Driveway Landscape Ideas for the Ultimate Curb Appeal
Landscaping around your driveway will instantly add curb appeal. But what’s an easy way to take the area around your driveway to the next level, beyond a beautifully manicured green lawn and flowering shrubs?
Try to consider the flow of your landscape. “Driveways, paths and flowerbed shapes are almost always curved and defined by graceful, flowing lines,” says Jeremy Martin, CEO of Willow Gates Landscaping.
All of these things add visual interest, making your landscape stand out from others. Below, we’ve compiled 24 driveway landscaping ideas to enhance your outdoor space.
01 Garden Meets Gravel Driveway
Choose plants that will accent the gravel path. Mary Jane Duford, head gardener at Harvest House, appeared in bright greenery next to two rocky gravel driveways.
“We chose simple plants, straight lines and orderly patterns to complement the home’s mid-century modern architecture,” she says.
For best results, choose garden plants that require little care, such as moderate watering to avoid oversaturating the gravel.
02 Geometric Pavers
For this property, Currie Files, founder of K. Files Design, created a winding, geometric pavers path that visually expands the space from the driveway to the front door. The new tree she planted balances out the large window and creates a creative focal point.
03 Low Maintenance Ornamental Grasses
Duford also designed the front yard landscaping to be low maintenance. To this area she added a simple row of ornamental grass that runs the length of the house and only needs to be trimmed once a year.
“Ornamental grasses add movement and modernity to the landscape,” she says. She also added some dwarf maples to add height to complement the grass.
04 Shrubs Paired With Flowers
Try combining flowers and shrubs to create a varied look. Duford added a row of evergreen yews and lavender bushes to the property to form a straight hedge along the property line.
“Blooming lavender softens the greenery and has been surprisingly effective at keeping deer away from predators,” she said.
05 Designs on the Driveway
Decorate your driveway with colorful tiles. Martin created an unusual compass rose that is 30 feet long. It was added to create visual interest and break up the large driveway space. The compass pointing north gives it a decorative and cheerful look.
06 Planter Box
Files knows that the parking lot is in front of this house and its lawn is small. So she added a neat planter box to create a defined space between the lawn and the front patio for cocktails. Adding window boxes is another way to highlight flowers.
07 Rocks and Flowering Bushes
Do you have an unattractive driveway gate? Plant many flowers next to it and create a vibrant aesthetic beauty. The vibrant colors of this flowering bush add color and texture to the front door’s bright white palette.
08 Wooden Gate
Another way to add curb appeal to your landscape is to build other features, such as wood retaining walls or simple wood fences. The raw wood in this home’s fence warms up the cool tones of the home and harmonizes with the green grass.