When it comes to landscaping in Toronto, the majority of us will consider the backyard. This is where we host BBQs in the nicer weather or birthday parties and other social gatherings.
However, landscaping the front of the house is just as important. This can also increase your curb appeal and may even add more value to your home. While you may have to comply with HOA (Homeowner Association) rules—depending on where you live—there are still some incredible ways you can landscape and stand out from the crowd.
Check in With Your HOA
Before starting any form of exterior renovation, it’s a good idea to know what you can and cannot do. This will apply to people who live in an HOA-regulated community, but if you are thinking of really going outside the box with major construction, then checking in with local by-laws is a great idea, too.
Many HOAs will limit what you can plant, paint, or place outside your home year-round. Therefore, before you spend any money on fancy planters, gnomes, and lawn flamingos, find out what is allowed and then tailor your landscaping to the requirements and rules.
Consider the View From Outdoors
Before you start, think about what look you want to come home and see every time you pull up into the driveway. Are you looking for a luscious green paradise with a lawn that goes on for miles, or do you just want a splash of colour?
Do this from the outside. Stand on the street and look at your home. The view and ideas you will have from this perspective will be completely different from that of the living room window.
Look at the homes around you. What is the general feel of the neighbourhood? After some thought, then decide if you want to blend in or stand out. This will have the greatest impact on your outdoor landscaping.
Remember that the front of the house is the first thing visitors will see. With this in mind, do you want it to be inviting or just functional?
1. Lighting options
On average, Toronto gets about 9.24 hours of sunlight a day. Of course, this period will shorten in the winter time, but from spring to fall, there is almost 10 hours of sunlight on a daily basis.
This factor can aid in your landscaping, as you can think about what lighting would not only brighten your walk to the street or the car on the driveway but can also illuminate your front yard.
With so many options available (from solar lights to flood lights), you can brighten a pathway or individual planters, shrubs, or trees. These lights can also change for the different holidays, so that they become a feature as well as a safety requirement.
2. Flowers
Flowers come in literally all the colours of the rainbow. They also bloom at different times of the year, and some will last longer than others in certain climates. This means that you can choose to blend in and coordinate with other properties on your street, or stand out and make a statement.
Pops of colour, full-colour coverage, or simple flowers can create almost any ambiance that you can think of. When combined with the right colour choice planter, you can produce a fantasy land experience.
3. Natural stones
Many landscaping designs will incorporate the use of natural looking stones. These are ideal for creating paths, retaining walls, and even an outdoor kitchen area in the backyard. However, what about the front?
Natural stones will not only give an eco-friendly feel to the front of the property, but they can also bring that durability from the back of the house to the front so it can be enjoyed by passersby as well as visitors.
Being natural, they have an unmatched durability. This means it will be years before the path to the front porch and door will need to be repaired.
Natural stones can also be customized so that they can be placed and used in any design aspect you can think of. You can create modern or rustic feels, and they complement many other features, such as plants and lighting.
4. The picket fence
In the 1950s and 1960s, the dream house promoted in many home design magazines had a perfectly manicured lawn, a few flower beds, and an all-important white picket fence.
You can still have the white picket fence and a taller fence made from wood, metal, or vinyl. The fence could be for security, privacy, or just to stop the neighbour’s dog from using your lawn.
There are many ways fences can be incorporated for landscaping in Toronto, and they don’t have to remain a fantasy. The dream can become a reality.
Maintenance
After creating the perfect front yard experience for your family and guests, you should remember to maintain it. Different yards will have different maintenance requirements, so you need to consider how much time you can invest without hiring a professional.
Yards with more stone than foliage will be lower on the maintenance scale, while yards with an array of flowers, shrubs, and grass will require more work.
You can make it easier for yourself by investing in automatic watering systems or working with professional landscaping experts who know and understand how to care for your landscaped work of art.
Contact the Landscaping Experts
Greenfield Lawn Care & Landscaping was founded in 1997 by the landscaping master Mansoor Reihani, who not only owns the company, but operates it as well.
Mansoor Reihani has a Masters Degree (M.Sc.) in agriculture from Arizona State University. Thus, the core values of a family-run business are honest work, reliability, and expert craftsmanship, meaning that all of your landscaping dreams will become a reality.
You can call us at 833-709-1732, or contact us online today and see how we can transform your existing yard to match your vision.