Small Paved Front Entry Garden

Creative And Unique Paving And Planting Ideas For Front Entryway Landscape Designs

This is one of our first and still and still one of my favorite designs. While there really isn't a whole lot to it, the flow and shape of the paved walkway is what really gives this small front entry garden most of its appeal. However, there are a few other elements worth mentioning that add to the overall style of the design. Set in a perfectly square area in the midst of square homes with square roof lines, we wanted to add a little bit of curve that was different from all the other entry ways on the street.

Starting with a need for access and entry from the front sidewalk and covered parking area to the front door, the paver walkways took their first shape. Determined to not follow the square area that we had to work with, we looked for opportunities and ways that we could possibly add curves and flow to the garden. The need for some planting areas was the perfect means to do it.

While this may seem to be overly simple, it's because it really is. Again, determined to not design square, we created the circular planting areas in the center front and to the right. Then the planting area to the left was simply a matter of following the front entry gate to the edge of the street-side wall. This in itself created the shape of the paver sidewalk which actually completed the entire shape of the garden design.

Choosing the right plants was a matter of using low growing evergreen varieties that would not become overgrown and hide the garden as well as the front of the home. The one small tree which is a Mexican Elder, is a very cool accent tree that will stay fairly small and is evergreen as well. Its placement is to intentionally create height against the wall and create separation between the front garden and the main courtyard patio entry.

Once these elements are in place, a little decor was in order. While i'm not a big fan of placing water features in the front yard, I tend to see a bird bath like this a bit differently. It is more decoration than for enjoyment the the sound and motion that other water features bring to backyard gardens and landscapes. It also added another element of height and separation from the covered parking area.

So with the front entry garden completely designed, there were only a few details that had to be addressed before we could actually lay the pavers in place. PVC pipe sleeves for the water system and landscape lighting were placed in areas where the walkways would go over them. Other than that, it was a simple matter of adding it all together to create a very nice and inviting small entry to the front door of the home.