10 inspirational front garden ideas
1 Transform your front door
Boring front door? Flank it with specimen plants! Common box (Buxus sempervirens) looks classy all year round. If you’re worried about box blight, opt for a pair of standard bay trees or spirals of cupressus ‘Goldcrest’. For sunny doorways, group pots of aeonium en masse at either side for maximum impact – ‘Zwartkop', an evergreen variety with purply, almost black rose es, is a real eye-catcher.
2 Pep-up your path
Observe the golden rule: make sure paths are wide enough for access when laden with shopping! Brick paths lined by pots or low-growing box ooze charm at period properties, while chequered tiles enhance Victorian terraces. For a contemporary look, grey is the colour of paving slab that’s on-trend, while porcelain is this year’s must-have landscaping material. Avoid decking for paths or steps because it can become slippery when wet or icy.
3 Disguise ugly bins
Earmark an area of the front garden with good access from the street to store ugly wheelie bins and recycling boxes. Areas of dense shade or poor soil are ideal. A multitude of self-assembly bin stores are available online, many of which can be painted in a colour of your choice. Or plant an area of hedge to disguise the bins.
4 Create a
seaside theme
Seaside gardens are fun, even if you live miles inland. Opt for pebbles over gravel for a natural beach look, choosing plants that’ll recreate a windswept wilderness. Eryngium (sea holly) is a must for its prickly, architectural blooms while Echium vulgare throws out spikes of violet-blue flowers that are loved by bees. Low-growing, sun-loving thrift (Armeria maritima) is smothered with pink flowers while sea kale (Crambe maritima) is an eye-catcher with its shrivelled, wrinkly foliage. The cabbage palm (Cordyline australis) creates an instant coastal look.
5 Plant a small tree Compact trees can put on a stunning display without blocking light from your windows or the roots interfering with foundations. Consider cornus ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ – a small deciduous tree or multi-stemmed shrub that’s smothered in creamywhite flowers in spring and displays rich tones of red in autumn. Although malus ‘Golden Hornet’ is deciduous, trees hold their bright golden-yellow fruits into winter, putting on stunning displays of white flowers in spring. Salix caprea ‘Kilmarnock’ is a pendulous, specimen front garden favourite that heralds the arrival of spring with a show of silvery-grey catkins.
6 Pick heavy pots Planters can catch the eye of light-fingered passers-by, so avoid small pots and opt for big, heavy containers that crooks can’t do a runner with. Weighty glazed terracotta or large troughs made of timber decking are ideal, but if you only have big plastic pots or lightweight fibreclay containers, pop a few bricks in the bottom (taking care not to block drainage holes). The extra weight will make thieves think twice. Jazz up window ledges with window boxes of pelargoniums, viola, calibrachoa (mini trailing petunias), nasturtium and impatiens.
7 Hide walls with climbers
Whether you live in a Victorian terrace or country co age – or simply want to hide an ugly façade – you’re spoilt for choice with climbers. For delightful fragrance by your front door, try a climbing rose such as ‘Graham Thomas’ (yellow flowers with tea fragrance) or to smother large buildings grow ‘Constance Spry’ (cupped pink blooms and myrrh fragrance). Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) is self-clinging with showy, white flower heads while star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) bears wonderful pure white, fragrant blooms. If you’re happy providing lots of support and regular pruning, plant wisteria for a breathtaking, quintessentially English display of springtime flowers.
8 Gravel or lawn?
Lawns provide a habitat for insects and help to absorb rainwater. Formal lawns with straight edges work best in front gardens. However, a tiny front lawn can be a nuisance to maintain, especially if you have to drag a lawnmower through the house. In such cases, slate chippings, gravel or pebbles can make an a ractive lowmaintenance feature.
9 Screen traffic with hedging
Hedge or brick wall? It’s a no-brainer. Aside from being cheaper, hedges create habitats for birds and insects, filter winds, reduce noise and absorb pollution. Yew, beech and privet are popular or, for a rapid, dense, evergreen hedge that can grow by up to 60cm (2ft) per year, plant Lonicera nitida.
10 Plant slow-growing shrubs
Make slow-growing, lowmaintenance shrubs the backbone of your front garden – they’ll be vital for interest in winter when everything else is bare. Fill big gaps with Photinia fraseri ‘Red Robin’ (grown for its gorgeous red young foliage) and consider Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ if you’re after a compact evergreen that bears sweetly scented, pink flowers in winter. Choisya ternata, with its scented, star-shaped flowers, is another winning evergreen for front gardens, while a mature ceanothus is a sight to behold in spring, when shrubs are smothered in electric-blue flowers. For sun-soaked spots, lavender is a must, while poor, nutrient-depleted soil is perfect for rock rose (Cistus purpureus), which will repeatflower profusely all summer.