40 Gorgeous Landscaping Ideas for Small Front Yards

Even a small front yard can be packed with charming curb appeal. Check out these smart small front yard ideas for creating magical landscapes and inviting entries.

By: Jacquelyn McGilvray

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Implement Layers

A triple layer of landscaping — two rows of evergreens and a row of colorful annuals — along the front of this home adds dimension and interest. Ivy-filled window boxes and vibrant planters top off the charming look.

From: HGTV Magazine

Top Off the Retaining Wall

To lend more privacy to this front yard a small picket fence was added to the top of the brick retaining wall. Twin planters at the top of each set of stairs and a pair of tall skinny evergreens provide symmetry and style.

Find More Ideas: 35 Sturdy Retaining Wall Ideas for a Sloped Yard

From: HGTV Magazine

Mix Shapes and Lines

A mix of vertical and horizontal siding, various colors and the shapely hardscaping materials used in the walkway and retaining wall make this front yard a showstopper.

Find More Ideas: 40 Wow-Worthy Hardscaping Ideas

Add a Unique Railing

Even the most simple facade can be made interesting. This basic rancher is given a high dose of style with the addition of raised planting beds and a modern porch rail.

Match the Details

The white picket fence mimics the porch railing and pairs nicely with the gingerbread corbels on the porch posts and second-story roofline.

Get the Instructions: How to Build a Picket Fence

From: HGTV Magazine

Tame the Slope

Landscaping a steep yard can be a challenge. Approach it with a one-step-at-a-time attitude by creating terraced levels that can be treated as separate planting beds that will be easier to conquer and climb.

Learn More: Terrace Landscaping Ideas

Rock It Out

Large boulders in the flowerbeds add dimension to the landscape of this mountain home. Implementing natural materials like these large boulders add curb appeal year-round and the best part, they’re absolutely maintenance-free.

Find More Ideas: 30 Gorgeous Rock Gardens

From: HGTV Magazine

Line the Walkway

Knee-high shrubs frame the path and front porch of this adorable cottage. Tall cannas with orange blooms (left) match the front door and porch accessories to help amp up the curb appeal.

Find More Ideas: 59 Inviting Colors to Paint a Front Door

Use Earthy Colors for Hardscapes

A stone-color walkway — as opposed to blacktop or gray concrete — helps keep this entryway looking natural and neat. Use a variety of foliage, textures and seasonal colors in your garden to create interest year-round.

Add Stylish Shade

A pair of Japanese maple trees frame the picture window and help cover the expansive exterior wall on this adorable cottage. The maples also provide shade to the lower planting as well the interior beyond the window.

Learn More: Japanese Maples: A Guide to Planting and Care

From: HGTV Magazine

Extend the Porch

A large porch can make your home's entrance feel fresh and inviting, plus it lends a bit of privacy to the inside of the home. Placing a selection of potted plants and outdoor furniture will add ambiance to the open space.

Find More Ideas: 40 Beautiful, Budget Ideas for Patios and Porches

Use Zigzags

To make this low-maintenance desert landscape look bigger than it actually is, the large paver-pathway switches back and forth while the retaining walls are staggered. Smart lighting placement and interesting plantings keep this 1950s home looking mod and stylish.

Find More Ideas: Zen Rock Garden Design

From: Landwell Design + Build Co.

Balance It Out

If your home is perfectly symmetrical it makes sense to have the landscape symmetrical as well. Here, a pair of Japanese maple trees match the portico columns while two layers of evergreen shrubs frame each side of the house. Laying the brick walkway in a Chevron pattern adds a modern touch to a normally traditional feature.

From: HGTV Magazine

Make a Set-Back in the Fence

Instead of putting your white picket straight across the property line, set it back a few feet at the walkway to create a welcoming entry. The staggered look adds depth to the front yard and the matching flower pots help provide some cottage charm.

From: HGTV Magazine

Arch the Entryway

Placing an arbor at the end of a walkway can make you feel like you're entering a cozy room instead of a plain old front yard. Pair the arbor with a picket fence to create a welcoming portal that encourages guests to enter and explore.

Find More Ideas: 20 Fresh Design Ideas for Arbors, Arches + Pergolas

Raise the Beds

This contemporary ranch home was updated with planter boxes that match the home’s exterior wood. Raised beds like this help create a stylish barrier between the home and the street.

Create Curves

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but it may not do a lot for your home’s curb appeal. Here, a curved walkway lined with red flowers that match the front door makes for an enticing entry.

From: HGTV Magazine

Dress the Porch With Greenery

Everybody loves a front porch, but privacy may be an issue if your house is close to the street. Use hanging ferns and baskets filled with a mix of creeping Jenny, caladium and flowering annuals to create a screen with tons of ambiance.

Add a Waterfall

A rock-lined waterfall creates a zen-like feel with its soothing sounds and calming effect. The bright perennials and annuals surrounding the water feature help create that lush, mountainous look.

Find More Ideas: 15 Waterfall Designs

From: Mickman Brothers

Don't Forget the Lighting

Illuminate your entry with light fixtures that match your home's style. For a pleasing touch, pick a lamp color that plays well with your home's exterior. Here, the soft teal fixtures complement the home's beige hues, while blue fescue grasses echo the color of the lamp posts.

Learn More: Landscape Lighting Trends and How to Choose What's Right for Your Yard

Try Groundcovers

Cut down on lawnmowing by filling in borders with groundcovers like ivy, wild ginger or pachysandra. Low-maintenance plantings like these add color and texture, and many are drought-resistant.

Learn More: 18 Tough Groundcovers

Match the Amounts

A trio of cone-shaped conifers matches the two sets of triple windows on the house to keep the balance in check. Hydrangeas and hedges line the driveway and other planting beds so there’s only a small patch of grass to mow.

Include a Bridge

A dry bed is a great option for a low-maintenance yard in a drought-prone area. Add a little bridge for a touch of whimsy and to give the kids an additional play spot.

Learn More: Drought-Tolerant Plants for Dry Soil

Mix the Materials

With so much to look at, this front yard doesn’t seem small at all. By using a variety of natural elements on different levels, there are so many places for the eye to land that the yard feels spacious and interesting.

Find More Ideas: 40 Ideas for Creating the Perfect Pathway in Your Yard

Add a Place to Sit

Instead of a typical front porch, these homeowners opted for a large pergola to shade their entry. The curved gravel pathway and freeform planting beds contrast beautifully with the straight lines of the porch and pergola.

Find More Ideas: 36 Backyard Pergola and Gazebo Design Ideas

Build Switchbacks

For visual interest on a steep slope, stagger stair directions and create landings between each. Here, the stone steps and stucco walls are softened with a Mediterranean color palette of green-gray foliage and ornamental grasses.

Try a Water Garden

Add a new eco-system to your yard with a small lily pond. Not only is it pretty, it's a great way to teach kids about nature when you add in a few frogs and fish.

Find More Ideas: 70 Wonderful Water Features for Any Budget

Add a Good Focal Point

Plant a specimen tree to create a focal point in your yard. Here, your eye can’t help but land on the umbrella-shaped tree that is shading the set of chairs; plus the tree prevents the massive chimney from taking over the curb appeal.

From: HGTV Magazine

Integrate the Walls

A steep slope can easily be conquered with a sturdy retaining wall. By using the same type of stone as the home’s foundation, this retaining wall doesn’t stick out; instead it looks like it’s part of the home.

Find More Ideas: 35 Sturdy Retaining Wall Ideas for a Sloped Yard

From: HGTV Magazine

Add a Level

Steps at the corner of the yard provide easy access from the driveway to the front door. The added level between the street and porch stairs evens out the slight incline that angles to the left.

Landscape for the Climate

Instead of a thirsty lawn, native, drought-resistant plants are anchored in gravel and accented with twin water features to create a low-maintenance yard that is perfect for this desert environment.

Find More Ideas: Creative Xeriscaping: Save Water With Style

From: Bennion Deville Homes

Add Texture and Shades of Green

A traditional grass lawn would seem almost silly for the tiny front yard. But this variety of soft shrubs and spiky perennials provides the perfect amount of color and texture to this 1930s Craftsman home.

From: HGTV Magazine

Coordinate Your Hardscape

This brick walkway cleverly morphs into a retaining wall as the driveway descends to the side yard. Tying architectural elements together like this can give a home a purposeful, cohesive look.

Get the How-To: How to Lay a Brick Pathway

From: HGTV Magazine

Go Low-Maintenance

This front yard features a drought-tolerant landscape instead of a high-maintenance lawn. The pretty color palette provides year-round seasonal color with ornamental grasses, evergreen shrubs and perennials. The curvilinear gravel and flagstone walkway easily leads the eye to the front door.

Learn More: Drought-Tolerant Plants for Dry Soil

Fill It With Plants

Established perennials are most often easier to maintain than a grass lawn, plus, they’re just more attractive. Here, a variety of plantings at different heights adds extra personality to this adorable Tudor cottage.

Harmonize the Shapes

The notched walkway leading up to the door echoes the rectangles throughout this home’s architecture. Low-maintenance, desert plantings also accentuate that cool mid-mod aesthetic.

Learn More: Xeriscaping Plants

From: Kristianne Watts

Punch Up the Color

Don’t be afraid to jazz up your curb appeal with a bold punch of color. Here, two turquoise wood planters flank the walkway of this 1960s rancher. The contrast of the bright hue against the muted brick makes this home feel livelier and more contemporary.

Get the How-To: Upcycle Old Pallets Into Colorful Planter Boxes

Forget Straight Lines

For long pathways, don’t use straight lines; use curves and waves instead. Curvilinear walkways and flowerbeds provide a more natural look than straight lines and sharp corners. To make it even more interesting, this pathway ends in a circle with a boulder and a bench.

Add a Focal Point

Every outdoor space needs a focal point that tells the eye what to look at first. This can be almost anything, such as a fountain, bench or patterned hardscape. In this front yard, a tree surrounded by a circular walkway serves as an eye-catching element.

Wall It Off

A cobblestone and concrete wall paired with arborvitae and climbing vines provide privacy to this stately home. Matching the arched gate to the transom window over the front door ups the curb appeal.

Find More Ideas: 20 Garden Gates and Arches We're Obsessing Over

From: HGTV Magazine

40 Gorgeous Landscaping Ideas for Small Front Yards

Related To:

Shop This Look

Implement Layers

Top Off the Retaining Wall

Mix Shapes and Lines

Add a Unique Railing

Match the Details

Tame the Slope

Rock It Out

Line the Walkway

Use Earthy Colors for Hardscapes

Add Stylish Shade

Extend the Porch

Use Zigzags

Balance It Out

Make a Set-Back in the Fence

Arch the Entryway

Raise the Beds

Create Curves

Dress the Porch With Greenery

Add a Waterfall

Don't Forget the Lighting

Try Groundcovers

Match the Amounts

Include a Bridge

Mix the Materials

Add a Place to Sit

Build Switchbacks

Try a Water Garden

Add a Good Focal Point

Integrate the Walls

Add a Level

Landscape for the Climate

Add Texture and Shades of Green

Coordinate Your Hardscape

Go Low-Maintenance

Fill It With Plants

Harmonize the Shapes

Punch Up the Color

Forget Straight Lines

Add a Focal Point

Wall It Off

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