Most family homes will have at least one car – often more – to find a space for. Because of this, we often see front gardens getting hard landscaped to maximise space, with a real focus on practical day-to-day use.
But what if I told you you don’t have to choose between a practical garden and one that can lift your spirits, benefit pollinators, and look beautiful too? There are plenty of easy ways to include low-maintenance plants for a driveway to really add an extra something.
1. Make use of vertical space
Vertical growing is your friend in these, often minimal, spaces. If you can’t afford to give up ground space needed for vehicles, utilise areas where plants can climb, such as trellising against walls, fences, bike shelters or anything else you can think of!
Adding something like clematis, fragrant jasmine, or a beautiful climbing rose will not only give visual appeal, but will also help give beneficial pollinators a valuable food source in these spaces that are often lacking. You will also create a bit of a screen, giving your garden some privacy, too.
This gorgeous jasmine from Thompson & Morgan makes a dramatic addition to any space, and perfumes the air with its sweet fragrance. It also turns a deep bronze colour in autumn, giving you an attractive shrub with seasonally changing appeal.
2. Place pots
Could anything be more picturesque than a front door flanked by stunning, seasonal plants which add a pop of colour? Or even pots containing olive or bay trees, which can really add a sense of grandeur. It isn’t just the plants within the pots that look great, either – pots like these from John Lewis add real personality to any space.
One of the key benefits of using containers is that you can move them under cover or cover them easily in any inclement weather. It is also easy to change up your planting and colour palette based on the season; however, do remember that in warm, dry weather pots do dry out more quickly, so you will need to factor in regular watering and also feeding of some crops.
3. Make it low maintenance
As well as the practical element of a spot you can park your car, another appeal of hard landscaped spaces in the midst of busy lives is that they hardly take any upkeep. However, planting doesn’t need to be demanding.
There are plenty of ways you can add colour and interest to your space in a low-maintenance way. For example, if your driveway is gravel, rather than tarmac, rainwater can still drain off nicely, and there are certain plants that thrive in these conditions. Paving like this ecobase from B&Q makes it easy to create a sturdy but permeable drive. You may need to reach for the weeding tools every so often (though investing in a good weed-suppressing membrane helps!), but this is often the case once cracks appear in tarmac, or between bricks anyway.
Garden Organic’s Emma O’Neill adds, ‘Instead of concrete, choose permeable paving that allows rainwater to drain, or paved tracks for cars, and plant underneath with creeping Jenny and ajuga.’
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4. Make the most of borders
You don’t need a lot of space to really add benefits. The smallest of borders around the edge of a front garden space can accommodate a range of fragrant herbs and pretty blooms at all different heights, depending on what you are looking for, to create a really striking display.
5. Add window boxes or hanging baskets
This may sound a little twee, but utilising these spaces is a fantastic idea if you are really strapped for room – and there’s no end to what you can grow in them. Edibles may not be your first choice if your front garden is directly by a busy road, but plants like strawberries, tumbling toms and trailing fuscias all add beauty to hanging baskets, while giving a little boost to your kitchen as well – talk about a multi-use space!
Tumbling toms like ‘Freefall Orange’ from Suttons are real eye-catchers. Garden writer and editor, Kim Stoddart, takes this idea a step further.
‘I think growing as much of your own food at the moment is an incredibly good move, and a front garden provides a lovely opportunity to maximise growing space in an attractive and productive way. Low-maintenance perennial herbs are always lovely to work with and will reward you year after year.’
‘Rosemary, sage and thyme work well with lavender for a Mediterranean-style look in beds or large pots. Otherwise, consider some Swiss chard (grow these multi-coloured ‘Celebration’ seeds from Thompson & Morgan for extra interest) mixed in with flowers or shrubs. Edimentals such as viola/pansy or borage, calendula, soft fruit bushes and roses all look delightful and provide a mix of edible delights.’
6. Consider the size of your car
Leigh Hunt, principal horticultural advisor at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), explains, ‘Many people think the answer to parking cars is wall-to-wall paving. However, the footprint of your parked cars is often much smaller than this, so reduce the size to just this area.’
‘That will give you plenty of room to plant – it could be in the corners and down the side, but don’t forget you can go up the walls with climbers and boundaries can be hedges rather than fences,’ she adds.
‘There are lots of hidden planting opportunities you can unlock. And the more plants you squeeze in, the more benefits you get – from pollution trapping and cooling hot summer air, to preventing localised flooding and supporting wildlife. Plants are urban superheroes.’
7. Think on top of the box!
Emma O’Neill explains why sometimes just thinking outside the box with structures you may already have in your front garden can pay dividends.
‘Cover your bin store or bike shed with a sturdy green roof, slowing down the flow of water to help prevent flooding and attracting insect life.’
If you aren’t a big DIY-er, you can buy these online or in store – such as this bin storage with a green roof from B&Q. It looks so stylish you’d never believe there are bins in there!
As you can see, there are plenty of simple ways to add a little interest to any front garden space – whether you want to make it more aesthetically pleasing, attract a range of pollinators, improve drainage, or simply give the space a bit of an overhaul – after all, front gardens offer so much more than parking spaces!
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