Urban Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

Raised Beds

• Build raised flower beds with concrete blocks, bricks or landscape timbers around the edges of the front yard. Fill the beds with top soil and compost to make a nutrient-rich growing environment for your plants. The raised beds create a natural-looking boundary between your property, the neighbors' land and the street side of your yard. Plant a mix of shrubs, perennials and annuals in the raised beds and tuck in spring-flowering bulbs to brighten the landscape early in the growing season. A clump of ivy or sweet potato vines planted near the edge of a raised bed provides a pleasant cascading effect as the plants trail over the bed's wall.

Edible Landscape

• Include a row of raspberries next to the driveway, pole beans to climb up your fence and a squash plant in a sunny corner of the yard. Mixing edible plants with flowers and shrubs is a way to include freshly picked fruits and vegetables into your diet, making your urban landscape productive as well as beautiful. Several large pots filled with herbs near the front door add dimension to your garden design, and the herbs are easily accessible when it's time to cook. Even a single tomato plant surrounded by brightly colored, edible nasturtiums can be used to create a focal point in the front garden.

Ground Covers

• Eliminate the need for a lawnmower when you remove grass from the front yard. Instead, place sturdy, low-growing plants around the walkways and beds to fill in the yard with soft green living color. Select ground covers that thrive in the shade for areas where buildings or trees block the sun. Use sedum, cinquefoil and other sun-loving ground covers in places exposed to full sun during the day. Ground covers need ample water when first planted, until they become established in your yard, but many varieties are drought-tolerant, reducing the need for extensive maintenance.

Hardy Holly

• English holly stands up to the rigorous conditions of an urban landscape, even poor soil and very cold winter temperatures. Set holly bushes along your property boundaries as a natural border where the prickly leaves will discourage intruders. Create a focal point in the garden by pruning a holly bush into a round or box shape. The red berries and shiny green leaves of holly bring a festive touch to your urban front yard during the holiday season. Small birds attracted to the holly berries, bring the sounds of nature into the city environment.