How do I make my front garden look good on a budget?

Garden design ideas don’t have to be expensive to look amazing. Get an early start in spring by planting flower seeds in containers indoors. It’s far cheaper to grow your own colorful flowers from seed than to wait later in the season and buy full-size plants. Ornamental grass is an affordable embellishment planted beside the front door steps or along a path. A simple and practically free way to improve your front garden is to stay on top of maintenance. Mow the lawn weekly, pull up weeds as they sprout, and pressure wash the driveway and pathway at least once a year.

What is the best hedge for a front garden?

Hedges provide privacy and help define property boundaries. The best hedge is one that you feel is attractive and grows well in your climate. Choose an evergreen shrub, such as boxwood, for year-round privacy. Other good choices include holly, yew bushes, and arborvitae. If you want a flowering hedge, go for an azalea, lilac, forsythia, or rose of Sharon.

Front Garden Ideas for Better Curb Appeal

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” -Claude Monet

Everyone with a front yard has the opportunity to create a masterpiece to be enjoyed for years to come. Simple or complex, the inherent beauty of plants makes it easy to make even a dull entrance interesting.

If you’re feeling low on creative inspiration, take a look at this collection of 48 amazing front garden ideas. You’re bound to find several new landscaping ideas to enhance your home’s curb appeal.

1. Line The Entrance With Flowering Shrubs

A front garden is your chance to create an outdoor space that oozes country-style charm. Plant flowering shrubs like hydrangeas for an eye-catching centerpiece, or combine vibrant blooms with rustic basket-style hanging baskets for a quaint cottage vibe.

Then why not finish off the look with gravel and stepping stones running through the soft grass, creating winding pathways of playful discovery as you find your way around the garden? A perfect idea to make your front garden look stylish and inviting.

Brick house with a turret, yellow accents, a purple door, and lush greenery in front — Source: @owerhawse via Instagram

Modern two-story house with gray siding, blue trim, and two trees in front. Paved pathway leads to the door under a cloudy sky — Source: @welcometoplot146 via Instagram

2. Install Stamped Pavers To The Driveway

Transform your front yard into a quaint oasis with side landscaping that leads up to your driveway. You can lay down some stamped pavers for an extra touch, and create a lush shrub garden for added depth and texture.

With side landscaping, you can break up what may be an area of simple grass or dirt to provide interest and focal points as you make your way from the street to your front door. Incorporating various plants, trees, lighting, and statuary within your side landscaping helps give off the true cottage feel and reinforces the overall design aesthetic to immediately welcome guests.

Two-story brick house with a brown tiled roof, garage, and landscaped front yard under a clear blue sky — Source: @beaumont_reno via Instagram

A paved walkway between red brick houses, surrounded by a lush garden, leading to a distant house under a partly cloudy sky — Source: @gardencraftlandscapes via Instagram

3. Make It Nostalgic With White Pebbles

Transform your front garden into the perfect mix of beauty and practicality with white pebbles on the driveway, lush side landscaping, and an airy vibe. Transforming your garden shouldn’t be daunting – come up with a plan, shop around for plants and materials, and create something beautiful that best suits your needs.

Invest in low-maintenance plants that don’t require much attention and will still add life and vibrancy to your entrance. Consider incorporating white furniture pieces in your design to bring more light into the space, or create a cozy seating space with some comfy sofa cushions.

Charming stone cottage with a thatched roof, surrounded by a garden with blooming flowers and a gravel path under a clear blue sky — Source: @houseofharts_ via Instagram

A white front door with a small porch, potted plants, brick exterior, and a pathway with stones and grass on the side — Source: @the_day_home via Instagram

A red front door with a gold knocker, surrounded by white pebbles and small plants in a pot on a brick house with windows — Source: @ourlittle_reddoor via Instagram

Modern house with a wooden accent wall, sleek entrance, and landscaped garden featuring spherical lights and greenery — Source: @pracownia_out.form via Instagram

Two-story brick house with a black upper facade, tidy garden, small shrubs along a path, parked car, and a bench by the window — Source: @johnstone_avenue via Instagram

4. Craft Leading Lines With A Landscaped Walkway

Your entryway should be the main focus of your home’s exterior. If there’s a path leading to your front door, the way you landscape the areas around it greatly impacts your home’s curb appeal. Always keep entryway hedges and ornamental grass borders neatly trimmed.

A garden path with daffodils and bushes leads to a wooden front door of a white house, featuring a sundial on a stone pedestal — Source: @fishtailcottage via Instagram

Modern garden with a herringbone-patterned path, lush green plants, and cascading greenery near a white house entrance — Source: @thevaluershouse via Instagram

Charming house with a white picket fence, well-manicured garden, and trees, under a partly cloudy sky — Source: @molenaarandmcneice via Instagram

5. Elevate Your Front Garden

If you want to create a unique elevated front garden that looks like something out of a magazine, consider installing a charming outdoor staircase at your front door. The elevated design is perfect for organizing your garden and home into separate sections while adding some beautiful visual interest to your exterior space.

With the help of stepping stones, windy paths, and some colorful desert plants you can create an entrancing vertical garden that will be admired by everyone who passes by. Use tall cacti and other succulents for an eye-catching display, or plant blooming flowers for a vibrant look that is guaranteed to cheer up your visitors!

A modern two-story house with gray siding, white trim, and a white picket fence featuring a wreath on the front door and a garage on the right — Source: @ourhamptonshome via Instagram

Modern house entrance with steps, potted plants along the pathway, large window, and wooden garage door on the side — Source: @our_hastings_2020 via Instagram

Suburban house with an American flag, front porch, and landscaped garden with greenery under a clear blue sky — Source: @premier_constructionva via Instagram

6. Build An Arched Privacy Wall

If you’re looking for a creative way to spice up your front garden, consider adding an arched privacy wall. Not only does it offer extra privacy, but it also serves as the perfect complement to existing flower landscapes.

Best of all, the arched design adds depth and dimension that helps give any garden character and charm. Plus, depending on the materials used and whether or not your arched wall is painted, your backyard can truly become a personalized paradise that screams creativity!

Stone house entrance with arched doorway, surrounded by lush garden and pink hibiscus flowers — Source: @xtracarelandscapes via Instagram

Brick house with a garden featuring neatly trimmed hedges, topiaries, potted plants, and white flowering bushes lining a small path by the entrance — Source: @fenhopkins via Instagram

4. Add An Enclosed Fence

Creating a stunning front garden can be a great way to freshen up the look of your home. For creative garden ideas, try enclosing the space with a wood fence for a natural, rustic feel.

Behind that wood fence, you could use a simple plant box as an elegant backdrop to break up the wood fence and provide some contrast with its muted greens. With these two simple techniques, your front garden will become an eye-catching aesthetic in no time!

Small white dog walking on a brick path next to a raised garden bed with small trees and plants, bordered by a wooden fence — Source: @kim_mullaney via Instagram

A garden bed with colorful primroses in yellow, red, pink, and purple blooms, surrounded by green grass and a black wooden fence — Source: @lou_875 via Instagram

5. Pavers In Grass

Transform your front garden into an outdoor living space by adding pavers in the grass for a walkway – this creative idea will make your garden stand out from the rest! With pavers in the grass, you can create a unique landscape architecture that is both elegant and eye-catching.

Your pavers provide structure to your garden; while the abundant green grass balances out the concrete elements and brings a lush, vibrant mood to your outdoor space. Enhance your front garden ideas by installing pavers as a centerpiece of modern outdoor design.

A charming white house with a blue door, front porch, columns, dormer windows, and a lush, landscaped garden under a cloudy sky — Source: @landscape_images_nola via Instagram

Modern house with large windows, a flat roof, and a driveway. Surrounded by manicured lawns, shrubs, and trees under a clear sky — Source: @constructionweb via Instagram

Modern house exterior with stone accents, black walkway stones, and a neat lawn featuring small palm trees and decorative plants — Source: @davengraphics via Instagram

Orange and pink blossoms on trees in a garden, with a white house in the background under a blue sky — Source: @scenefrommyrun via Instagram

6. Box Trim Your Shrubs

A well-maintained front garden can create an inviting and attractive exterior to any home. Box-trimmed shrubs are a great way to add structure and foliage, creating a border for your garden with greenery. Plant some colorful annuals for added interest, or add paving stones and carry the box-trimmed motif into the pathways.

A water feature is always a great option too: experiment with different bubbling urns, fountains, and cascading ponds to generate a tranquil atmosphere that will give off a sense of luxury. Maintaining the freshness of your box-trimmed shrubs allows them to flourish while giving off an elegant, polished impression that creates beautiful curb appeal all year round.

A red brick house with a garage, parked white SUV, and trimmed hedges in the front yard on a cloudy day — Source: @wrights_renovating via Instagram

Red brick house with a black door, two tall narrow windows, and neatly trimmed trees and hedges in the front yard — Source: @yourgardendesign via Instagram

7. Jazz Up Your Front Door

Enhance the front of your home with front garden ideas that will make people green with envy! Consider adding a front door with potted plants on either side to really create an inviting feel.

Or, if you’re looking for a more subtle effect, put trimmed bushes in pots and line them up in the front of your house to give it a neat and tidy look. With either of these options, you can enliven the front of your property and create plenty of curb appeal.

Front entrance of a house with a black door, two potted spiral topiary plants, grey stepping stones, and green artificial grass — Source: @_easylawnsandplants_ via Instagram

Elegant green door with lion knocker, arched window, topiary trees, and decorative lantern on a white house — Source: @chelseaandleisure via Instagram

A white front door with decorative glass, flanked by potted tulips in blue and black pots on a stone pathway — Source: @garthomas78 via Instagram

Front entrance with brown brick steps, two symmetrical green shrubs, and red flowers in wall planters. Beige patterned walkway — Source: @jewelstonekingdom via Instagram

Green front door with floral wreath, potted plants, a welcome mat, and a small gnome statue against a red brick wall backdrop — Source: @ourlifeatno25 via Instagram

Front porch of a brick house with a wooden door, potted plants on stairs, red bench, patio chairs, and herringbone-patterned brick walkway — Source: @le_regard_vert via Instagram

8. Add Blooms To The Front Door Railing

Looking for a unique way to spruce up your front garden? Try mounted flower pots hooked to the railing. This outdoor decor is different from traditional plantings and can give your garden some modern charm.

Just make sure to select planters that are lightweight enough for mounting and choose flowers or plants hardy enough to withstand any changes in temperature and moisture levels. With mounted flower pots on your railing, you’ll have an eye-catching garden that you’ll be proud to show off!

Modern house entrance with a wooden door, railing planters with colorful plants, and tall decorative grasses below — Source: @cicilia_ya via Instagram

9. Create A Dainty Wild Flower Garden With A Lattice Fence

If you’re looking to spruce up the front of your home, why not consider a wildflower garden with a lattice fence surrounding it? Not only will wildflowers bring vibrant color and life to your front yard, but the lattice fence can serve as leading lines that draw the eye straight to your front door.

This is a great way to welcome visitors in both an aesthetically pleasing way and make them feel right at home!

Charming white brick house with blue door, white picket fence, and abundant greenery and flowers in the front garden — Source: @magnoliawalks via Instagram

10. Add Quirky Planters

For those looking to break away from the conventional flower- and shrubbery-filled front garden, why not explore some quirky alternatives?

Instead of merely lining your walkway with planters, why not incorporate a quirky bicycle planter as a quirky way to exhibit some of your favorite blooms? Or add in some unexpected garden props – an old wheelbarrow filled with cascading succulents for instance – to really stand out. The sky’s the limit: have fun creating a unique and unforgettable entrance to your home.

Charming garden with plants in pots, a white bicycle planter, and a decorative trellis covered in greenery next to a vintage-style building — Source: @rayoflight_general via Instagram

11. Set Up A Curved Landscape

Transform your front garden into an oasis of tranquillity with curved landscape pathways, mixed borders of shrubs and wildflowers, and lush tropical plants. Create charming little pockets so that anyone walking past can enjoy the springtime fragrances and flutter of butterfly wings.

If you don’t have much outdoor space, why not try creating a hanging garden or placing potted plants throughout the entryway?

Accentuate the beauty of your front garden by using decorative stones, adding a curved seating area for peaceable sunset moments, and gathering friends for tea parties to celebrate the summer. There’s no limit to what you can do with your front garden!

Lush green garden with various shrubs and trees in front of a brick house with a small porch. Rocks border a flowerbed — Source: @amlivlanddesigns via Instagram

A garden with red and pink flowers, green shrubs, and two wooden chairs. A white car is parked on the driveway nearby — Source: @botaniscapes via Instagram

Brick house with a white door and two windows. A black sports car is parked on the driveway, surrounded by a lawn and flower beds — Source: @our.home.no3 via Instagram

Brick house with bay windows, green door, and daffodils along the path. A car is parked on the left near the garage — Source: @rhy5_ via Instagram

A small garden with various cacti, succulents, white pebbles, and a lawn area bordered by a narrow path next to a house — Source: @fearns.house via Instagram

12. Grow A Lush Front Flower Garden

A front flower garden can be a great way to add some curb appeal to your home. With a little creativity, you can create a lush and wide front garden that is bursting with color and life. Add interest with layers of flowers and foliage at various heights, from bedding plants to tall shrubbery, for an eye-catching design. For added ambiance, include native wildflowers for the added pop of seasonal color, or choose perennial favorites for year-round color harmony.

Don’t forget to carve out some spaces – like small pathways or benches – so you can linger in the beauty of nature up close and personal!

A garden filled with colorful flowers and plants in front of two beige houses with gabled roofs on a bright day — Source: @greenjaylandscaping via Instagram

Small garden with tropical plants and colorful flowers surrounded by white gravel, next to a light-colored house and brick pathway — Source: @sofloexteriors via Instagram

13. Get A Garden Statue

Spruce up your garden with a garden statue to add a bit of creative flair. Garden statues can help add an accent to any garden, and by carefully placing them in the right spot, you can make the garden look like an outdoor gallery or sculpture garden.

Whether you want to choose something more whimsical, such as an animal statue, or if you’d prefer to go for something more traditional like a cherub or rabbit, adding a garden statue to your front garden is sure to make passersby stop and admire your artwork.

Two-story house with a stone entry, lush garden, and a Buddha head statue; curved hedges and tall trees surround the path — Source: @living_the_gardening_life via Instagram

14. Choose Low-Maintenance Varieties

If you’re looking for something low-maintenance yet eye-catching in your front garden, cacti and low-growing shrubs such as yew and barberry are great choices. Cacti make for a beautiful addition to any outdoor space and come in a range of sizes and shapes so that you can create interesting displays or sculptures.

Yew is also low maintenance and will provide evergreen color to your garden during the winter months when other plants may be dormant. Barberry is low-growing, comes in several varieties and has attractive foliage – perfect for creating striking patterns or features within your garden design. With some careful consideration, you can achieve stunning results with low-maintenance plants that will stay looking amazing all year round!

Front yard garden with circular mulch patterns, small plants, and a young tree with a wooden support; brick edging outlines the design — Source: @garden.with.a.view via Instagram

Single-story house with a stone façade, small porch, desert landscaping, cacti, and flowering bushes in the front yard — Source: @gardenpluslandscapepools via Instagram

Modern two-story house with dark stone and wood exterior, large windows, and a neatly landscaped yard under a clear blue sky — Source: @le_regard_vert via Instagram

15. Set The Mood With Floor Lighting

A garden floor lighting feature is an imaginative way to highlight your front garden and create an eco-friendly (and stunning!) area in which guests and loved ones can relax and spend quality time.

Taking outdoor lighting to the next level, garden floor lighting can consist of light-emitting diode (LED) strips, in-ground solar lights or path markers, or even a combination of both. This attractive addition to your garden will be sure to wow the neighbors and make your front garden truly stand out!

Modern house with large glass windows, palm trees, and a path leading to the entrance. Outdoor lights illuminate the garden at dusk — Source: @homesandcars_ via Instagram

16. Install A Corner Front Garden

A small corner front garden adds an attractive accent to a front entrance, even if there’s limited space to work with. Create a small bed filled with lush foliage plants that can filter pollutants from the air and be enjoyed throughout the year.

Incorporate small shrubs or small trees, succulents, ornamental grasses or rock gardens for an extra dash of color, texture, and contrast to the area. Intersperse blooming annuals or perennials when possible for added prettiness. Overall you can make a big statement in small spaces with front garden ideas built around designs tailored for small front spaces.

Night view of a garden with decorative lights casting patterns on a brick wall, surrounded by flowers and plants — Source: @our_sankey_countryside via Instagram

Front yard with colorful potted plants, a small statue, and a gray two-story house on a sunny day with blue sky and white clouds — Source: @the.crazy.gardening.nurse via Instagram