Advice how to make gravelled front garden more attractive?
Hello I'm hoping to get some advice on how to make our front look more pretty.
i always seem to get the flowers and pots wrong.
Iv iv had to move the lavenders from the front as they fall over to frequent with the wind.the sun only comes round in the morning and unfortunately we can't replace the gravel etc at the moment
many thanks
Comments (14)
Kerry B
6 years agoRelated Discussions
How can I make my entrance more inviting?
Comments (15)As you are only looking for ideas perhaps a starting point would be a modern, square style of entrance that you could get ideas from. I couldn't find what I wanted exactly for a photo, but I think if you took points from this photo and adjust to your budget it might suit?? Eg. I think if you can get a nice wide door with a bit of glass on either side, it would really present well. Raising the height of the concrete at the front door with decking tiles or stone tiles depending on your style could really enhance. Concrete pavers you could even make yourself! They can be smaller or larger and if scaled right to the proportions of the house can make it a little more formal. As you have the driveway on the side, I would put a screen on the left and emphasise the left column making a feature of it as in the picture. The column on the right does not align with the entrance, I would not emphasise that column? But perhaps hard to gauge from one photo. If you went for wood this might be an idea....See MoreFront Garden Advice
Comments (10)I can usually read plans but I find that one very visually busy yet without telling me all I'd want to know to make suggestions. For starters climate, soil type and orientation would be useful to know. Are you in an estate where your landscaping must be done within a certain time? Regarding lawn, I'd guess it's still the case that starting from seed is cheaper than having turf laid? Drawback is the amount of watering while it establishes. Unless you have an irrigation system on a timer I suppose. I don't know how it compares to establishing turf, having never gone that route ourselves. Don't assume turf avoids the work of establishing lawn entirely, I've seen too many front gardens full of dried out yellow strips of expensive turf. On the matter of work, do you in fact want lawn out the front? Unlike in a backyard it usually serves no purpose other than aesthetic and requires ongoing maintenance. Lawn-free gardens can be beautifully done....See MoreFloor plan layout advice to make this house feel more open
Comments (33)I'd say it's an easy min. $250K minimum flagfall on a relatively basic/not fancy spec/fit-out in a super good package deal. You're essentially renovating an entire house including moving plumbing, walls replastering, new floors throughout etc....not to mention lights, rewiring etc etc, it goes on and on.......This scope would still cost a builder themselves $150K, not factoring in their own time/labour, paying cash for sub-trades and getting super deals on all materials....and then you could only really potentially roll this type of operation out if you actually have the money in the bank. If you need to borrow then you'd need a building contract which then brings in market rates, profit margins and GST. Take profit and GST out from $150K and there's barely enough left to cover materials alone, when the labour/materials ratio (of a construction cost) these days, particular for renovations is labour being the most significant cost involved.............you can fine tune and perfect a floor plan like you have (which I reckon is pretty good as a plan), but when push comes to shove it always comes back to budget and costs, which is why we always are encouraging people to utilise design professionals who manage the challenge of designing within budget limits. If you separate budget/costs from the design process (rather than integrate it) more often than not it will leads to disappointment and misalignment of your expectations of what is realistic....See MoreCan someone please help me, I need to modernise this front garden!
Comments (13)Hi , Love oklouise ‘s suggestions, a row of ornamental pears along fence would add a modern look, viburnum ‘emerald lustre ‘ underplanted as a hedge, it has a fabulous foliage , ornamental grasses combined with structural plants would look great, a water feature with a feature tree in smaller garden area would just finish the garden beautifully and really highlight your driveway....See MoreKerry B
6 years agoA B
6 years agoI would consider softening the shape of the gravel, and planting around it with lots of wind tolerant plants like grasses. This would allow you to add a bit of height without it being blown over!
PROThe Angry Hedgehog Garden Design Company
6 years agoHey Kerry, Great ideas from everybody else above. Personally, I am a fan of planting a lot of the same thing to get that impact. So I would choose tall grasses. I would also considering purchasing some buxus balls which will look wonderful. I did a similar project earlier this summer using such gravel and buxus only, which is available on my profile.
Kind regards,
John.
Chief Hedgehog,
The Angry Hedgehog Garden Design Company.
Jonathan
6 years agoYou could also choose artificial grass for instant green. The existing concrete edging and weed barrier won’t be a problem as they would be for planting. For visual interest you could add pots or low maintenance decorative stonework. I saw an interesting hack for creating stone balls without garden centre prices where an inexpensive glass light fitting globe was used as a mold for concrete and smashed when it set.
PROCelery. Visualization, Rendering images
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI would paint front door , get some planters with fern. and get privacy garbage cans fence.
Juliet Docherty
6 years ago- PRO
- PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
6 years agohere is some idea with gravel and mulch , just make it along the street (horizontal)
- PRO
rachelmidlands