The key to making friends with your neighbours starts with your front yard. Truly! By making your front yard garden a welcoming space, you’ll feel inspired to get outside more, spark conversation, and help to revitalize your community. I have a trove of front yard garden ideas to share with you.
It’s no secret that gardening brings people together. I’ve seen it empower gardeners of colour, give people a place to get outside of the house and make new friends, improve food security, and teach the next generation how to decompress and reconnect to the earth.
Front yard gardens are one of the main areas that people focus on maintaining, even those who aren’t into gardening. After all, it creates the first impression for your home.
Front yard gardens don’t have to simply be a display for the house. They don’t have to be a place you walk through to get to your front door, or the patch of lawn next to where you park your car.
No, front yards can be powerful players in building community…if you’re willing to put in the effort. Even rethinking the value and how you use your front yard can make a huge difference!
Today, I’m going to try to convince you that your front yard is the key to making your neighbourhood thrive, and give you some front yard garden ideas to help inspire you.
Since we were all hanging out in our homes (you know when), I’ve been seeing a very gradual change in how the world sees technology. After seeing people only through screens on end, we crave actual, in-person connection.
2026 feels like a major turning point; I’ve been feeling this air of change in the wind. And it’s not just me. In numerology, 2025 marks the end of a chapter as a 9-year (2+0+2+5=9). Meanwhile, 2026 marks the start of new beginnings as a 1-year (2+0+2+6=10, and 1+0=1).
In February, we’ll also see the shift from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac. The snake sheds its skin, while the horse gallops towards the new horizon.
Can you feel the inkling of change?
The surge in AI this past year feels like the nail in the coffin. People have had enough. They don’t want to get their information from a chatbot. They want to find that knowledge by visiting a library, calling their grandmother, or taking a class from an actual expert. And in the process, losing that loneliness.
Another indicator was when Pantone chose what I like to call landlord white as the 2026 colour of the year. I could practically hear the people in the street shouting, “We want green!”
The Rise of Gardening
How does this collective shift translate to our gardens? Gardeners are ahead of the curve and are already much more in tune with the world beyond the screen.
Since the pandemic, more young people have turned to gardening. People had more time to get outside, were looking for ways to expand their living space, and wanted safe ways to meet up with people outside the home.
I remember reports about plant sales booming and the increase in searches for gardening-related topics. One report says that in 2019, 33% of adults in the US grew some of the produce they consumed. By 2023, the number increased to 67%.
To me, it’s no wonder that gardening became more popular. We’re part of nature, and this overarching isolation from each other can be regained by connecting to the earth.
The Power of Front Yard Gardens
Centuries ago, front yards were seen as a status symbol. Just look at Stinzen planting! While a beautiful thing to do, it started as a way to show off how many bulbs you could afford to plant in your lawn.
In a way, this idea of the front yard has persevered for a long time. If you close your eyes and picture a front yard, chances are you see a perfectly trimmed turf lawn, some decorative flowers, a walkway to the front yard, and perhaps a driveway.
We think of front yard spaces as transitional spaces. When really, they’re underutilized spaces that can easily extend into more living space in your home.
People are leaning away from these beautifully landscaped gardens that fit in with the neighbourhood.
We want gardens, not landscapes, at home! We want individuality and gardens that evoke a feeling. Times are changing, and it’s exciting.
Meeting Your Neighbours
There are fewer people biking, walking, and hanging out in neighbourhood streets. I would say my neighbourhood is not the norm; there’s very much a community feeling! But when I visit other areas, I notice how few people are out and about. Especially compared to my childhood, and I’m sure, many others.
I want to bring back people actually using the neighbourhood. The more people you have outside and bringing liveliness to the neighbourhood, the more successful and safe the community will feel.
By nature, front yard gardens are more public. We meet more of our neighbours when working in our front gardens. It starts with spontaneous conversations, but then it can evolve into more if you’re willing. Ask them to go for a walk, get coffee, have a playdate with the kids, or host a happy hour or BBQ.
Being connected to my neighbours recently came in handy when Ozzie got out of the yard. He’s always escaping, but since he doesn’t go far, it doesn’t bother me much when I’m out in the front yard.
But for whatever reason, I got distracted and forgot he was out exploring the sidewalk. I ended up LEAVING the house, and it wasn’t until ten minutes later that I remembered “Ozzie is still out there!”
I immediately cranked my steering wheel around and called my neighbours. By the time I got home, not only was Ozzie found, but he had a gathering around him of all his favourite neighbours.
ReThink How You Use Your Front Yard
Hopefully, you’re now convinced of the potential power your front yard holds. To start making changes, consider how you are already using the space.
What changes could you make that will encourage you to get outside more often? A few simple design decisions can really make a difference in how you use your yard, and in turn, foster community.
Here are a few examples:
- Extend your porch. Many porches are too small to really hang out in. If budget and space allow it, open it up to make it an extended living space.
- Add a small courtyard or sitting area. Make it cozy and welcoming enough that you’ll actually want to use it!
- Change up fencing. If you have tall fencing that obstructs views and makes your yard uninviting, could changing it open up the space?
- Add a focal point. What can draw the eye of people passing by? Water features, sculptures, bird bath, garden art, unique and bright plants, etc.
Putting work and time into your front yard makes your garden and community feel welcome. This is why I love decorating for Christmas and Halloween. I don’t see it as just décor, but a way to be a part of my community, celebrating.
In one of my previous gardens, I had a circular design with a bench in the center of it. The shape of it was incredibly welcoming, so I would often find people sitting out on my bench or enjoying my garden as if it were a public space.
Rather than shoo people out, I would invite them in. “Want to try my chocolate mint?”
The sharing economy is such a huge component of community building. Sure, you can ask your neighbour for a cup of sugar, but you can also ask them for hedge shears.
I love seeing little libraries or seed libraries, encouraging people to share what they have in excess.
I’ve seen all kinds of versions of this, from mini art galleries, fibre arts sharing, tool lending, magazine collections, and more. What do you feel like sharing in your front yard?
Attract those that you have in common with touches to your garden. Love art? Paint your fence with a mural? Looking for doggie friends? Add a “free stick” collection and a doggy bowl. Get creative!
Spend time in your front yard. To be a part of the community, you have to get outside. Add seating or other areas in your garden that you will want to hang out in.
Change up what kind of plants you add to your front yard. If you spend a lot of time vegetable gardening, add vegetables to the front instead of just the back. You’ll automatically spend more time out there.
Decorate your garden. It’s so lovely to stop and see all the little details that people add to their gardens. From actual artwork hanging on fences to intricate bird houses to tiny fairy doors, there are lots of ways you can decorate your garden just like you would the inside of your home.
Make your garden yours. Adding personality to your garden is a huge way to invite community. Every part of it can become a talking point, and it makes the space feel infinitely more welcoming.
Compare a cookie-cutter community with perfect lawns in contrast to homes that are abundant in greenery and artistic touches. Which feels more homey to you? The answer is clear to me!
I feel like I have so many front yard gardening ideas to make your garden feel more personal and inviting. I recently revamped my front yard patio, which I documented in The Wild & Free Garden.
Please share how you’ve revamped your front yard below! People would love to see your ideas as well.
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
