small boulders made of natural stone to loosen up

Plant the hill with daisies (Anaphalis triplinervis), purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea), small primrose (Gaura lindheimeri 'Short Form'), verbena (Verbena bonariensis 'Lollipop') and toadflax (Linaria purpurea). The planting plan is rounded off by filigree silver spike grass (Achnatherum calamagrostis). A multi-stemmed star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) with a furious spectacle of flowers in spring serves as an eye-catcher.

A sea of flowers in the shady front yard - this is how it works

If your front garden is on the north side of the house, the shady location does not mean that you have to forego lavish blooms. In spring, a peasant jasmine (Philadelphus coronarius) welcomes your guests with creamy white flowers. A blue bench in front invites you to enjoy the scent up close. Bleeding heart (Dicentra 'Alba'), foam blossom (Tiarella) and monkshood (Aconitum) boast with their abundance of flowers along the path to the entrance door and in narrow beds, loosened up by two tuffs of mountain reed grass (Calamagrostis varia). Evergreen hazel (Asarum) is useful as a ground cover.

Make a sunny front garden easy to care for - ideas for a Mediterranean bed

A sunny location on the south side of the house poses particular challenges for the gardener when designing the front yard. Drought-tolerant survivors who don't go limp even in the blazing summer sun are in demand here. The following 16 plants gather to form a magnificently blooming, Mediterranean front garden with an area of 1.5 square meters:

  • 2 Junker Lilies (Asphodeline lutea)
  • 1 blue oat (Helictotrichon sempervirens)
  • 4 pink feather carnations (Dianthus plumarius)
  • 1 Spurge (Euphorbia characias ssp. wulfenii)
  • 2 small yellow irises (Iris Barbata-Nana)
  • 1 torch lily (Knipho a uvaria)
  • 1 lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
  • 3 Dost (Origanum laevigatum)
  • 1 Yucca (Yucca lamentosa)

Palm lilies, junker lilies, blue oats and torch lilies with their growth heights of up to 100 cm form the backdrop for the lower plants. In the front row, small irises and feather carnations come into their own, together with the wonderful torch lily, so that there is no boredom in the appearance. In the middle row of beds, dost and lavender form a decorative transition with blue flowers and shapely leaves.

Ideas for the child-friendly front yard

If the children have their way, things can be colorful and exciting in the front yard. The decorative aspect does not have to fall by the wayside, but even benefits from the child-friendly concept. The following types and varieties score with edible fruits, fragrant flowers, curious names, magnificent flower heads or extra soft leaves:

  • Indian nettle (Monarda fistulosa)
  • Monthly strawberry (Fragaria 'Rügen')
  • Perennial sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)
  • Mosquito grass (Bouteloua gracilis)
  • Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
  • Forget-me-not (Omphalodes verna)

These plants are all robust and easy to care for. This makes them perfect for involving your children in the planting and care work.

tips

If prying eyes are not desired in the front yard, you can realize your design ideas together with an enclosure as a privacy screen. The multifaceted options range from an evergreen yew hedge with a wavy cut to a wooden fence with blooming fence peckers to an opaque front yard wall.

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Care tips