10 Small Front Yard Landscaping Ideas That Make a Big Impact

Stick to 1 or 2 Focal Points

Over-designing is one of the biggest mistakes people make when building out their small front yard. Without a proper edit, you'll quickly find yourself dealing with a messy, overwhelming, non-cohesive space. "Emphasis can't be everywhere at once," says Kevin Lenhart, the design director for Yardzen. "Choose a small set of focal points, like an entryway, a specimen tree, or bright or tall accent planting. Give them plenty of space from each other and avoid other elements crowding in on their spotlight."

After choosing your focal points, move forward with medium and small design elements. Consider how each piece fits into the puzzle, and don't be afraid to subtract and add to get the combination just right.

Leverage Constructed Elements

Large trees or shrubs are perfect focal points, but you don't have to limit yourself to greenery. Incorporating a constructed element, such as raised flower beds, trellises, and pathways, is another option. Often, these structures are multi-functional, says Brandy Hall, founder and managing director of Shades of Green Permaculture.

For example, raised bed planters divide spaces or provide seating, and privacy trellises allow you to grow vine plants like berries and grapes while creating some shade. "Think about how you want to use the space or solve problems with the design," Hall says. "Make a list of how you envision using your space and then draw connections by considering how one constructed element solves for multiple needs."

Choose Between Symmetry or Asymmetry

Two primary schools of thought exist in yard design: symmetry and asymmetry. If you're unsure of where to start when it comes to small front yard design ideas, fall back on either approach.

• Symmetrical: "Let's say the focal point of our front yard is the entry door, and that door is centered in relation to our yard," says Rechnitz. "Whatever we decide to plant on the left side of the door, we should also plant on the right side of the door." This creates a more formal garden design.
• Asymmetry: Asymmetry takes the opposite approach. For example, if you plant a large shrub on one side of the door, then you'd plant a cluster of smaller plants on the other side. This feels more informal.

Minimize Maintenance

When considering your small front yard landscape design, minimize maintenance as much as possible. "In almost any scenario, a well-kept yard is going to outshine any poorly maintained yard," Lenhart says.

Some ways you can do this include choosing native plants that thrive in your specific light, soil, and climate conditions. Reducing the number of focal points, as mentioned above, is another way to cut down on maintenance costs and efforts. Installing drip lines can also ensure plants get the water they need so they don’t die. "In small front yards, a small focal tree, an attractive path to the front door, and a few pockets of planting to accentuate thresholds is often all you need to offer a clean, attractive scene to people on the street," Lenhart says.

Incorporate Permeable Pathways

Pathways help break up a yard while adding dimension, and they also provide lots of function. However, Molly Sedlacek, the principal for ORCA, recommends removing or avoiding concrete paths, which are apt to fail eventually. In their place, swap in brick pavers set with sand.

"Sand-setting the material allows the paver to shift with the inevitable changes of the garden and still looks wonderful," says Sedlacek. Alternatively, you can fix an existing concrete pathway (and infuse some character) by tiling over it, or creating a new one with rocks or stepping stones.

"It can be straight or zigzag through the front garden from a sidewalk or a driveway that lands at your front door," Sedlacek says. "The pathway can be a single level, or you can tier the front entry with long landings and low steps."

Reconsider Large Barriers

In small yards, it's arguably better to minimize barriers—especially tall ones—since they can make a space feel tiny and chopped up. "We want to do the opposite, designing spaces to feel as large, open, and free flowing as we can," Lenhart says. "You can subdivide a small yard into different zones—just keep the boundaries of those zones free from impediments, so that you can freely circulate between them."

As an example, rather than line an entire path with plants, use pockets of planting gaps between. This allows for movement off the side of the path while creating a sense of connection between the path and adjacent spaces. 

Choose Multi-Functional Plants

Choosing plants that meet multiple needs within the landscape is a great way to have a big impact in a small space—from aesthetics to ecology to culinary. "A good minimum is to choose a plant that fulfills at least three functions," Hall says. "Stacking functions through plant choices creates resilience and a more layered landscape because the plants do more for you and the planet."

Choose a plant that provides ornamentation to your yard while creating privacy and serving as a beacon to local pollinators—or maybe opt for a vegetable garden bed that creates symmetry in your yard while providing nourishment and dimension.

Consider Microclimates Within Your Yard

Each outdoor space, no matter the size, contains microclimates—or varied, nuanced conditions that each require different types of attention. For example, your small front yard will have shady areas, sun patches, compacted soil, moist spots, and so on. "Consider these microclimates when designing and planting in order to use the limited space in a small yard. This also gives you more variety of plants," Hall says.

Make It a Social Space

While front yards invite us to experiment with creative plant-based designs, they’re fair game for gathering spaces, too. "Among outdoor spaces, social front yards have the advantage of being visible to neighbors," Lenhart says. "Being visible to the street sounds uncomfortable to some people, but you can control your level of front yard privacy with planting and fencing."

She says she likes to use low canopy trees and tall grasses, which still allow some visibility while partially obscuring the view into a yard. Add seating, lighting, and perhaps a fire pit for ambience.

Build Veggie Beds

Vegetable gardens are charming to look at, calming to work on, and generally good for the environment. Front yard vegetable gardens are also surprisingly social, driving the same community-building phenomenon that you might find with front yard gathering spaces. "We've heard from many clients that people frequently say hello or stop by to chat when they're out front working on their garden," Lenhart says.

Placement matters in a tiny plot, though: "In small front yards, do what you can to keep vegetable planters to the edges, where their impact on circulation and perceived space will be limited," says Lenhart. "This is especially important for tall planters, whose height and mass tend to make spaces feel smaller than they really are."

Also try to make sure they get at least six hours of sunlight per day, and consider a higher bed if bending over or working on your knees is difficult.