Does your entryway look rather tired?
One becomes so accustomed to the front path or door, one tends not to really see it after a while. Cross the road and take a good, long, honest look. Does it need refreshing, some new color – or, perhaps, a totally new look?

Consider the overall look.
In an English town, one or two neighbors had decided to brighten the front of their houses and the rest of the street had followed. The doors opened directly onto the pavement/sidewalk, and the ‘flat’ look therefore needed to be given some depth. There was room, without crowding the pavement, to put out some tubs holding dwarf trees and shrubs as well as flowers. Window boxes and hanging baskets were added, showing an abundance of color and trailing plants and the overall effect was one of exuberance and joy. 

Don’t forget plants like coleus and lamium for these containers; they make a wonderful addition. Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree) is a favorite of mine; acers, too. Train a mahonia into a standard but check the species carefully for your area.

Get creative!
If you have this kind of property, search through the many varieties of trellis work which may be attached to the wall and either grow a light vine through it (not one which will become thicker and start damaging the mortar or pointing), or hang small pots of plants or painted bird-boxes from it. Look for the arched type which will enhance the door, especially if you have a Norman-shaped door or fanlight. You may want to paint the door a bright yellow, red, or something eye-catching, or perhaps replace with a new style. There are some wonderfully attractive trimmings for doors these days; give yours a make-over if you’re bored with the present look.

Seasonal wreaths on doors look lovely and don’t take too much time or effort to create.  Berries, twigs, lengths of vine wrapped in layers, nut shells or casings, large overlapping leaves, mosses, grasses, as well as dried flowers all look enchanting and can reflect the time of year or national holiday.

Make a statement!
Perhaps you have a small, even tiny, front garden. I would recommend a bold theme, rather than a series of small plants. I once saw an amazing and really lovely design for an area about 15 ft. long horizontally, by 3 ft. in depth. The designer had created a small, winding stream edged by medium-sized rocks, and had planted a dwarf tree towards one end, filling the rest of the space with banked sides of billowing grasses, cushions of flowers punctuated by spiky shrubs and spreading plants like lysimachia. 

If you don’t want a water feature, try putting in a winding, undulating path of rock-style stepping stones and keep the color simple for a small space. A blend of lavender, silver and white, or blue, yellow and white; perhaps pink, crimson and pale blue… whatever suits your palette. Or you could design a theme with clumps of agapanthus carpeted about with various thymes, oreganos, lysimachia or soleirolia soleirolii (Baby’s tears). I’ve also seen some very attractive beach-scene themes which suit smaller properties beautifully.

Make it enticing!
For a larger frontage, would a series of archways or a long arbor/pergola entice a second look? Roses, clematis, and many other climbers reaching up and through look so beautiful and, mixed together, can cover every season. If you have a porch, steps or veranda, these can become eye-catching by the use of tubs and vines, wicker furniture, cushions, and vases of flowers on side tables. Large pots are better than a series of small ones for a number of reasons. They will house small trees or shrubs which will give a more fulsome look; they’re marvellous for a mixture of tall flowers and trailing greenery, and they hold moisture for longer thereby cutting down on maintenance. If you have the right kind of space, put up some artwork on the walls or posts, even windows:  panels of stained glass can be enjoyed from both inside and outside the house. Would a new gate or fence make a difference? One of the prettiest sights for the cottage style of property is that of cosmos growing behind, and peering through, a white picket fence with a rose arch over the gate.

Do something different!
The modern look requires something different: structural and uncluttered is the answer.  A friend of mine had a straight path to the door, with a deep, long water container running alongside containing reeds (equisetum hyemale). The porch held tall, rectangular and small square silver-colored containers with tidy green plants like buxus (box), cacti and hostas. The look was one of serene simplicity.

Those who have a deep frontage have many more choices, of course: the grand sweep of a curved driveway or path, with islands or peninsulars of trees and shrubs; tall, imposing gates, or an avenue of small/medium trees to draw the eye.

If your front yard is walled, consider turning it into a cozy Spanish-type patio with a wall fountain and lots of free-standing and hanging pots filled with lush foliage and a multitude of floral, berried, feathery and spiky plants. If it’s paved, buy some really large bowl-shaped containers to stand in front of tall, jar-type ones and plant things which will fill and overflow, and place them where they will complement the frontage of your property. 

So many alternatives, and they needn’t cost a lot.

Gardening Tips:

Perennials can suffer where they’re getting twenty-four hours of light; this includes night lights, of course. This is too much stimulation for them. Replace them with annuals.

Some vulnerable leaves (camellia, for instance) may burn in the reflected light from a white-painted house. Check carefully to see if you have this problem. The plant may need to be moved.