The charm of your farmhouse style doesn’t have to stop at your front door. You can let it begin in your front yard, where it sets the tone for the rest of your home and where neighbors and passersby can also enjoy it. Farmhouse landscaping doesn’t require a massive budget and you certainly don’t need to be a gardener by profession to achieve your desired look.
To ensure that your home feels welcoming from the get-go, here are some farmhouse front yard landscaping ideas to try:
1. White Picket Fence
White picket fences are synonymous to the farmhouse style. It immediately adds charm and structure to your front yard, while making it visually appealing, rustic, and welcoming. It portrays everything that countryside living is about. Even a partial fence or decorative gate can create the same focal point in a small yard and you can enhance the look with climbing roses or flowering shrubs.
Your visitors’ eyes will be drawn to the natural elements in your yard and the fence will serve as a boundary that frames your landscape.
2. Outdoor Lanterns or Lamps
Classic lights, like lanterns and vintage lamps, serve a functional and decorative purpose. They enhance the farmhouse feel without overwhelming the space, with the added benefit of illuminating your landscape after dark. Place some lighting accents along your walkways, on your porch, or near your entryway.
Choose fixtures with a metal, wrought iron, or weathered finish for a rustic yet polished look. Additionally, string lights draped over fences or along your porch’s entrance have the ability to create a cozy atmosphere and increase visibility at night.
3. Evergreen Shrubs
If you want your farmhouse landscape to be just as green as it is rustic and charming, incorporate some evergreen shrubs into your design. Varieties like boxwoods, holly, and juniper provide year-round color and texture to your yard. You can use them along your walkways and garden edges to create a polished appearance that works beautifully with farmhouse architecture.
The beauty of evergreen shrubs is that they’ll never leave your yard empty and dull and you can prune them into shapes or hedges, depending on your style.
4. Front Porch Planters
Your front porch is the heart of your farmhouse landscape. It’s a way to extend your living space to the outdoors and it allows you to showcase your style to neighbors and passersby. Cozy swings are usually the main focal point, but if you use planters correctly they can complement the rest of your porch furniture.
Use large pots or containers and fill them with colorful blooms, vibrant greenery, or ornamental grasses. If you add herbs or flowering vines to the mix, your porch will be fragrant as well as beautiful. The best choices for a farmhouse appeal are wooden, terracotta, or weathered metal planters.
5. Climbing Plants
Clematis, climbing roses, and ivy introduce vertical interest and natural charm to a farmhouse front yard. Plant them along fences or porch posts, or create a focal point with trellises or arbors for a layered backdrop. You can frame your entryways and windows or give your garden gate a welcoming feel.
The texture and seasonal color of climbing plants helps to balance other elements and soften rigid lines. They also attract bees and butterflies that can add life and energy to your yard without needing a lot of maintenance once established.
6. Gravel Driveway
Your driveway doesn’t have to be purely functional and practical. If you plan it well, it can blend into your farmhouse landscape and up your curb appeal. A gravel driveway is one of the most affordable and visually appealing choices. Gravel offers excellent drainage, reduces maintenance costs, and provides a durable yet elegant driveway solution.
Customize it according to your needs by incorporating different gravel sizes, colors, and patterns. Then, pair it with natural stone edges and low-growing shrubs or ground cover to elevate the look and prevent gravel migration. It’s easy and inexpensive to expand, repair, or reshape the driveway in the future.
7. Weathered Wood Accents
Weathered wood accents are basically a hallmark of farmhouse design. It works well both indoors and outdoors, from living room furniture to fencing, and it’s inexpensive. Use reclaimed wood as garden edging, planters, benches, signage, or as a fence.
The more natural the wood, the better. The weathered look blends in, complements greenery and metal fixtures, and gives your landscape a cohesive, vintage, and authentic charm. You can also go for something more functional by using the wood as retaining walls or decorative trellises. The key is to keep the wood as raw as possible and not to overdo it by overcomplicating your garden with too many accents.
8. Herb Garden
The farmhouse style is about more than design. It’s about simplicity and living a life that connects you to nature. The best way to do this is by upping your family’s sustainability with your own herb garden. Plant rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender, and any other herbs that you use in your cooking or teas in planters, raised beds, or hanging baskets. Position your herb garden as close to your kitchen as possible for ease of access.
This will also help you remember to water your plants and the aromatic and refreshing fragrance that they give off will fill your home. If you use pretty planters and plant the herbs in neat rows, they’ll add practicality and natural beauty to your farmhouse landscaping.
9. Decorative Wheelbarrow Garden
You don’t have to stick to a single feature to bring your farmhouse garden to life because all of the farmhouse front yard landscaping ideas to try can be used together. Some of them, like decorative wheelbarrow gardens, already incorporate multiple ideas. You’ve got the weathered accents in the repurposed old wheelbarrow, and the greenery in the plants that you choose to fill it with.
And if you choose to plant a herb garden in an old wheelbarrow, that’s another idea. Fill a rusty metal or weathered wood wheelbarrow with seasonal flowers, training plants, or succulents to create a mini mobile garden. You can reposition it during the year or make it part of a design involving shrubs or rocks.
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.