11 Front Yard Ideas Guaranteed to Boost Your Home's Curb Appeal

These simple additions will add sophistication and style to the front of your house.

Curb appeal is a hot topic for homeowners—and for good reason. For starters, it has the potential to increase your home's value, as a beautiful yard appeals to both buyers and borrowers. This makes a great first impression and earns you top dollar when it comes time to rent or sell your property. Perhaps more importantly, though, a well-designed yard allows you to utilize and enjoy every inch of your outdoor space.

One great way to improve your home's exterior—without making pricey structural changes to its façade or permanent fixtures—is to focus on your front yard. Improving the turf, filling your garden beds, and expanding the zones of your front yard are easy ways to boost your space's aesthetics—and they are often easier on both your back and wallet.

Meet Our Expert

• Sara Gasbarra, founder of Verdura Garden Design

• Sara Bendrick, national spokesperson for STIHL; professional landscape designer and contractor

• Eric Halfman, go-to-market manager at John Deere

Related: 12 Ground Cover Plants That Will Fill in Negative Space and Suppress Weeds in Your Garden

Lean Into Symmetry

If you're feeling uncertain about where to start when coming up with the perfect front lawn landscaping idea for your home, you can't go wrong with a bit of symmetry. A symmetrical yard design always feels intentional, plus it provides you with a good sense of design direction. For example, in this front lawn designed by Serenbe, rows of tall, lush grasses sit across from each other while two additional rows of smaller grasses lend visual contrast.

You can apply the symmetry rule to any type of yard, including desert xeriscaping (try symmetrically placed agaves or cacti) and traditional lawns with grass (consider adding symmetrical flower beds or plant-lined walkways). Details like cement step-stones, mulched/gravel areas, or even trees can help create symmetry in your yard.

Line Walkways and Porch Steps With Planters

Incorporating planters, flower pots, and other vessels that pair well with the style of your home is a great way to elevate your front yard—especially if you choose varieties that connect these pathways to your front-facing garden beds, notes Sara Gasbarra, the founder of Verdura Garden Design. "Glazed ceramic pots with cascading blooms and foliage can add pops of vibrant color to walkways or a front porch," she says, adding that a collection of vintage terra-cotta pots clustered on each side of a walkway can also add a textural element.

If you want to go big, try using two larger vessels with potted trees (like olive or citrus); these options can create balance on opposite sides of a home's façade. As an added bonus, planters can be moved, reorganized, and positioned, allowing you to create different "looks" as the seasons progress.

Use Every Inch

Make your yard appear bigger by extending your landscape right to the curb of the street or the lip of your driveway. You can even use the straight edge or curvature of your hardscape to create narrow beds for shrubbery or perennial blooms that transform this utilitarian and practical space into one that is more pleasing to the eye. "Shrubbery along a driveway can also provide privacy and serve as a natural 'guardrail,' protecting your front lawn and other vegetation," says Gasbarra.

Take Living Spaces Out Front

Outdoor seating areas shouldn't be limited to the backyard, notes Gasbarra. That's why she suggests using patio furniture to break up large expanses of lawn, while also adding additional living spaces. "A pathway of stone pavers can lead to a designated area with a pair of Adirondack chairs or an antique garden bench," she says. Include decorative elements, like containers, small statues, or shade trees to make the space feel more intentional.

Add a Structural Focal Point

Wooden arbors, leaning wrought-iron trellises, and obelisks are all great examples of structural focal points that can add both interest and function to your front yard. Place them in parts that feel lackluster or empty—and bring them to life with show-stopping vine varieties that command visual attention. "Use them to create height and add drama by showcasing a flowering vine like clematis, climbing roses, wisteria, or even ruby moon hyacinth bean," says Gasbarra.

Related: 13 Blooming Vines That Add Beauty—and Privacy—to Your Yard

Give Your Steps a Makeover

While your front yard certainly includes details such as landscaping, garden beds, walkways, and structural elements, try not to forget about the steps leading straight to your front door. Over time, they can become such an ingrained part of the home that we fail to even register their existence!

A quick front step makeover can make a huge difference when it comes to curb appeal, though. From a simple cleanup with a power washer to repainting or replacing steps to adding texture and dimension with beautiful stones—as seen in this design by Serenbe—you might find yourself surprised by the impact when all's said and done. Giving your steps some extra TLC is also a great way to add charisma when the front yard itself is on the smaller side.

Manicure Your Hedges

Another inexpensive way to give your landscape a quick and easy makeover is to trim any hedges that line its border. Want to go above and beyond? Consider manicured shapes for a more polished look.

"Bushes, hedges, and shrubs possess a natural beauty that can boost the curb appeal of your home while providing an attractive complement to lawns, trees, gardens, and hardscapes," says Sara Bendrick, a STIHL national spokesperson and professional landscape designer and contractor. "Well-trimmed plants also prevent your outdoor spaces from looking overgrown and open up walkways."

Related: 10 Fast-Growing Shrubs to Plant in Your Garden

Vary Your Front-Facing Garden's Bloom Times

When you think about creating a beautiful front lawn, growing-season improvements, like summer blooms and bubbling fountains, likely come to mind—but not accounting for visual interest in the fall and winter months, as well, would be a mistake, adds Gasbarra. "Select perennial and annual plants which showcase their blooms and foliage at different times throughout the year," she says. This will help you achieve a stunning front yard that delivers beauty all year round.

Upgrade—or Rethink—Your Front Lawn

It may seem obvious, but nothing boosts your home's lawn faster than a fresh cut. Take the time to mow carefully. According to Eric Halfman, the go-to-market manager at John Deere, a well-manicured lawn can make you the envy of your neighbors. "Make sure the lawn is well-kept," he says. "This includes landscaping that is neat and a lawn that is recently mowed and fertilized."

A smooth plain of green turf, however, isn't your only option when it comes to your front lawn. Consider converting a zone into an eco-friendly clover lawn, which requires minimal upkeep and water—or fill another section with dainty but hardy blooms that can withstand some foot traffic (these patches are called tapestry lawns). Another option? Rip up those high-maintenance green blades and replace them with native grasses that look better when you let them be.

Fill Your Front Yard With Edible Art

Filling your front lawn's garden beds with culinary herbs and edible flowers is a simple way to turn this area of your outdoor space into a multifunctional haven. Adding these types of plants to your ornamental landscape—especially perennials like sage, lavender, thyme, and rosemary—can boost your yard's appeal and make it more attractive to important visitors.

"These herbs serve many purposes in the garden," she says. "Their blooms attract beneficial pollinators, their foliage and flowers can be harvested for kitchen use, and they provide a striking display when planted together. They also have a long growing season."

Don't Forget About Your Front Windows

Are you working within a budget or don't have the time to commit to a large-scale upgrade? Instead of reworking the front yard entirely, add window boxes or trough-style planters to your property, says Gasbarra—it has a visual impact that will resonate across your entire landscape. "Fill them with a combination of flowers, foliage, and herbs," she says, adding that a pair of window boxes can quickly and inexpensively dress up the front of your home.

If you don't have the space for window boxes, add a pair of trough-style planters (she recommends cedar or steel), which will provide enough room for a small display of plants. "Swap plants out as you move from spring to summer and into fall," she says.

Read the original article on Martha Stewart.