High quality and well-maintained landscaping not only improves the look and feel of your home but also enhances the value of your investment and the community.

Front yard landscapes are a major contributor to the first impression of your home and the wider community. Here are some ideas and tips to help you create a beautiful front yard and garden.

1. Decide on a style

It’s important to consider what type of garden you’re attracted to and what styles will complement the look and feel of your home. Here are some examples:

• Contemporary garden: this type of garden is modern and minimal and can incorporate geometric elements through pavers, defined garden beds and structured borders.
• Native garden: this garden style utilises a variety of Australian natives to deliver texture and colour all year round. Natural shapes, colours and materials are used for pavers and any other accents. It requires minimal maintenance.
• Cottage garden: this type of garden incorporates structure with defined hedges as well as a variety of climbers and flowering bushes and shrubs. It requires the most amount of attention and maintenance.

2. Incorporate local flora

Planting Australian natives is the best way to ensure your garden thrives all year round. You can find native plants in a range of shapes, sizes and colours to suit your landscaping preferences. Some of our favourite native plants include:

• Australian daisy (Brachyscome)
• Bird’s nest fern (Asplenium australasicum)
• Bottlebrush (Callistemon)
• Grevillea
• Lomandra (Lomandra longifolia)
• White correa (Correa alba)
• Tasman flax-lily (Dianella tasmanica)
• Rosemary grevillea (Grevillea rosmrinifolia)

3. Consider low-maintenance options

Not everyone is a green thumb or has the time to tend to their front gardens. If you’d like a front yard and garden that takes care of itself then opting for low-maintenance plants is the best approach.

4. Utilise a variety of plant shapes, styles and heights

Your front landscape at Aspect should feature a range of trees, shrubs, ground covers or grass. This encourages rainwater to infiltrate into the garden rather than draining out to the stormwater system. Layering your planting with a variety of heights and forms creates beautiful texture and a full, lush effect.

5. Visit your local nursery

If you’re looking for a DIY approach to your front garden your local nursery is the best place to not only get inspiration but also ask for advice from the garden professionals. They can help you choose the right plants for your desired landscaping style as well as provide information about the right soil, mulch and fertiliser to use, and so much more. Here are some local places you can visit to start planning and planting your front garden:

• Plantmark - 30 Mahoneys Road, Thomastown
• Hello Hello Plants – 1477 Sydney Road, Campbellfield
• The Palm Place Nursery and Tree Farm – 685 Mickleham Road, Greenvale
• Bunnings Craigieburn & Bunnings Epping

6. Consider the ground

When thinking about landscaping, it makes sense to avoid too many hard surfaces. Not only will you lose all that valuable rainwater, but it may also cause a problem as it runs off elsewhere. Using granitic sand or run-off resistant gravel are better options than concrete, both look attractive and you can plant into them.

To retain water in your garden soil, mulch generously. As well as holding moisture, mulch keeps weeds down and in time breaks down to improve your soil.

7. Gather inspiration

The best way to create a front yard and garden that you love is to gather inspiration from all around. Here are some ideas:

• Read garden books and magazines
• Visit gardens like the Royal Botanic Gardens
• Walk around your community and take note of the gardens you like and the plants they’ve used

We hope these tips are helpful and we look forward to seeing your beautiful front garden at Aspect!