Outdoor Blog

Whoever said first impressions matter should also have stressed how a front yard appearance is critical for curb appeal. Your home’s front yard landscaping plants reflect who you are. A pleasant front yard will mostly have multiple plants bursting with color and beauty, making anyone revel in the plant variety. Therefore, plants at the front of your house remain a critical attractive feature that could also increase property value.

Other Reasons for Beautiful Plants on Your Front Yards

Perhaps the aesthetic feature is why most people have landscaping plants at the front of the house. But there are other reasons to embrace plant variety on your landscape. For example, your garden, which might have a mix of trees and lush green grass, is the reason for those cooler temperatures.

Grass and some shrubberies are also natural environmental and air cleaners. They can dependably capture both dust and smoke that could be running amok in the air. 

In the meantime, your landscape growth will break any carbon dioxide turning into a rich oxygen source. The plants are also known to lessen noise pollution and prevent soil erosion. Do you know that a substantial buffer of plants at the front of your house offers a substantial amount of privacy for your home?

Finally, research states that most people with incredible landscapes prefer life outdoors, which improves life quality. The advantages are countless, but you can only realize once you have some of the best landscaping plants right within your home. 

Characteristics of The Best Landscaping Front Yard Plants 

What exactly are the best landscaping plants for your home? These are foundation plants that grow lower to the ground. Various plants in the foundation plant category are dwarf trees, shrubs, and ground cover trees. Those small conifer trees also make the list of foundation plants.

Other vital aspects of some of the best foundation plants are low maintenance, short, and can keep their foliage throughout the seasons. Plants that glow even in the dark and are drought resistant make the list of the best landscaping plants you could ever have in your front yard. Check out some of them.

1. Japanese Boxwood 

One of the very first landscaping plants my landscaper advised me to plant at the front of my house was Japanese boxwood. Also known as Baby Gem, the lush evergreen and dense plant have several characteristics. One of them is a short plant that grows up to 3 feet long and wide. In addition, the plant can adapt in-ground or container so that you can position them at the entryway or pavement.

Homeowners love them because they keep a straight line, but you can also prune them in any style, including geometrical. I keep my traditional cottage. The plant does well both in full and partial sun. But they can also thrive in full shade, making them your favorite for balcony plants.

Boxwood is generally low maintenance, and you can prune them so quickly, too, due to their low height. Although the plant is easy to grow, I suggest you use only well-draining soils for best results.

There are other varieties of boxwood with similar characteristics to Japanese. These include Boxwood winter gem, which has a beautiful rounded shape, grows up to 4 feet, and comprises tiny glossy leaves. And like the Japanese, it is lush throughout the year.

Common boxwood is another popular variety. It is a dwarf plant growing up to between 2 -3 feet tall. The drought-resistant plant is best for your formal low hedge. But you can also use it as ground cover for either shade or sun. Most people also use it as a container entrance tree.

2. Hydrangea Bushes 

If any landscaping plant brings life and cheers to your front yard, it is the Hydrangeas. The stunning bush features a color variety that is hard to ignore. The full bloom will often present bulb-like light blue, pink, and purple hues.

If your soil is moist and has rich nutrients, the colors are intense, deep, and beautiful. Because of their short compact growth nature, they remain one of the ideal plants to take a space in your front yard.

Other hydrangea advantages include their easy-to-grow and maintenance aspects. They are not soil-fussy, can grow in just about any environment, and have average water needs. The blooms appear right on time in the summer, and the other seasons have the plant all lush with enviable foliage. Suitable USDA zones for this plant are 3-9.

3. Emerald Snow Loropetalum

Most people shy away from some Loropetalums species due to their house engulfing and devouring traits. But, if you have ever planted the giant purple Loropetalums, you have a clue of what I could be talking about. But the recent Emerald snow discovery as one of the best landscaping plants has changed all that for homesteads.

This Loropetalums variety is short standing at 4-6 feet high and 3-4 wide at maturity. That is ideal for any front yard as you can still see the views. As the plant name suggests, this shrub creates some of the most beautiful green leaves and snowy white flowers.

Again, these are your typical spring flowers that thrive much better in full sun. Once the bloom is over, the plant retains a lush green, and this is also the best pruning time for it. Emerald Snow Loropetalum also performs exceptionally well in soil with good drainage. The plant is suitable under the USDA zones 7-9.

4. Gardenia

If you ever want to wake up to full blooms with sweet fragrance right at the front of your house, go for Gardenia. I would suggest you place these landscaping plants at your living or your bedroom window to allow the sweet smell to flood right into your living space. The flowers, which stand between 5 to 6 feet tall at maturity, are creamy-white, and the leaves are a glossy dark green.

These plants are a bit picky, though, as they thrive well only in warm weather. So, if yours is a tropical to subtropical climate, Gardenia should take its rightful place in your front yard. You can even have it potted right inside your house.

But here is the gist. Unless you are a dedicated gardenia, these landscaping plants may not be your very best pick because they are high maintenance. They are also prone to insect infestation and disease. So generally, you must be in element, dedicatedly caring for them. Even so, and regardless of their delicateness, they are often of the most valuable collection to your plant category.

The best plant time for Gardenia is in the fall and spring. And if you grow them from the mature potted species, you can expect blooms within the very shortest time possible. Hardiness USDA zone for Gardenia is 8 to 11.

As a parting shot, I must also warn that the plants are toxic to pets. So if you are a pet owner and at the same time have Gardenias on your landscape, keep them at a safe distance from each other.

5. Dwarf Yew Shrubs 

I would go for dwarf yew shrubs anytime. Why? Because these relatively tiny ornamental landscaping plants are gorgeous and drought-resistant. Although the primarily upright shrubbery thrives more under the sun, they will still keep the momentum even in the colder seasons.

If you are looking for hedging/ foundation border plants, I suggest you pick dwarf yew. Depending on your preference, you can plant anything from the English yew to the Anglo-Japanese yew or even the pure Japanese yew. But how do you exactly differentiate them?

Let’s begin with the Anglo-Japanese yew. This one is not your typical dwarf as it grows up to 3-4 feet tall. Instead, we can call it semi-dwarf. That is appropriate enough. The plant has dense foliage with glossy needle-like leaves and can grow in just about any environment, including full sun, partial/ full shade.

The English yew has spreading growth qualities and is a typical dwarf shrub at 2-4 feet tall and 4.5 meters wide at maturity. Finally, the Japanese yew also has spreading growth characteristics. At its full maturity, it will be around 4-5 ft long. The similarities are that all the yew plants thrive under the 4-7 USDA zones within full sun, partial/ full shade.

6. Azalea 

If you ever plan for landscaping plants at the front-of-house plants, Azalea should be part of the plant category. Why do I say so? Because of the blooms that are so evident, especially in the spring. The low-maintenance plants come in a variety of full colors, so pleasant to the eye. While you can suitably plant them anywhere in your landscape, they make the biggest impression right in your front yard. 

Of course, most of us would want to include a wide variety of plants in every landscape space. But Azalea looks so good when solo. So I suggest you pick an area of your front yard and place them just on their own. Another great way to plant Azalea is to have them under conifer plants such as pines.

What is the best time to plant this lovely shrub? Spring time would have your plant adapting to both the soil and climate fast. If you have a light invasive cool shade, this would be the most ideal. Full shadows and full sun have a negative effect. For example, a full shade can deprive the tree of vast amounts of oxygen. The full sun can quickly burn the leaves so that they struggle to grow.

What are the right soil conditions for Azalea? These shrubs thrive in most well-drained, acidic soils. In this case, I can recommend mulching to conserve as much moisture as you can. And finally, Azaleas look so much better with a compact appearance which, of course, requires skilled trimming, especially after blooming is over. Proper trimming of the hanging branches helps plant renewal and regrowth too.

7. Wintercreeper Shrubs

Winter Creepers are perfect low-growing landscaping plants whose other famous name is Euonymus fortunei. They are primarily dwarf foundation plants standing at 1to 2 feet at maturity. The golden yellow and green foliage are famed for the cover, hedging, and border and can survive both in the sun and the shade.

The most suitable zones for Wintercreeper shrubs are between 5-9. The shrub spreads quite fast once it’s taken root. No wonder some states consider it invasive. I suggest you confirm with your state to rule out any guidelines against planting them in your front yard. 

Like the other front-of-home plants already mentioned, there are different varieties of Wintercreepers. Have you ever heard of Emerald n Gold, Emerald Gaiety, or Moonshadow? The three are of the Wintercreeper family but possess slight variances. 

For example, the Emerald n Gold has yellow and bright green foliage. On the other hand, Emerald Gaiety has white and green, and Moonshadow features lush green and yellow foliage. Depending on your preference, any of them works as a perfect ground cover, foundation border, or hedge plant.

8. Dwarf Arborvitae Shrubs 

Another excellent foundation plant for your front yard is the Dwarf arborvitae. I highly recommend it for your landscaping plants because of its soft and evergreen foliage, ensuring beauty for your landscape all year round.

The Dwarf arborvitae shrubs come in handy as both corner and entrance plants. And the most USDA zones for these landscaping plants are 3-7, and they will thrive best on full sun. But there are a few of this plant type that can also grow well in partial shade. These include Dwarf Golden Oriental Thuja, which has soft needle leaves and yellow-golden foliage. 

Thuja occidentalis, also known as Little Giant, is primarily a conifer species. And unlike the Golden Oriental, this one will only thrive under full sun. Another Dwarf arborvitae variety is the Thuja occidentalis. Some people refer to it as the Fire Chief.

Anyway, this gene’s foliage is green-yellow and feathery, becoming more pronounced and attractive during the spring. As fall approaches, the vegetation slightly changes color to green and red. As a low foundation plant, I can recommend it for your hedge and border. The shrub will reach maturity height at 3-4 ft. The USDA zone is 5-9.

How to Choose the Best Plants for Your Front House?

Not any plant is a landscaping plant candidate for your front yard. A few considerations should be your guiding principle as you make that ultimate pick. For example, when you pick;

• Low growing plants, you are sure that they won’t lose their attractiveness at any time through the year. But the key reason for this plant category is that they cannot block the view from whichever direction you are within your house.

• Drought-resistant shrubs can be all you need to have green foliage even when it is dry. I suggest you water only in between the days to avoid dampness and overreliance on too much moisture.

• Climate is a crucial plant growth dictator: some plants will thrive under full sun and partial or complete shade. So, as you choose landscaping plants, think of the prevailing climates in your location.

• Keep a correct distance from plants with invasive roots. Experts will tell you that the roots can sneak their way into your building foundation, weakening it in the process. Suppose you decide on larger shrubs. Then keep them an excellent distance from the buildings, planting at least 5 ft from your home.

Conclusion 

Has there ever been a beautiful home without equally gorgeous greenery? I highly doubt it. Good-looking homes are that because of the curb appeal from gorgeous plants. Plant variety, including low-growing foundation plants, does it better.  Depending on the plant type, you will wake up to the most sweet-smelling fragrance and beauty. They also will tempt you to sit more outdoors and enjoy fresh air, which is good for your overall health. When well maintained, low foundation plants keep your home looking clean and could also cause your property price to skyrocket.