Whether you have just decided to renovate your house and yard, built a new house, or have had flood or other damage to your house or yard, landscaping can sometimes seem like an unreachable goal. Most front yard landscaping ideas are determined by the effect one wishes to present to others.

Front yards are very important, because first impressions are formed by what people see, even when they are only passing by. This is determined by the location, size, and other design aspects of the house and what the owner wishes to emphasize. There are many different things that are available to the designer, color, along with size and shape of plants and trees, as well as texture of leaves. One can use contrast or other effects that use several different plants and trees.Front Yard Focal PointsThis is usually created by color or plant size or both to bring the eye to an entrance way or other area of a house or yard. It can be beautifully created by two shrubs of one or different colors and then in the center a shrub of a third possibly brighter color.Front Yard StepsFront Yard WalkawaysFront Yard Water ElementsWhat Else Is ImportantThe aspects of landscape design can be mixed and used together to create an impressive front yard. Large shrubs, all with the same color, size, and texture can be used as a backdrop for a small colorful garden, that is otherwise surrounded by colorful rocks that have either a complementary or contrasting color scheme.ColorThe main color differences are warm colors (red, orange, and yellow), used to attract attention either to something, an address for example, or away from a plain-colored wall.
There are also cool colors (blues, and purples), that are relaxing and good for meditation gardens.

In a front yard, colors can be used along with "line" to draw attention to a path leading up to the front door along a path or driveway. This color rendering can be achieved by planting flowering plants with bright hues, along the path lining.LineStraight or "hard" lines direct the eye along a path and emphasize length; this might be good for making a small house or yard look bigger. Curved lines, as in a round or semi-circular garden soften long straight hard lines of buildings. This is one way of creating a balanced landscape composition.Plant Form and TextureThere are several plant forms or textures (of leaves and branching trends). There is the columnar (an extreme would be the Lombardy Poplar, with its branches pointing to the sky), weeping trees (trees like the weeping willow, and Japanese Maple tree), that give a luxurious feel and can be very impressive in a yard or garden, and spreading trees, shrubs. Relative size of plants and trees should be kept gradual except in special cases, where special effects are desired. In this case, extremely tall trees or plants (like the elephant ear) would be placed close to ferns or other plants with small leaves, thus producing a striking contrast.Border DefinitionUsually created by fences, walls or other borders such as with a rock wall or border, border definition is necessary around garden areas to give a finished look. In a front yard it is nice to have a small garden next to the house, to bring color and contrast to a brick wall or to a color that is not so pleasing to the eye. In this case, using a border of small bricks or a small fence is nice. mowed lawns are a recent custom in our society. Other yard plans are definitely optional and looking just like the neighbors is not a necessity. One beautiful plan is a desert look. This look takes plants and trees that would be found in a warm dry climate and brings them together to cover a full front yard. This gives a yard a full, unique, and well-cared for look if done right. Use rocks, metal jars, sculptures, various plant varieties and other such resources according to the theme you've decided.

There are many other sources for great landscaping design ideas in many different places. The Internet has a lot of information and there are even whole courses and websites for landscaping ideas. Another source for ideas on landscaping yards is the local library or possibly local college courses that might cover landscape ideas. This article is just the beginning of many sources that are available for learning more about landscaping your front yard.

Use space intelligently to create an aesthetically compelling expression, that goes with the architecture of your house. Think out-of-the-box, listen to the artistic spirit within you, to begin your composition!