Learning how to make the most of the front of your property through effective, sustainable front garden design means that you can make a great first impression. But a front garden can often be the last area of a property to be considered.
All too often, front gardens are just boring areas of lawn, or, worse yet, are bleak spaces dedicated to driveways, paved areas, and cars. But things do not need to be that way.
Of course, if you have a back garden, there is plenty that can be done there to grow your own food, create a beautiful space, and help wildlife in the area. But it is important not to overlook the (often smaller) areas which lie on the other side of your home.
People often neglect their front gardens because they focus on areas to the rear. But this means that you could be missing out on excellent opportunities to improve things for yourself and your family, your neighbours (both human and other species) and in wider ways.
Polytunnels and other larger structures for food production etc. will usually need to be positioned further from the road. But front gardens can be useful as well as attractive.
Your front garden is the first thing that people see when they arrive to visit your home, and gives the first impression of your property for those passing by on the street. If you have eco-aspirations, and try your best to live in an eco-friendly and sustainable way – make sure that your front garden reflects that just as much as the main features and growing areas behind your home.
You might use your front garden:
- To grow food and other plant resources.
- To catch and store water on your property.
- To improve the view of and from the front of your home.
- As additional recreational space for your household.
Even when the space is also be used for access, parking etc… there may still be a number of other things that you could do. You might be amazed by what can be achieved even in the smallest of spaces when you come up with a multi-functional, holistic design for the space.
Before You Begin – Analysing Your Front Garden
Every front garden will be a little different, of course. So before you decide what to go with the space, and start working on a front garden design, you need to spend a little time determining the size and characteristics of the area.
You need to look at:
- The space available (how large or small the garden area is).
- The aspect and sunlight levels.
- Whether the area is sheltered or exposed.
- Terrain, slope and existing features.
- How the space is currently used.
Be sure also, to look at how the space interacts with your home. Is there a front porch or other such feature, for example? Where are the windows on the front of your home, and what do they currently look out onto? Are their views which you would like to screen? Or views which you prefer to retain?
Front Garden Design for Growing Food
There are many ways in which even small front gardens can be used to grow more food and other natural resources. So if you have already crammed in as much as you can in your back garden, it could be time to take another look at the marginal spaces to the front of your property.
Growing food in a front garden might be as simple as placing a few pots around your front door. It might involve creating more kitchen garden beds, or even creating a fully fledged forest garden design for the space. Even in more shaded front garden spaces, there are certain edible crops that you could grow.
Front Garden Design for Sustainable Water Management
A front garden might also provide space for you to manage water more sustainably on your property. If you do not do so already, you might attach barrels or rainwater butts to the guttering on the front side of your home. But you might also direct rainwater into a beautiful rain garden.
Catching the water before it flows down drains or out onto the street to make its way into municipal drainage can be a great way to increase your own resilience, and to prevent pollution to waterways, seas or the ocean. It can stop flooding in your neighbourhood, and/or make your garden far better able to withstand dry periods in summer.
Front Garden Design to Improve Existing Views
A beautiful edible garden or rain garden could definitely enhance the views of and from the front of your home. But of course, there are also plenty of attractive plants and planting schemes that you can consider which will keep your front garden looking great year round.
Of course, a front garden filled with flowers won’t just look good to you and your household. It will also provide a range of benefits for the wildlife in your area.
You might use carefully positioned plants to screen unsightly views, and to give the home more privacy. Or to frame an existing vista and to frame your existing views perfectly.
Front Garden Design For Recreational Space
A front garden might face onto a road, but it could still give you some extra ‘outside rooms’ if you use the space and plant wisely.
If your front garden gets plenty of sun, it might provide a better space for a seating area, for example, than a shaded back garden. Carefully positioned shrubs and trees might make it a more private and secluded, more useable space.
Though front gardens are often overlooked – remember – these often marginal spaces can also provide you with a range of benefits, if you implement good front garden design and make the most of the front of your property.
Do you use your front garden to the fullest? Share your experiences, tips and suggestions with us below to help others make the most of their own properties.
