If you have a front yard the size of a postage stamp, you might think there is little point of doing anything special. You can chuck down some gravel and keep the weeds at bay. Yet, a small front garden can be more special than this. When people approach your house, this will be the first thing they see. When you look to sell your home, you will want your garden to offer some curb appeal. It could add a significant amount to the value of your house.
Here we offer a guide for how you can make the most of your small front garden.
Think vertical
If you can’t go long or wide, then you might want to go upwards. Vertical gardening is something of a trend. Creating a sea of grass and flowers that grow up a wall rather than out across a garden can make your small front yard a talking point.
If you want to go the whole hog, you can create a living wall. Here you will plant flowers and the like into the crevices and cracks of a wall. Your hope is that this planting will create a blanket of life. If this sounds ambitious, you can instead hang pots and baskets in a unique design up a wall. Alternatively, you can simply put some trellis up against a wall and plant some climbers in pots or purchase some shelving or a ladder and use the different shelves for different plants. There are lots of inspirational ideas for vertical gardens on Pinterest and Instagram.
Garden furniture
You might seriously wonder at this suggestion. Garden furniture? You can hardly stand up in your front garden, never mind settle down for some relaxation time. However, a backless bench up against your front wall could look marvellous. You could use it as a place to sit to take your shoes off before entering the house. Alternatively, you could embrace the Mediterranean life and sit out front and chat with your neighbours.
If you have a little more room, a small table and a couple of chairs can be an excellent addition to your front garden. If your back yard loses the sun early in the afternoon, you can take your evening tipple for some gentle relaxation out the front of your house.
Zoning
Even with a small garden, you should consider mapping out zones. Having different areas of your garden mapped out, you can give the impression of increased size. A blanket of gravel will accentuate the small dimensions of your garden. However, a planted area, a seating area and some pots will make the most of the space and make it seem more than it is.
You can continue this illusion by having a painted backdrop. Like the vertical planting, this backdrop will draw the eye upwards and make use of the dimension of height. If you use a darker colour backdrop, you will complement the foliage you have carefully planted. Alternatively, if you are worried about shrinking your space with a darker colour, you could paint the front of your home white. This white paint will reflect the light and make the area feel more spacious.
Make the most of corners
In larger gardens, we have a natural inclination towards rounding off the edges. We create interesting curves and shapes by angling planting and garden furniture. In a small front garden, you do not have this luxury. You should push pots, planters and furniture firmly into the edges of the space, leaving you more room at the centre of the garden for another zoned-off area. If you are going to have furniture in your garden, pushing the bench or chair into the corner will hide a lot of any imposing wall and increase the sense of space.
Bring your front garden indoors
Window boxes underneath your front window will provide a dazzling display of flowers in your home. There is so much help and guidance available for maximising the beauty of a window box. These boxes might be all the planting your need to decorate the front of your property.
Equally, you could look to purchase houseplants or herbs to grow on your windowsill indoors. You could create a sense of privacy while offering something decorative for inside and outside audiences.
Summary
Your front garden is an opportunity not to be missed. It is your outward-facing view of your home. Each passer-by will look on and fall in love with your house, if only you made some effort to bring the garden to life.
