Garden Plans for Entry Ways

The Natural Setting

• Construct your front walk out of flagstone steps set apart from each other and fill the spaces between with small, foot-tolerant plantings. Moss grows well in moist, shady landscapes. Woolly thyme -- pseudolanuginosus -- and blue star creeper -- pratia pendunculata -- are ideal choices for your entryway's walk. Wildflowers add a natural touch to your entryway. Evening primrose, wild indigo and sundrops appear year after year with little or no upkeep. Line both sides of your front walk with daisies, Queen Anne's lace or cosmos to make your visitors feel like they are walking through a sunny meadow.

Water Play

• Incorporate a water feature to add enchantment to your entryway garden. A miniature fish pond set into the space beside your steps, or along your walkway, creates an immediate conversation piece for arriving guests. A bubbling fountain or waterfall aerates the water. The sound is relaxing, makes good white noise and lends a sense of intimacy to your front yard. A wall fountain set next to your front door can be designed to spill into a small pool that goes into a narrow rivulet along you front walk. Shade-loving or sun-tolerant plants can be planted en masse to create a dramatic accent to your water channel. Raise the narrow channel of water by setting it on top of a low wall that runs along your sidewalk and your guests can trail their fingers in the water as they approach your door.

Cottage Charm

• Add a touch of romance over your entry walk with an arbor of antique rose vines. The beauty of the summer blooms are balanced out in the winter with the texture of the bare wrapped vines studded with rosehips. If there is enough sun, plant morning glories at the base of the arbor and daisies on either side for a cottage garden feel. Mix in small fruit trees and herbs such as lavender or rosemary for their scents. For a lovely aroma on a warm evening, plant heliotrope -- an annual that blooms purple or white and gives off a light, sweet, powdery scent.

Courtyard

• If your home's entryway is surrounded by a courtyard, a Mediterranean-style garden is an appropriate choice. Succulents such as aloe, cactus, and yucca can be included in a xeriscape garden mulched with gravel.

Let There Be Light

• Add white or blue lights to your entryway garden to bring out the texture of your plants and guide your plant to the door. Simplicity is key. Keep lighting low to avoid glare for permanent lighting. Hang temporary lantern strings to add the dance of overhead lighting to your entryway.