With the right combination of plants and decorations, you can give your front garden a well-kept appearance all year round. While decorative elements don't care about lighting conditions, this doesn't apply to plants. You can find out about the best perennials, flowers and trees for the sunny, semi-shady and shady front garden here.
Which plants are suitable for sunny, partially shaded and shady front gardens?
Panicle hydrangea 'Pinky Winky', bearded flower 'Heavenly Blue', flowering sage 'Pink Queen' and mosquito grass are suitable in the sunny front garden. Ball hydrangea 'Annabelle', Winter Snowball, Bergenia 'Autumn Blossom' and Cranesbill are recommended for partially shaded locations. Shady front gardens benefit from Caucasus forget-me-not, mushroom-head sedge 'The Beatles', mountain forest cranesbill, foam blossom and red carpet berry.
The most important premise when buying plants: restrained growth
In nurseries and garden centers, ornamental plants usually present themselves with graceful shapes. In fact, behind dozens of bushes, trees and perennials there is a huge plant that is not suitable for a front garden. When purchasing, please ask exactly what dimensions the preferred species and variety will have.
When purchasing your front garden plants, please use the botanical name as a guide. A number of confusions have arisen between German trade names, which sometimes cause unpleasant surprises in the garden. A lilac can be a graceful Buddleja davidii with a height of 150 cm, an elegant Syringa vulgaris with a height of 250-300 cm or a space-consuming, invasive Sambucus nigra, the stately 1.000 cm and more.
Plants for the sunny front garden – tips for the planting plan
The south side of the house is the area for sun worshipers in the plant kingdom. Special qualities are required here to maintain floral composure under the hot summer sun. A space should be reserved in the design plan for the following species and varieties:
- Panicle hydrangea 'Pinky Winky' (Hydrangea paniculata) as an eye-catcher with two-tone flowers from July to October; 150-200cm
- Beardflower 'Heavenly Blue' (Caryopteris clandonensis), sun-loving subshrub with blue summer flowers; 80-100cm
- Flower sage 'Pink Queen' (Salvia nemorosa) with pink fragrant flowers from June to September; 30-40cm
- Mosquito grass (Bouteloua gracilis), one of the most beautiful grasses for the sun-drenched front garden; 20-40cm
The wonderful girl's eye 'Sterntaler' (Coreopsis lanceolata) bathes your sunny front garden in a yellow sea of flowers from June to September. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) exudes a Mediterranean flair with blue flowers from July to September. Of course, bright coneflower 'Goldsturm' (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii) should not be missing from the design concept, whose yellow ray flowers with brown eyes last well into autumn.
Plants for the partially shaded front garden – a selection
Most ornamental plants are very comfortable in a partially shaded location with mild sunshine. Rain is more likely to occur on the western side, while an eastern orientation will only be blessed with sunshine in the morning hours. Accordingly, the selection focuses on plants that adapt to these conditions. Be inspired by the following selection of recommended perennials, flowers and shrubs:
- Ball hydrangea 'Annabelle' (Hydrangea arborescens) enchants with huge, white flower balls in summer; 100-150cm
- Winter snowball (viburnum) surprises with white-pink flowers in the middle of winter; 200-250cm
- Bergenia 'Autumn Blossom' (Bergenia hybrid) with two blooms in spring and autumn; 25-40cm
- Storksbill (Geranium), the indispensable classic perennial with magnificent summer flowers; 30-40cm
A front garden with a partially shaded location is ideal for early-blooming onion flowers. Under these lighting conditions, snowdrops (Galanthus), crocuses (Crocus), daffodils (Narcissus) and tulips (Tulipa) herald spring. When the flares of foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) rise in the front garden from June onwards, they herald the start of summer with their bell-shaped flowers. Autumn is the time for autumn asters (Aster) and dwarf dahlias (Dahlia), which delight with colorful flowers until the first frost.
Floral specialists for shady locations – tips for the north side
Contemporary architecture usually relocates the front garden to the north side of the house, while the south side is reserved for the larger ornamental and kitchen garden. This circumstance requires special selection criteria for the design plan, because decorative low-light specialists are rare in the plant kingdom. We have put together the most beautiful species and varieties for a shady front garden for you here:
- Caucasus forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla) also blooms in the shade from April; 30-50cm
- Mushroom-headed sedge 'The Beatles' (Carex digitata hybrid) sets decorative accents with swirly grass heads; 20-30cm
- Mountain Forest Cranesbill (Geranium nodosum) puts on its flower dress even in low light; 15-25cm
- Foam blossom (Tiarella wherryi) blooms in spring and autumn over magnificent decorative leaves; 15-30cm
- Red carpet berry (Gaultheria procumbens) boasts evergreen leaves and red berries; 10-20cm
The unique hostas feel right at home in the shadowy realm on the north side. In the front garden, give preference to varieties that remain small, such as the hosta 'Blue Ivory' (Hosta x cultorum), which remains at a height of 35 cm. The spectacularly colored leaves with a creamy white edge and a blue-green center captivate every observer. Since hostas like to grow twice as wide as they are tall, they are also ideal ground cover for low-light locations.
Tip
Front gardens without lawn are on the rise. The extensive care required is a thorn in the side of many recreational gardeners. A composition of flowering ground cover plants and small groups of perennials is easier to care for and has an aesthetic effect. The wintergreen cranesbill 'White Ness', with its delicate 15-20 cm height, likes to lie at the feet of foxgloves (Digitalis) or a ball hydrangea 'Endless summer' (Hydrangea macrophylla).
