7 tips for front yard landscaping.
High quality and well-maintained landscaping not only improves the look and feel of your home, but also enhances the value of your investment and the community. Here are some of our top tips to help you create a beautiful front yard.
1. Decide on a style
It’s important to consider what type of garden you’re attracted to and what styles will complement the look and feel of your home.
Here are some examples:
Contemporary garden: this type of garden is modern and minimal and can incorporate geometric elements through pavers, defined garden beds and structured borders.
Native garden: this garden style utilises a variety of Australian natives to deliver texture and colour all year round. Natural shapes, colours and materials are used for pavers and any other accents. It requires minimal maintenance.
Cottage garden: this style of garden incorporates structure with defined hedges as well as a variety of climbers and flowering bushes and shrubs. It requires the most amount of attention and maintenance.
2. Incorporate local flora
Planting Australian natives is the best way to ensure your garden thrives all year round. You can find native plants in a range of shapes, sizes and colours to suit your landscaping preferences.
Some of our favourite native plants include:
Australian daisy
Bird’s nest fern
Bottlebrush
Grevillea
White correa
Lomandra
3. Consider low-maintenance options
Not everyone is a green thumb or has the time to tend to their front gardens. If you’d like a front yard and garden that takes care of itself then opting for low-maintenance plants is the best approach.
4. Utilise a variety of plant shapes, styles and heights
Your front landscape at Aspect should feature a range of trees, shrubs, ground covers or grass. This encourages rainwater to infiltrate into the garden rather than draining out to the stormwater system. Layering your planting with a variety of heights and forms creates beautiful texture and a full, lush effect.
5. Visit your local nursery
If you’re looking for a DIY approach to your front garden your local nursery is the best place to not only get inspiration but also ask for advice from the garden professionals. They can help you choose the right plants for your desired landscaping style as well as provide information about the right soil, mulch and fertiliser to use, and so much more. Here are some local places you can visit to start planning and planting your front garden:
Plantmark, Thomastown
Hello Hello Plants, Campbellfield
The Palm Place Nursery and Tree Farm, Greenvale
Bunnings Craigieburn & Bunnings Epping
6. Consider the ground
When thinking about landscaping, it makes sense to avoid too many hard surfaces. Not only will you lose all that valuable rainwater, but it may also cause a problem as it runs off elsewhere. Using granitic sand or run-off resistant gravel are better options than concrete, both look attractive and you can plant into them.
To retain water in your garden soil, mulch generously. As well as holding moisture, mulch keeps weeds down and in time breaks down to improve your soil.
7. Gather inspiration
The best way to create a front yard and garden that you love is to gather inspiration from all around.
Here are some ideas:
Read garden books and magazines
Visit gardens like the Royal Botanic Gardens
Walk around your community and take note of the gardens you like and the plants they’ve used