Create street appeal with these simple landscaping ideas

While you may be working with limited space, by following a few simple rules, and choosing a style that suits you, your home and your budget — from low-maintenance landscaping to English cottage garden — you can still create impact and immediate street appeal. Unless the yard requires a total overhaul, work with what’s already there; existing planting can serve as focal points that you can then accentuate with minimal fuss and outlay. Don’t be afraid to use plants in unexpected ways; a green wall installation may be just what you need to give a small front yard a sense of space and height. Colour and texture are your friends; choose complementary plants from different species for depth and interest.

Where there are expansive vistas beyond the immediate backyard, it’s always worth considering encapsulating ‘borrowed views’ into the landscape plan. In the Central Otago home pictured below, a key part of the simple landscaping plan is connecting with the wider environment – something well worth considering in suburban and urban settings too. Perhaps it’s a mature pōhutukawa over the fence or a city park adjoining the property – framing these views from a private garden can make all the difference and dramatically extend the sense of space.

While townhouses are great homes to live in, a downside can be the limited outdoor space, more often designed for outdoor entertainment than a place to escape into nature. However, that doesn’t mean these spaces can’t be idyllic. First things first, start with a well-considered plan that includes the view from indoors, as most rooms in a townhouse will look onto the garden space.

To keep the feel modern and contemporary, choose a limited colour palette incorporating shades of green foliage punctuated with one or two other colours. Consider a curated colour palette of hardscaping materials where space is limited – instead introducing colour through foliage. Hanging plants, climbers and raised planters are all ways to introduce year-round greenery and lush foliage in a small garden.

The ‘great Kiwi dream’ of a quarter-acre paradise of lawns and gardens is largely impractical nowadays. It’s also not particularly environmentally friendly, either. Firstly, while it may go against the grain, consider greatly minimising or doing away with a lawn all together — this will save you both time and money in ongoing maintenance.

Secondly, look no further than nature itself. Choose plants from the wide array of New Zealand natives, because, contrary to opinion, they’re available in all colours and sizes including proteas, mānuka, leucadendrons, grevilleas and leptospermums.

Going native will also encourage bird and insect life into your garden — creating an oasis not just for you. Most native plants thrive with little intervention if positioned correctly. Adding a sculpture, lighting and curated accessories will add a layered appeal without introducing further maintenance.