Landscaping Ideas for the Front Doorway

Container Garden

• If your front doorway is enclosed and elevated by steps above the yard, it may have limited options for landscaping ideas. Consider a container garden near the front door and along the steps leading up to your home. Elevate two large flowerpots on pillars on either side of the door and plant ferns or sculptured plants to give your doorway texture and character. Surround the pillars with smaller, decorative pots filled with herbs, flowers or hardy greenery.

Symmetrical Style

• Some houses require a symmetrical doorway landscape by virtue of their architecture. Symmetrical landscaping has a mirror effect: what appears on the left is perfectly mirrored on the right. The style creates a perfectly balanced and formal feel to your front entryway. It is the easiest design idea to achieve and is most successful with traditional or more formal, classical homes.

  For this type of style, consider large shrubbery you can sculpt and shape, such as topiary. Ideal plants for shaping into a topiary are juniper, brush cherry, rosemary, boxwood, myrtle and holly. Plant mirror opposites on either side of the door and complement them with small outdoor sculptures. You may choose a pair of cherubs, lions or gargoyles to give your home a more vintage and formal appeal.

Asymmetrical Style

• If you want to give your front entry a more whimsical, yet balanced feel, try landscaping it asymmetrically. Asymmetry is more about intuitive decorating rather than mathematical balance. Success with this style depends on your ability to keep a certain amount of balance. For example, if you choose to decorate the left side of your front yard with a grouping of shrubs and flowers, consider decorating the right side with a tree and low ground covering. The objective is to create a pleasing flow up to your doorway without too much clutter.

  If you are a bird lover, consider a water fountain surrounded by small bushes and brightly colored wildflowers. On the other side plant a small tree, with low shrub or ground cover behind it. The dwarf "Little Gem" magnolia tree grows slowly, so it remains small for a longer time. The 'Pendula' Higan cherry and 'Pink Velour' crape myrtle both produce colorful flowers in springtime and make an impact on any landscape.