Your front yard is the first thing people see when they drive by your house. This is important to some homeowners: setting a good impression, even if they are not selling.
In certain neighborhoods, other householders insist that their neighbors maintain a high level of tidiness if not outright beauty, and this can take a lot of work.
How Much Do You Want To Spend?
Landscaping a yard requires plenty of money and planning. How much money you spend will depend on how much space there is, what you want to do with it, and the amount of maintenance you have time for. If you are looking for an exotic showpiece, expect to lay out a considerable sum of money to a landscape architect for his or her services, construction, supplies, and labor.
These days, most new homes have small yards. There simply is not enough land to go around so that owners can buy properties with big gardens unless they opt to purchase older homes. If a yard is small, you have to be creative to do something beautiful with so little space, but it can be done in a multi-layered fashion.
You Can Do A Lot With A Small Yard
Using raised beds, climbing plants creeping up arbors, and colorful hanging pots suspended from wood beams, you can bring lots of horizontal and vertical shape to this space and do away with unnecessary grass.
Getting rid of the lawn is crucial but so is growing up, not just out. With less grass, you can have more flower beds. Also, you do not have to mow anything. Replace grass with attractive paving stones you only have to sweep.
A larger yard can still be cost effective to design and maintain. Keep some grass, but reduce its influence, again using paving stones as well as many raised flower and vegetable beds. These are much more comfortable to garden in as they require less bending.
Also, when the beds are raised, you get more soil depth for plants so they can thrive. Adjust bed heights for variety. Use natural stone for an authentic outdoor look, or shaped stones for a sophisticated appearance.
Picture Source: remodelista.com via Landscape & on Pinterest
Don’t Forget The Lights!
Outdoor lighting including some simple solar powered garden lights will really give your yard some nighttime ambiance. There are an abundance of inexpensive solar lighting products available both online as well as at your local retailer.
Think About A Fountain
The addition of solar-powered fountains will provide water for birds without drawing on the water supply: water will just pump around endlessly, perhaps from a rain-barrel source.
What About A Place To Sit?
Set aside a place for a bench. This is, after all, a space for you to enjoy, not just your neighbors. You don’t need to have a bench specifically of course. A small bistro table and chairs, or just a couple of regular lawn chairs is all you need to get comfortable and enjoy your new space. Click here for more information about landscaping your yard.
