Lots of all sizes look much better when portions of the front yard are differentiated with a number of individual landscaping design methods. Entrances, transit areas, gardens, and seating areas all represent highly individualized elements that a professional landscaper will create and unify with linear progression and repeated aesthetic themes.

This is more than simple gardening and lawn care. Professional front yard landscaping sets itself apart by making it a point to pay homage first and foremost to home architecture. One of the simplest, yet also most significant, ways to do this is to use front yard landscaping to create what landscaping designers refer to as the “entry experience.” This is very important, because how you get to the front door makes the first impression for your entire property. It represents a transition from public space to private space and as such sets the tone for the entirety of the landscape that follows.

The style of the entry space should mirror the style and architecture of the home as closely as possible, and it will often range from anything including the neat and tidy, the abstract, or the contemporary. Typically this is accomplished organically with garden designs whose linear movements and geometric patterns directly reflect the structural keynotes of the house. At night these features can become even more magnified than they are in the daytime when they are illuminated by professionally installed landscape lighting that lights both the vegetation and the façade of the home simultaneously.

Both pedestrian and vehicle transit also represent important concerns for front yard landscaping. Motorcourts create unique parking areas that are positioned to give new arrivals a prime vantage point of the property before they exit their vehicles. Walkways then lead visitors into lawn areas where a number of organic forms and inorganic structures can await them.

Theme gardens such as parterre gardens, knot gardens, and Italian gardens further establish the tone of the landscaping design and provide organic reflections of home architecture. Decorative features such as sculptures and fountains will frequently add vertical dimension to lawn space and further work to unify the front yard with the front of the home.

In any landscaping plan that is professionally developed, landscaping does not stop with simply ornamenting the property to establish mindset. Every yard has a certain measure of fallow space that can be used to construct a variety of functional elements that simultaneously add dimension to the aesthetic. Neglecting to do this actually works against the property, because too much empty space can make a front yard look much smaller than it actually is. However, when we add outdoor forms and structures, the landscape suddenly takes on new dimensions and new proportions right before our eyes.

Any number of structures can be constructed to accomplish this. Patios can be built on gated, larger lots for the purpose of entertaining public gatherings. Smaller patios can be built to private seating just for couples and children. Porches can be added fronts of a home that feature special seating arrangements, screened-in outdoor rooms, and even fully functioning kitchen or entertainment areas.

Once a front yard has been landscaped to this degree, what you end up with is a space divided into special areas, each with its own function and aesthetic. The task of creating and maintaining unity between often highly individuated landscaping features will no doubt require the help of a professional landscaping design company. Professional landscapers not only will custom design these elements with the big picture in mind, but they will also maintain the appearance and integrity of the yard on an ongoing basis.