Front Yard Plant Ideas

I love flowers. This year I have been cultivating a lot of flowers from seeds, which I planted in January and February. The goal is to have a beautiful garden with lots of plants, flowers, and trees that are low maintenance and beautiful. I also love having trees and shrubs because they nearly need no attention at all. In our garden, we have a few apple trees, a plum tree, and a cherry tree, which we have given little attention to through the years.

Plant Ideas for a Beautiful Front Yard Landscape

• Small trees
• Flower beds
• Rock garden
• Vegetable garden
• Fruit trees
• Deciduous trees
• Easy-care plants
• Herb garden

Remember, there are no wrong or right plants. Make a list of the plants you love and enjoy, and consider what colors you like to have in your garden. If you have children, you might want to check if the plants are poisonous. This year, for example, I only planted edible flowers, which I know are safe for my children to eat—if they want to do that.

In Front of Our Front Door

Since we have a huge balcony right in front of the house, we don’t have any plants planted directly in front of the door. But next to our house, we have a big garden where we try to plant both flowers and other nice things. In the middle of our garden, we have a vegetable garden with raised beds, where the plants get a variety of full sun and shade in between.

Caring for Fruit Trees in Your Front Yard

Trees usually need some love during spring, when you prune the tree, rinse it, and perform edging. Also, something I have aimed for is to plant at least 1–2 fruit trees every year. This has been my goal since we moved into our house almost 11 years ago. Planting those trees has definitely been worth it, because we’ve harvested a lot with limited work on our part.

The most work that needs to be done is actually when you buy the tree. That’s when you need to plant it, and that requires some effort. Here are some of the best ways to plant a fruit tree:

• Water the plant thoroughly before planting
• Dig a large hole in the ground, preferably one meter in diameter and 60–80 cm deep
• Mix newly purchased soil with the existing soil and fill the hole halfway
• Plant the fruit tree so that it is placed at the same height as the soil level from the lawn
• Fill in soil around the fruit tree, but make sure that the lawn ends up a little higher than the soil
• Water thoroughly
• Top with wood chips

Before planting your tree, make sure you have the right spot. Fruit trees need full sun and ground that isn’t too wet. Our plot is very wet in some areas since we have natural springs coming up here and there. Because of this, some trees have died. We were also forced to move at least two trees this year because they weren’t in a good spot. Amazingly, that went very well, and the trees are now thriving in their new location.

Where Is the Perfect Place for a Fruit Tree? Here Are Some Tips:

• Find a place where there is full sun
• Look around—are there big trees nearby that might interfere with nutrient uptake from the soil? Don’t plant your fruit tree beside a large tree
• Do a soil test before you decide. Is the soil wet? Does it contain clay? Try to find a place where the soil is light and dark
• The tree needs a lot of space—about 4 meters from another fruit tree

Keep in mind, though, that if you regret where you’ve planted your tree, you can always move it later. But it’s best to avoid this, since the tree needs a lot of time to grow and settle its roots into the ground.

Tips for Beautiful Garden Design – Big or Small Yards

There are a few tips I want to share with you that you can incorporate easily to make your front yard design stand out and be particularly eye-catching:

• Make sure your garden beds have straight lines. This makes it feel clean and tidy.
• Provide a seating area. This makes the environment feel welcoming and warm.
• You could have a small area with a mix of plants that match in color. Contrasts are always visually interesting.
• Find what your focal point is. Is it the small space with flowers, shade trees, or the cottage garden in front of the house?
• Having different heights also makes your design interesting and fun.
• Creating a fire pit is a great option for more enjoyable settings.
• Building a retaining wall is a great way to make your garden exciting.

How to Keep Flower Bed Edges Clean

A tip I got from an acquaintance, when it comes to edging flower beds, is to dig properly and clear the soil before planting a new plant. Then fill it with new soil and do not let the new soil exceed the edging. When you mow the grass, mow lightly over the edge. After doing this several times, you will kill the quickroot so that it stops growing into your flower bed. I’ve used this tip everywhere—in my edging for both fruit trees and flower beds, and it works great!

How to Create a Beautiful Front Yard Landscape

Here is a list below that will hopefully give you simple front yard landscaping ideas:

• Layered Flower Beds – Mix shrubs, perennials, and ground cover for year-round color.
• Pathway with Edging Plants – Add a stone or gravel path lined with lavender, boxwood, or ornamental grasses.
• Statement Tree or Shrub – Plant a small ornamental tree like a Japanese maple or hydrangea tree for height and focus.
• Low-Maintenance Ground Cover – Use creeping thyme, sedum, or mulch instead of high-maintenance grass.
• Seasonal Planters – Add large pots by the entrance with rotating seasonal flowers or evergreens.

My favorite front yard plants at the moment are different kinds of roses, especially the pink Bonica. I planted them in our garden last summer—six roses in well-drained soil, in a great spot just before the rocks, where they get full sun. I had one concern—would they survive the winter? We usually have winters with temperatures as low as -20°C.

Now, almost a year later in June, all of them—except one—have grown back. I still have hopes that the last one will grow too. I’ll wait and see. That’s why checking the hardiness zone is so important before you buy a plant or tree.

Other Great Ideas for Creating a Perennial Garden

Evergreen shrubs like rhododendron are a great option. These shrubs need little care and are perfect front yard garden ideas for busy people. They thrive in areas with light shade, but I’ve also placed a rhododendron in full sun, and it seems to grow fine even there. These plants are so easy, and they’ll even do well with less water. If you want evergreen shrubs, rhododendron is a good choice!

Planning Your Favorite Plant Ideas for Year-Round Interest

Having lots of plants that are low maintenance will give you plenty of time to do other things that you love. We have, for example, a very big garden, and if I’m not careful, I can be busy working all day long and exhaust myself. Therefore, my goal is to have more plants that are both perennial, beautiful, and require minimal care.

I love walking around in my garden and dreaming—taking a moment to imagine what I could place in different areas of my garden, what types of plants I want to grow, what colors I want, and what kind of harvest I am interested in. I actually do this regularly and plan ahead in my mind.

A good idea is to first know your family and your own needs before you plan and execute your plan. What do your family need and want? What would you love to include in your garden? Would it be edible plants—like fruit trees, berries or various green shrubs? Or do you want flowers and/or flowering shrubs?

My children have especially enjoyed picking apples from our trees. They can eat many apples during a day! But also picking other vegetables, like sugar peas, tomatoes, and more. I think having a variety of plants makes the garden exciting and fun for the whole family!

And even though the small front yard landscaping ideas are important, do not forget your backyard, where your kids run around and play too. There you could also plant some easy-care annuals or large trees.

The bottom line—create the outdoor space you and your family can enjoy being in! Do not make it too complicated, and do not do it all at once. It is okay if it takes years to create the beautiful space that you dream of. You will need much time to work in your garden and create the type of garden you love!

Plans Change Over Time as You Grow

Earlier on, I was only focused on planting vegetables, fruits, and berries—plants that produce some kind of food. But last year, I also started planting a flower garden and large shrubs. I didn’t realize until then how rewarding it is to have beautiful flowers in the garden as well. The smell is amazing, they look so beautiful, and they sparkle in the sun after it has rained. So even though you may have many edible plants, these inedible ones have a wonderful way of filling the soul and nurturing the spiritual side with joy.

Our vegetable garden has been in different places from year to year. Last year, however, I decided to place it more in the center of our garden. That way, it would be easier for me to water, since it wasn’t spread out across the garden.

Speaking of watering—this year, our plan is to create a better water feature that will make the work easier for us and give us the freedom to take short trips and travel, without needing to handle the daily watering. That would be a huge improvement if we can manage it—hopefully this summer or next!

BONUS – Bible Verses About Flowers and Gardening

All of the Bible verses below are from the NKJV

Isaiah 40:8 

The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.

Luke 12:27

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

I Corinthians 3:7

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 

Genesis 1:11-12

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Psalms 103:15-16

As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.

Psalms 104:24

O Lord , how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions—

Psalms 23:1-3

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Song of Solomon 6:2-3

My beloved has gone to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed his flock in the gardens, And to gather lilies. I am my beloved’s, And my beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies.

Isaiah 58:11

The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Mark 4:26-29

And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.