Your home is an extension of your personality, so the saying goes, and that includes the outside of your home – which is why your choice of plants is so important. Utilizing savvy small front garden ideas can dramatically revitalize both your planting horizons and the way your home looks to passers-by. Curb appeal showcases your home in its best light – and even boosts its value! Just because you have a small front yard doesn’t mean you can’t use plants to create massive curb appeal. In fact, it should be an essential part of your small front yard landscaping aspirations. Try some of these curb appeal ideas for small homes and gardens, and you’re sure to make a big impact even in the smallest venues.
Selecting Plant Ideas for a Small Front Garden
In many ways, a big front yard is easy to work with. You can choose large, showy ornamentals and mix them with pretty flowers, low-maintenance plants and perennials for multi-season impact. Garden ideas for small front yards, however, require a little more planning and creativity. Still, choosing the right plant ideas for a small front garden is well worth the effort. You just have to think a little bit more creatively if you are growing plants for curb appeal as well as personal pleasure.
Use statement pieces, like front door planters, to make more visual impact. Look for plants that are small but have major attributes, like big and colorful flowers. Find dwarf varieties and choose small ornamental trees. Mix textures, levels and colors to make more impact with less. Clever curb appeal ideas for small front yards, used strategically with the right plants, can significantly improve the look and quality of your home. Just use these small front yard garden ideas as your starting point when planning major curb appeal with minimal space.
1. Dwarf Hydrangea
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Hydrangeas are great for curb appeal. These shrubs (Hydrangea macrophylla, H. arborescens, H. paniculata) grow in compact mounds and display colorful pom-poms of long-lasting flowers. While many types grow very large, there are plenty of varieties of dwarf hydrangea bushes you can try. These include Wee Bit Grumpy, Invincibelle Wee White, Invincibelle Wee Mauvette and Fire Light Tidbit.
These hydrangea cultivars are all no more than three feet (0.9m) wide and tall, but bloom prolifically and extensively from summer into fall. They thrive in USDA zones 3-9 and tolerate some shade. They are reliable specimens for small front garden curb appeal. You can also use them in combination to flank a door, frame windows or act as a backdrop to annuals.
2. Dwarf Purple Fountain Grass
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Growing ornamental grasses makes a striking difference to even a compact landscape, offering a unique texture and foliage type. Purple fountain grass is an upright, clump-forming grass that spills over at the top, creating a fountain shape. The leaves are reddish-purple and the summer or fall flowers are feathery and frothy.
The dwarf variety (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum Dwarf’) only grows to 2.5 feet (0.7m) tall. Purple fountain grass is a warm-weather grass hardy in USDA zones 9 and higher. In most areas, you can use it as an annual in beds or in mixed containers along with annual flowers and vining leaves.
3. Coral Bells
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Coral bells are perennials in USDA zones 4-9 and North American natives. They grow in low mounds and produce striking foliage. Different varieties give you various color options. Coral bells are named for their small, bell-shaped flowers that bloom in spring and early summer. In many areas, the leaves are evergreen, providing year-round interest.
If you’re looking for reliable garden ideas for small front yards, Coral bells (Heuchera spp.) are great options for low spaces. They do well under other plants as they prefer some shade and will scorch in too much sun. Grow them under or around small ornamental trees and shrubs.
4. Climbing Roses
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If you are pushed for space, one of the more creative small front garden ideas is to grow up. So if you have a suitable vertical space, such as a trellis placed against the front wall of your home, you can grow a climbing rose (Rosa setigera) to add major curb appeal. Unlike rambling roses, climbing roses bloom repeatedly throughout the growing season.
Climbing roses are suitable for USDA zones 4-11 and they can be kept in check with regular trimming so they don’t grow too large or unwieldy. Grow climbing roses in full sunlight and rich, fertile soil for the most vibrant, impactful blooms.
5. Hebe
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Borrow this New Zealand native shrub for dry, warm gardens. Suitable for USDA zones 7-11 and drought tolerant, hebe grows in compact, dense mounds with showy displays of colorful flowers in summer and fall.
Hebe shrubs (Hebe spp.) are great choices for small front garden curb appeal, because they pack a lot of punch even in a compact, quiet corner. Smaller varieties only grow to two feet (0.6m) tall and wide and can even be used in containers. Examples include Wiri Cloud, Emerald Gem, Garden Beauty Blue and Margret.
6. Hosta
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Hostas are garden favorites for many reasons. They are low maintenance and come in many varieties, ranging in size from large and sprawling to dwarf and diminutive. They’re also great for filling in shady spaces. You can grow hostas (Hosta spp.) in USDA zones 3-9, and although they are known more for their foliage, they also bloom in summer.
For small-sized hostas in an interesting array of colors, try Golden Tiara with its green heart-shaped leaves edged in yellow. Baby Bunting forms tight mounds with blue-green leaves. Marrakech has rippled, lance-shaped leaves in yellow-green, while Little Caesar has twisted, long leaves in green and white variegation.
