A survey found it takes seven seconds to make a good first impression.
This means when visitors arrive at your home, one of the first things they’ll notice is your front yard. It’s your chance to greet guests with an inviting outdoor space while showcasing your personality.
Not sure how to do front yard landscaping? Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. Try these landscaping trends in 2020.
1. Embrace Everything Blue
Pantone announced that the color of 2020 is classic blue. Dark blues are calming, making them a great addition to outdoor spaces where natural tones are welcomed.
You could add a navy sculpture as a centerpiece or an elaborate water feature. In fact, fountains have become more popular in 2020 especially for hardscape front yards. Or, to keep with the blue theme, plant blue flowers like delphinium or hydrangeas to brighten up your front yard.
And complete the space by introducing one of the most popular front yard fencing trends: eco-fencing. Out of all the fencing trends, this lets you make a statement while minimizing your carbon footprint.
2. Plant a Pollinator Garden
One of the major landscaping 2020 trends are pollinator gardens. Pollinators travel long distances because pollinator plant populations are declining.
Luckily, homeowners can help by adding milkweed, coneflowers, and bee balm to attract monarch butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Native plants are also fantastic because they’re adapted to our climate, soil, and don’t need extra attention to thrive. Plant Liatris, asters, and goldenrod for a low-maintenance flower bed.
And if you want to stay at the forefront of front yard landscaping trends, add lavender to your garden. The National Garden Bureau has named 2020 the ‘Year of the Lavender‘ because it’s fragrant and pollinator-friendly.
3. Smart Irrigation
Traditional sprinkler systems have many faults like watering a yard during a rainstorm or wasting gallons of water because of a leak.
That’s why, in 2020, one of the best front yard trends is introducing a high-tech irrigation system to prevent wastefulness. Now, homeowners can save money and water by controlling the sprinkler system via an app.
In fact, there are many free landscaping apps if you don’t know how to design an alluring outdoor space. This software offers 2-D and 3-D layouts where you can add a range of plants and trees to your design and see what works best.
Another trend is ditching lawns altogether. Many homeowners don’t want to spend a chunk of their salary on a well-manicured lawn and are choosing artificial ones instead.
4. Discreet Outdoor Lighting
Don’t let your beautiful front yard go to waste once the sun sets. Add LED and solar-powered lights to illuminate your pathway, or enhance planters with your favorite flowers.
If you have the budget, install lighting that’s remote-controlled so you can change lighting times, colors, and brightness to suit your preference.
5. Compost Your Soil
It’s not enough to just douse your soil with fertilizers. Plants thrive when the soil contains good bacteria and nutrients so make sure you’re constantly improving the soil. You can do this by adding kitchen scraps, mulch, and even consider no-till gardening.
As a general rule, add compost to your beds once a year if you live in a cooler climate like the Northeast or the Midwest as there’s one main growing season (late spring to early fall).
If you live in the South or Southwest where the climate offers year-round gardening, add compost twice a year as there are two growing seasons: one cool, one warm.
6. Create Outdoor Living Spaces
Houzz, a platform for home remodeling, found that 56% of homeowners are improving their yards for entertaining purposes.
Although we do most of our dinner parties in our backyard, it doesn’t mean you have to ignore the front. Consider adding a fire pit near your entryway where you and friends can catch up while keeping warm.
Another front yard trend is that homeowners are investing more in outdoor furniture that withstands the elements and provides more years of use.
Plus, many homeowners are designing multiseason front yards so the family can relax regardless of the weather. There’s been a rise in outdoor heaters, pergolas, and awnings which reflects this.
Further, landscapers are choosing trees that have attractive colors and textures throughout the year. For instance, dogwood and serviceberry are popular as they offer a low-maintenance beauty, perfect for your front yard.
7. Plant a Vegetable Garden
Foodies can get behind this trend especially as gardening has many benefits. Apart from free, fresh produce for the family, gardening is a fantastic stress reliever and improves your self-esteem.
Instead of only growing tomatoes and bell peppers, homeowners can sow lesser-known varieties like acocha (like a cucumber), amaranth (a great substitute for kale), or long beans. Not only are these tasty but they add a unique look to your front yard.
Don’t have space? Then try vertical gardening by using wall-mounted planters to grow herbs or using trellises to decorate your walls.
Those Are the Front Yard Landscaping Trends
Now you know the top front yard landscaping trends of 2020.
Get creative by introducing blue flowers, sleek lighting, and sowing a vegetable garden. You don’t need to break the bank, it’s all about creating an inviting front yard to boost curb appeal and greet guests in style. Happy landscaping!
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