Landscaping Tips for Small Front Yards - How to Make the Most of Limited Space

Posted by Jennifer Morgan on May 8th, 2024

Some people may think attractive landscaping designs can only work on large expanses of space. I am here to tell that's not true. You can make the most of small space and have it be the centerpiece of your front yard beautifully. I live in a rowhome communuty and the front yard has a few shrubs surrounding the porch, lining the homes. Most people around me havve ornamental plants in their front yard depending on their skill level and expertise with plants, or they may end up hiring someone . These are just a few examples of how ordinary people with less expertise can make full use of their space.

When I was taking a floral design class we talked about having a focal point and surrounding flowers that would complemetn the largest one. This is something you should apply to your front yard when planning out your design. On the corner of my home is a very large bush. It shands about 7-8 feet inheight. It provides privacy, something for my cats to climb up in, and shelter for birds too. Next to it are two small bushes. The person who lived here before me, I doubt she had knowledge of mrnamentals,but there has been holly planted that intersperesed with the other, and I have come to loathe holly bushes because of the sharp prickles on the leaf tips. Eventually my hsuband and I plan on cutting them down and replacing them with a loropetalum shrub we bought recently form a local nursery. It has deep purple leaves and in the spring, it will supposedly sport small pink floral clusters..

Some people near me do not even have shrubs in their front yard, but they redesigned the space in front of the slab with decorative gravel or wood chips. THey sometimes plant other things in the space so it looks good. You may want to line your patio or walkway with good edging, such as red bricks lined around the perimeter. This will provide an "outline" that will stand out, and give it back to nature appeal.

Create a Garden Bed

Last summer my husband and I buit a raised bed in the front yard. That is another great way to add an appealing focal point to your yard. It is semicurcular shaped....a linear design would not work becuase the plot in the middle of the yard is circular, and the water drain is located on one side which it is important to not be covered uup. We started out with some ornamentals and added a few vegetable plants just for kicks. It was hard to have too many things there, as one of the ornamentsaals we planted is a canna lili, which gets pretty tall. In front of our canna lilies we had a few smaller plants. Every August the cypress vine shows up and it can be a beast to deal with. It atracts hummingbrids which is great, but it tangles and winds around everything, whih is the death knell to other plants if you don't trim it back to keep it under control. I had squash and cherry tomatoes whcih were almost smothered by the vines. This year we are going to just focus on ornamentals in the front yard, and as I write the canna lilies have returned; they look beautiful and lush.

Having a veggie/edibles garden in your front yard may not be wise...it may attract the wrong kind fo attention. Possibly from nosy neighbors who may want to sneak a pick of it, or hungry critters like raccoons that may be prowling around. One people find out youve got fruits/veggies growing they may be like all Oh, can we have some too? So I think it is wise to keep to strictly ornamentals in the front yard. But that's up to you.

Making Use of Container Gardening

Another thing that can add appeal to your front yard and patio area is container plants. This is where having a tomato, strawberry plant or series of them would be a good idea. You can hand up strawberry plants and they'll be out of reach to curious critters or neighbors. Choose visually appeaing hanger baskets with colors that look good without being garrish. Larger pots look better on the patio , When you plant or create your container collections, it's a good idea to have one plant that is in the fornt that is the focal point, a medium sized plant to go around it and smaller ones that flank those and have a good color that meshes well. I watched a woman on one of those gardening shows that referred to this as the "":thriller, filler and spiller appraoch" The "thriller" is the taller plant that is the focal point, the "spiller" and "filler" flanks it in the middle.

You can hang the baskets from a Shepherd's crook, or from your gutter if you have the right hardware. Sometimes too much weight may not bode well, so make use of proper hooks or attachments. Have you ever seen those "tiered" plant display stands that let you stagger plants together by height? That's another great way to make use of limited space.

Making Use of Accent Pieces

Don't forget the addition of other eye-catching accessories, like windchimes, windspinners, or a bird bath in the center...your avain visitors will love you for thinking of them, too as well as your design and layouts. Lighting is a good idea...Solar lights which are sold individually or in packs (usually 4-5 to a set) are simple to use, just remove the stake from the bottom and stick them in the ground, spreading them apart by a distance of three feet or so is what I like to do.

Small statuary pieces are another way to add charm to your patio area. I don't know if garden gnomes are still popular, but some of them are cute.

A few statement pieces can go a ong way in conveying a warm, inviting and well-maintained appearance. Remember "less is more" so try to keep the statuary and decor to a minimum.

Wrap-Up

So, in conclusion, landscaping designs are certainly doable for small yards, though not as extravagant, they will still look impressive and eye catching. Following some of these ideas will help keep you from "overdoing" it in your special santuary.