Your front yard is the face of your home and the right landscaping can make or break your visitors’ initial experience. If your front yard leaves something to be desired, now is the perfect time to plan for an early spring transformation. Looking for a new outdoor style? Here are five ways a landscaper can transform your front yard in Amherst and Milford, NH.
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Update the Lighting
A safe and welcoming landscape doesn’t have to be garishly illuminated. Upgrading your landscape lighting can mean adding pathway lights along the driveway and walkway to clearly guide visitors to your front door; adding lighting that recesses into a walkway, randomly placed light fixtures among shrubs or in rock gardens to add dimension and depth, or a few specialty fixtures such as faux rocks with integrated lights. If you’re tempted to use solar lights, use them to give dimension to the front yard, and not along your walkway because they won’t work in periods of persistent clouds when there’s no sun to recharge the solar batteries, or if the solar arrays are covered in snow for extended periods. A safer option for front walkways is hard-wired lighting.
Add Dimension with Rock Features
A front yard that lacks dimension is often boring. For example, an expanse of lawn with a few foundation plantings up against the house is not interesting to look at. Adding rocks to your landscaping can help break up the space. Just avoid plopping a few large boulders randomly in your front yard, because they will look out of place. A landscaper will help you design rock features - including boulders - so that they look like they’ve always been there, and serve functions such as defining spaces or even control runoff.
Add Groundcovers Or Shade-Loving Flowers Where Grass Won’t Grow
Not all parts of the front yard are suitable for grass. To beautify a barren area where grass just won’t grow (often under trees), use shade-loving groundcovers or flowers. You can even use rocks or a focal feature such as a bird bath or small fountain to give this area some dimension and interest. If your front yard already features trees, adding a flower bed around them will add character and add color and interest to areas where nothing will grow otherwise. A beautiful border will finish the look and provide a nice transition to the lawn.
Upgrade to a Paver Walkway and Driveway
Completely transform the look of your walkway and driveway by upgrading to pavers. Pavers give you an incredible array of style options to suit your home’s aesthetic. Install a heating system beneath your pavers to keep your driveway and walkway safe and dry all winter long by virtually eliminating the need to shovel. On your driveway, opt for permeable pavers which feature slightly wider joints between individual pavers, allowing water to seep into a special substrate that will disperse the water into the ground and eliminating standing water on your driveway, or sheets of water cascading onto the landscaping or into the storm drain system.
Plant a Tree and Colorful Shrubs
Add bright color in spring and fall with a native hardwood tree and shrubs, or opt for ornamental or fruit trees for a smaller-scale pop of color. Choose native trees and shrubs for best results, since they’re perfectly adapted to the climate and will require far less care than their exotic imported cousins.
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