Gardens Ideas for a Front Entrance

Fragrance

• Delight your guests with fresh scents by placing aromatic plants close to where they will walk. Sweet peas are annuals that produce colorful flowers with a perfume scent. Cut some flowers and bring them indoors to prolong the scent sensation. Lemon verbena is a herbaceous perennial that blooms in pink and white. It has a sweet, lemony scent that frequently finds its way into potpourri and sachets.

Feature Water

• Add a small water feature near the front entrance. A fountain provides the sound of running water that is pleasing on its own, but under certain conditions, may help to mask unpleasant sounds. Running water catches the sunlight and creates an intriguing blend of light and water that will never look exactly the same way twice. A bird bath gives the local bird and butterfly population a reason to drop in to your garden to sing songs and pollinate flowers.

Color

• Paint a cohesive picture that incorporates your plants and flowers with the style of your home. Design a garden with colors that contrast your home, such as bright red or deep purple tulips against white brick. Alternatively, choose colors from the same palette as your house to create a smooth transition between the natural and manmade elements. Consider adding lilac hydrangeas against blue walls.

Structure

• Construct an archway over the pathway to the door. Plant wisteria to climb up and around the arch in sunny locations; substitute honeysuckle in spots with more shade. The flowers will provide a pleasing aroma and pretty flowers when in bloom. Throughout the rest of the year, the vines will add structure to your garden and help to define it as a grand entrance

Light the Night

• Do not neglect the needs of your visitors who arrive after dark. Small lights along the walkway allow your guests to see where they are walking and increases their safety. Mix in artistic lights, such as in the shape of fireflies or stars, with your plants and flowers to add a special glow to help visitors appreciate your garden even if they cannot see the details.