Front garden landscaping

Front gardens tend to have different requirements than back gardens and larger gardens. The area is often used for other purposes - parking cars, keeping dustbins etc - and little time is actually spent in that part of the garden. The front garden is very important as the first thing that visitors and passers-by see but its requirements are quite specific.

First choice to make is to decide whether your front garden is to be a little secret area for people to discover when they enter behind the high hedge or fence that surrounds your property, or is to be essentially open to the street and the world. The comments below refer to the second approach.

Since it is the first view that people get of your property, it is important that it looks pleasant while being essentially low-maintenance. Many people seem to take this goal to mean the area should be paved, tarmacced or concreted to avoid the need to mow the lawn. This isn't personally my preferred approach - remember it should also be inviting!

If you really don't have the time to mow a lawn you might consider replacing it with a different low-growing plant such as clover - this is hardy even in dry condirions and very low maintenance.

Another alternative is to have quite extensive paved areas for your car and the pathway to your front door, but with areas of earth still visible so that the hard edges of the paving are broken up by occasional planting. For example, simply omitting to place one paving slab in each ten.

Watering is another consideration for a front garden - if it is to be low-maintenance you should install an automatic irrigation system before planting the garden.

One way that a front garden can be enhanced easily is by careful use of outdoor lighting. Apart from highlighting a couple of features in the garden, this is also important from a practical point of view. It is best if visitors to your house can reach the front door without falling over a step!