An Entryway Landscape, the Gateway to Your Home
One of the most important parts of your home, the entryway, does not begin at the front door; it begins at the curb. Even as someone drives or walks past your house, they begin to form an impression based on what they see of the approach to your front door. As you evaluate design options for your entryway, think about your design goals and how they can be accomplished with the appropriate landscaping materials.
Entryway Design Goals
You will want your entryway to be welcome and inviting. There should be something that indicates a sense of arrival before you get to the actual front door. A literal or symbolic gateway can serve this purpose. An entry space should also feel comfortable; even a simple arrangement of shrubs or an overhanging tree canopy will help to create a sense of enclosed space. Finally, there should be an element of interest or mystery, that there is more to discover, as you approach the front of the home.
The Existing Landscape
In the “before” photo shown, this landscaped entry has almost none of those elements. There was once a tree, but it is long gone. There are three separate landscape planting areas with nothing to unite them and nothing to create a sense of space or enclosure when walking toward the front door. The visitor will feel exposed and unwelcome until they go through the front porch door.
The New, Completed Landscape
The “after” photo shows some simple, but effective, landscape improvements. There is now one larger, unified planting bed. It sweeps out further from the house, drawing the visitor in toward the walkway. The far corner of the bed begins to wrap around the corner of the house, creating interest. The tree on the corner will serve to balance the landscape with the scale of the house and soften its appearance, while the tree next to the walk will add colour and will help to create a feeling of enclosure, defining the actual entry space. A feature rock also helps to define the beginning of the entryway, while the remaining rocks loosely follow the shape of the bed, creating repetition and connection. Plant choices allow for a repetition of colour with different textures that create a focus on the entryway.
Though some of these differences may seem subtle, the results of this landscape project are a welcoming and inviting entry space for the front of this house. This entryway will look even better in a few years as the plant materials grow and begin to mature.
This project was not expensive. There were no real hardscape materials involved- mostly plants, boulders and mulch. Yet the vastly improved appearance will add significant value to the house. It shows that you do not always need a lot of money to make effective landscape renovations. The best design results come from a good designer with creative ideas, imagination and technical knowledge.
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