Your front garden design is the first impression visitors will see when making a visit to your home. It is the last thing you see when leaving for work and the welcome to your home when returning.
In the urban environment a front garden tends to be a small space. Often, with a terraced house this space can be as little as 10-20 square metres. However, small can be beautiful.
With careful design and planning this space can become something with ‘curb appeal’ regardless of size.
My Tips for a Successful Front Garden Design.
Front Door Colour.
This is a great place to start. The colour of your front door could be the element that brings the other elements together, such as paths, paving and storage units. Black is a good colour for a front door, being neutral is works with anything else nearby, the brick of the house, a victorian black and white tiled path for example.
Front Garden Boundaries.
Most London front gardens will have a neighbour either side and a front boundary adjacent to a public footpath.
If your boundaries are in a poor condition and need replacing then there are a few options.
Firstly, and the cheapest, fencing. But don’t rush into choosing the boundary fence. There are a few styles to choose from. Just remember, despite what you may see on your travels, a front garden boundary can be no higher than 110cm without obtaining planning permission! Flout this at your peril.
Depending on your budget for the new front garden design front walls can be the smartest option. I say ‘can’ because too often little thought is given to brick matching with the house, the end result looking terrible!
Front Garden Privacy.
Most people (including myself) do not like people being able to see straight into the house. However, I also do not wish to have blinds at half tilt 24/7 either to get my privacy.
So, to create this privacy the position of the planting becomes important. An attractive, well thought out planted front hedge serves this purpose very well.
Not only are hedges a lovely way of creating enclosure from the outside world they are wildlife friendly they can also help to dampen noise and reduce our air pollution.
If your worried that the space may become too enclosed and do not wish for a high hedge at the front, a place for the bogey man to hide behind (yet to hear of this ever happening) then another option could be the positioning of an evergreen half standard tree. You can see this in action here in this Barnes front garden design. The hedge is to be kept fairly low and a half standard olive tree will provide some muted privacy.
Also, if you are concerned there is not the space for a hedge then a pleached hedge could be the solution to this. They take up very little space in depth and can be altered, supplied at most heights.
Front Garden Storage.
Wheelie bins, recycling and bicycles. The bane of modern living means we have to find places for these things in our front gardens. A quick google search and your probably less than impressed of what is available to house these ugly items.
However, and going back to the first tip discussed. These can be made to blend into the front garden and compliment the space available. Consider painting these storage units to match your front door colour and work in harmony with other items such planters and planting.
If you require bicycle storage and wheelie bin storage these units are always different in size (if not having a unit bespoke built). Consider, if space allows separating these 2 different sized units, locate them away from each other or create a buffer between them with planting.
Front Garden Planting.
To coin an old 1970’s phrase, KIS,S. (keep it simple, stupid)
You do not want to be spending valuable time gardening at the front when there are always better things to be doing in the rear garden. It is also important that the front garden design looks good all year round, not just the summer. Think about planting mostly evergreen, low maintenance structural plants. Splashes of seasonal colour can be achieved through bulbs and attractive planters, windows displays etc.
This front garden design is a concept for a new client in Twickenham. The project has been agreed and the landscaping will proceed shortly.
Will bring you updates and the finished article shortly.