The sidewalk is often overlooked, especially if you’re focused on perfecting your lawn and driveway. But with thoughtful landscaping, you can create an inviting path that highlights your yard’s main features and showcases your personal style. The best part? It can be as simple or elaborate as you want, with options that suit every budget, climate, and design preference.
From low-maintenance plantings to eye-catching features, your sidewalk can be transformed into an integral part of your home’s charm. Here are some sidewalk landscaping ideas that boost curb appeal and breathe new life into your home’s exterior:
1. Plant Borders
Dress up your sidewalk with plant borders. They create definition and guide the eye along the path, making it appear longer, which then makes your property appear larger. And depending on the plants you choose, they also soften the edges of concrete and add vibrant color to your sidewalk. If you’re going for a cottage-style feel, mix a variety of flowers and herbs for a whimsical look.
If you want something more minimal or polished, go for symmetrical rows and repeated plants for consistency. For a lush green appearance, plant hostas, compact shrubs, or ferns. And finally, for a timeless look, you can’t go wrong with low-growing flowers like marigolds, petunias, and pansies.
2. Hedges
Just like plant borders, hedges increase your curb appeal by adding some greenery to your sidewalk. They act as a natural fence that creates a boundary around your property. This helps keep kids and pets in, and unwanted visitors out. And if your hedges are slightly taller, like privet and laurel, they add privacy with a lush green wall.
Low hedges like boxwood and dwarf holly are better suited for a formal, classic look. Regardless of the variety you choose, hedging is generally low maintenance but you do have to trim regularly to ensure that they stay neat and uniform.
On the other hand, you can reduce the need for upkeep slightly by opting for evergreen varieties that keep their look throughout the year.
3. Stone or Brick Edging
With sidewalk landscaping ideas that boost curb appeal, appearance is the main character. But with stone or brick edging, you get the whole ensemble. It keeps grass, gravel, and mulch neatly contained, frames your property with a stylish border, and creates a durable, weather-resistant contrast to your landscape.
Natural stone complements rustic or farmhouse-style home beautifully, while your modern or traditional home will look better with sleek brick or paver edges. Pair contrasting materials to make your sidewalk pop, like red brick edges with gray concrete, or white stone with dark pavers. You can also depth and even more contrast by layering the design with flowers and lighting.
4. Flower Beds
There’s a difference between flower beds and plant borders, albeit small. With this option, you’ve got a lot more freedom to get creative and turn your plain sidewalk into a refreshing burst of color. Heads will turn once your seasonal blooms start coming to life.
Popular options include tulips and daffodils in spring, mums and asters in the fall, zinnias and geraniums in summer, and daylilies, lavender, and coneflowers to mix it up. It’s the perfect opportunity to experiment with color schemes and show off your green fingers. If you add mulch or gravel to your flower beds, it’ll help retain moisture and control weeds to keep your flowers healthy and vibrant.
5. Gravel or Pebbles
You don’t need flower beds to introduce gravel or pebbles to your sidewalk. Use them to create borders along the way, fill gaps between stepping stones, or just to serve as decorative ground cover. The beauty of gravel is that it’s cost-effective and it comes in a variety of sizes and colors, so you can match it to your home’s aesthetic.
Use white or gray pea gravel for a modern look, or brown or red for an earthy feel. Gravel also provides excellent drainage, suppresses weeds, and requires very little upkeep
6. Mulch Beds
Mulch beds are so underrated, especially when it comes to sidewalk landscaping ideas that boost curb appeal. It provides the same benefits as gravel because it suppresses weeds, retains soil moisture, enhances visual appeal, and improves soil health, but it’s more affordable.
You can give your sidewalk a full overhaul by going for natural wood chips, bark, or dyed varieties. If your landscape has a lot of greenery, go for dark mulch like black or deep brown. If you’re looking for something that’ll add warmth and vibrancy while grabbing attention, go for red mulch. Pair your choice with ornamental grasses, small shrubs, or perennial clusters.
7. Lighting Accents
Whether your sidewalk is illuminated by street lights or not, it could do with additional lighting accents to improve safety and add an enchanting atmosphere, especially after dark. Line your sidewalk with lights to guide visitors to your home and highlight the other sidewalk landscaping ideas to boost curb appeal that you’ve already implemented. Solar-powered stake lights are the most affordable, eco-friendly option and it requires no lighting. LED fixtures offer more brightness that lasts longer and uses less electricity, and string lights or lanterns create a warm, welcoming glow.
8. Trellises
Introduce height and greenery to your sidewalk by adding trellises and training climbing plants like ivy, jasmine, or clematis to trail over them. You can attach the trellises to fences, place them in pots along the sidewalk, or let them stand on their own to create an affordable, easy-to-install focal point that also offers privacy. Wooden trellises complement the farmhouse style, while you should opt for metal or modern designs for a contemporary look.
9. Raised Garden Beds
If the idea of flower beds or plant borders gets you excited, you’re in for a treat with raised garden beds. Especially if you’re renting or you like to refresh your landscape occasionally. In addition to all of the benefits of the other options, they also allow you to reposition them as your needs change and take them with you when you move.
They immediately catch the eye because of the fact that they’re elevated, but you can add to their appeal by choosing wood, stone, or brick planters. Fill them with small vegetables, herbs, or beautiful flowers in layers for added depth.
10. Tall Narrow Trees
Why are tall narrow trees one of the best sidewalk landscaping ideas that boost curb appeal? It’s simple; they add vertical height without taking up too much ground space, they frame your walkways beautifully and guide the eye up to make your property appear larger, and they also provide shade and privacy.
With varieties like Italian cypress, arborvitae, or columnar oak on either side of your sidewalk, your home will look more stately and grand. The best part is that they look good year-round and they provide room for other landscaping elements to shine.
Jamie is the founder of The Backyard Pros. When he was 15 years old he started working at a garden centre helping people buy plants, gardening products, and lawn care products. He has real estate experience and he is a home owner. Jamie loves backyard projects, refinishing furniture, and enjoys sharing his knowledge online.