As springtime arrives on the Main Line, many suburban Philadelphia homeowners are looking for ideas to improve their front yard landscaping. Homeowners throughout the Main Line in communities such as Haverford, Malvern, Media, Narberth, Paoli, Rosemont, and St. Davids, are determined to make 2012 the year they finally tackle and solve front yard landscaping problems that have been plaguing them for years. Here are a few ideas to solve common problems:

Identify Your Home and Garden Architectural Style. If you are feeling confused about what style your home is, and therefore uncertain about what style your garden should be, ask yourself a few questions. Is your home a ranch, or a multi-level home that tends to sprawl in the landscape? A more casual or cottage style garden, characterized by curving walkways, ornamental grasses, and perennials would suit your home.

Formal Garden Styles.
In contrast, if the style of your home is a distinct and cohesive two-story design such as Georgian, Tudor, or Colonial Revival; a more formal design would be most suitable for your home. Front yard landscaping for the traditional formal garden employs classic landscape design elements in a balanced arrangement that creates a strong axis for the front entrance to the home. The following qualities are characteristic of the formal garden design:

Main Garden Areas are Symmetrical in Form and Massing
Geometrical Forms in Right Angles for the Main Pattern
Proportion and Balance in the Garden
Strong Lines or Axis Used to Direct the Perspective
Lines of Parterre
Stone Balustrade or Wrought Iron Edges and Gates

Year Round Interest, Beauty and Color.
Plan for all four seasons of the year by carefully selecting plants that bloom in different seasons and locate them strategically throughout your front yard. Consider how certain trees will fill out more during the warmer months, and utilize evergreens to fill in during cooler months. Be sure to add colorful plants that will be in bloom at different times. One final front yard landscaping idea for your Philadelphia Main Line home is to incorporate hardscaping and attractive fencing and boundaries to establish an attractive and well-kept yard appearance year-round.

Lines of Axis or Focal Areas.
The beautifully landscaped suburban Philadelphia front yard will typically employ one of two design techniques  to organize around – a strong axis toward the front entrance, or a focal point such as a fountain surrounded by a layered and well-proportioned garden. Every garden requires a strong axis or focal point to structure and balance the overall design.

Now that the winter months are behind us, the extra time to think through landscaping options is fading.  It’s time for action in front yard landscapes all over Haverford, Malvern, Media, Narberth, Paoli, Rosemont, and St. Davids Main Line communities. If you are seeking professional landscape design, installation or maintenance assistance to finally achieve that beautifully landscaped front yard, get in touch with Aardweg Landscaping of the Philadelphia Main Line.

Contact owner Steven T. Aardweg, A.P.L.D. Certified Landscape Designer, to learn about Aardweg Landscaping’s process for designing a front yard garden that is suitable for you and your home style. Call 610.355.0703 or contact us through the Aardweg Landscape website.

Images used with permission ©KatVitulano Photos