But if we limit the scope of the discussion to urban and suburban areas, we find consensus on ten steps homeowners can take to improve this most visible section of their properties. Many strive for a balanced approach. You may wish to create a welcoming feeling here overall while erecting a small privacy screen to shelter a select pocket of the expanse from prying eyes. Don’t worry: Properly thought out, a privacy screen will enhance, rather than detract from curb appeal. While fencing such as lattice can be used to construct a small privacy screen for a portion of your lawn, people more typically opt for a “living wall”: a barrier composed of shrubs. Their function is a visual definition. Borders play an important role, visually. A defined area catches the eye better than an open-ended one. To test this idea, go out for a drive, and make it a point to note which properties look more “finished.” We can almost guarantee you that you’ll find properties tastefully set off by hedges, fences or stone walls to be more attractive than those that aren’t. For more ideas for borders, please see this article on landscaping property lines. Whether or not you have a gate, be sure to pay attention to your driveway plantings, especially at the entrance. Remember, the first impression of your property that passersby form will be greatly impacted by the appearance of your driveway entrance. But if you’d rather have visitors enter via a side door or back door, there’s no sense in encouraging a frontal assault by furnishing such a path; perhaps you, yourself hardly ever use your street-facing door. In that case, if your front-yard landscaping is to have any walkway at all, a better idea might be a winding flagstone walkway that invites you on a leisurely stroll through points of interest. (Don’t have any points of interest? Keep reading and we’ll fix that!) Plantings around the doorstep or porch can tie the area into the rest of your design, thereby promoting unity in your design. Sometimes, entryway plantings are part of a foundation bed. There is a growing, vocal minority who are striving to eliminate–or, at least, minimize–lawns. They intentionally kill grass to make room for plant life that they find more interesting. Some employ xeriscaping techniques to conserve water as part of a green living approach. Even front-yard vegetable gardens are gaining in popularity. Edibles used to be strictly relegated to the backyard, but it’s no longer one of the Seven Deadly Sins to allow them to be seen, given the proper design. Browse flower pictures to find blooms of a particular color, or learn more about color schemes. Massed together, bedding plants can supplement the color offered by perennials and flowering shrubs. Even if your design scores well on all of these 10 points, you may still have a bit more work to do. In addition to such special cases, always decide on flower location based on sun, shade and other environmental factors. You must play the hand that you’re dealt with.
