Furnishings & Accessories

Accessories and Furnishings include benches, pots, mailboxes and garden ornaments. These elements provide a creative opportunity to showcase your personality and style. How can you personalize your mailbox or house numbers? Also consider how to attract wildlife, by including water (birdbath or fountain) and shelter. Here are a few examples. Check back for updates and inspiration!

Paving

Paving defines the floor of your outdoor space and can unify your design while also providing access. Use permeable materials wherever possible to allow rainwater to soak back into the ground. Also consider recycled or at least locally sourced materials to minimize the environmental impact.  Recycled paving materials include: crushed oyster shells, tumbled glass cullet or pottery and recycled concrete “flagstones”.  Refer to Chapter 7, Accessories: Furnish the Room in The New American Front Yard for more information, photos and a chart comparing the “greenness” of various paving types

Walls & Steps

Walls can enclose a courtyard, define an entry or contain a slope. A variety of materials can be used to create your walls, depending on your budget and style.  Rock walls can be mortared for a solid, architectural statement or loose-laid, with pockets for planting. Stucco walls can be designed as an extension of the home, matching the house color and defining an outdoor room.

Fences & Gates

Fences can enclose, define and provide structure to your front yard. Choose materials and details that complement the style and  character of your home. For example, white picket fences or ornate metal, often supported by a low concrete curb, work well with Victorian homes.

Arbors & Trellises

Arbors define a threshold, portal, or entrance into the front yard, front door, or transition to the back or side yard. Like fences, the materials and design should compliment and grow from the details of the house.  The details and planting can reinforce a theme, such as the classic romantic style of a white, rose covered arbor and picket fence, bordered with flowering shrubs and perennials.

Sample Garden Designs - Front Yards

Included in this gallery are a variety of photos & sample garden designs for your front yard. This gallery provides ideas for a variety of architectural & personal styles, plant choices, etc. This section will be updated frequently with new images, ideas and examples to wet your appetite & inspire your own designs. We will soon be accepting images of your personal front yard gardens for the gallery. Subscribe to the newsletter for updates & more information.