Hi all
First time home buyer! We have bought the ugliest house in our street but it’s all we can afford and we are growing to love her.
We don’t have the cash to do huge renovations so am looking at doing some landscaping in the front yard to increase curb appeal.
The front door is behind the lattice screen.
What would you do? What type of plants would you recommend? We are in Queensland, Australia.
We are absolutely clueless and would appreciate any wisdom you have!
by DesignerSorry3914
2 Comments
Go to YouTube and look at landscaping videos. Don’t make any moves till you learn some stuff.
After spending months trying to figure out how we wanted our blank slate back yard to look, we figured out the best way to start is to get on Pinterest or Google Image search and figure out a few key elements that we really liked, then figured out what landscape style they belonged to. Then we searched for landscape inspiration images in that style.
When we started, we had a couple landscapers draw up some plans that all were in the “Traditional” style and did not inspire us. The one element we knew we had to have was a low retaining wall against the back fence with espaliered fruit trees in it. Once we figured out that this element was firmly within the “Modern” or “Formal” styles, we searched for examples in these styles and found larger components (decks, pavers, types of gravel, grass, ground cover, etc.) that we liked. From there, we observed the sun/shadow patterns through a full year and decided how we wanted the different “rooms” of the yard to be connected. The design came together quickly after that.
Once you sort out the style, you can blend some elements from other styles to make it your own. For example, we pulled in some elements of the “Mediterranean” style to our largely “Modern” design. This was possible by using pavers, and concrete block that were grey and terra cotta colored.