INTRO

Each day, your front garden welcomes friends and family, as well as, those passing by on foot and in vehicles.  With a few considerations, your curb appeal can pleasantly welcome visitors all season long. A desirable notion since, as the old adage goes, you don’t have a second chance to make a good first impression.

With your personality starting at the edge of your property, create a style that is uniquely yours.  As you walk up your drive, consider what others see.  Is it an expression of who you are?  Can your visitor clearly find the front door? Is it pleasing to the eye year round?  Does everything just seem to fit?   With a fresh eye, evaluate what you have and see where this may lead you.

CHOOSE A THEME

The style of your home will guide you in choosing a theme.  Staying within this theme, helps to pull everything together.  Your home’s style gives you the place to start.  Adding elements that speak to who you are, is where you come in.  Just remember, for your look to stay cohesive; for a look that all fits together, stay within your style choice.

Sweet, flirty pedestal urns will look out of place in a garden of a contemporary-style home. A ranch-style home is the most flexible in allowing you to tweak your style. If doing so, still stay within the theme of change.  Whether accentuating a traditional, relaxed, or formal look, maintain the look throughout.

YOUR BEST INVESTMENT

Your best investment of time and money is to focus on the entry way.  A visitor should not be confused; make the entrance clear and obvious.  Ideally, the path is wide enough for 2 adults to walk side-by-side (4 – 5 feet) and made with a material that compliments your home’s style.

Adding Color at the Entrance

Adding color at the entrance gives the most impact and welcomes visitors.  It also makes it easiest for the homeowner to maintain.

Color can be added to containers, garden beds, and with garden accents.

Containers

Container gardens at the home’s entrance works well with any home style.  Experiment with the placement and arrangement of containers.  A staggered, asymmetrical placement with small grouping getting bigger as you the approach the house, leads the eye forward.

A pair of pots formally frames the front door.  For a more relaxed style, add layers of planters beyond the front steps.  Adding hanging baskets from the roof eaves, window boxes, and arrangements on the front porch can add impact to welcome your visitor.

Garden Beds

Well maintained garden beds and borders will convey a relaxed feeling.  Remember, the front garden is always on show.  Keeps beds weeded, pruned, and top-dressed with fresh mulch, with an edge that is clean and crisp.

Garden beds and plantings should be in scale with the home.  A Southern Magnolia is well suited as an specimen tree for a two story home, but would be overpowering next to a single story ranch.

Garden Accents

A well placed garden bench at the front entrance welcomes your visitor.  Garden art, boulders, sculpture, or a fountain can be added to create the perfect welcome.

With just a few considerations, you can begin today creating curb appeal that tells something of your personality even before you open the door and say, “Welcome.”

First printed in Triangle Gardener.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Like Page.

Each week, Helen host’s a garden talk WebTalkRadio.net show called Gardening With Confidence™.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum