DIY How to Add Show Stopping Curb Appeal with Landscaping to the Front of a Farmhouse

Sharing all the details of how we added show stopping curb appeal with landscaping to the front yard of our farmhouse with before & after pictures & many DIY landscaping ideas on a budget!

How to Add Curb Appeal with Landscaping

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We live outside of Philadelphia in planting zone 7a if you have questions on any of the landscaping plants I mention below.

Farmhouse Curb Appeal Before with Landscaping that Hid the Front Door

Here’s how our farmhouse curb appeal landscaping looked just last week. 

We had some pretty plants & shrubs already but the biggest problem with the curb appeal of the landscaping was that our front door was hidden. 

I loved the backdrop of the evergreen boxwood shrubs we had in the front of our farmhouse but I really didn’t like that they blocked the view of the front door. 

We later moved the boxwood shrubs against our farmhouse below.

It is pretty impossible to have great curb appeal with landscaping if you can’t see the front door!

The other main problem we saw with the front of our farmhouse’s curb appeal was that there was a lot of stone and tan siding making the house look very long and rigid or stiff. 

Adding Landscaping to Improve Curb Appeal

One way to break up all those hard materials was to add some greenery.

Planting a Tree for Year Round Interest, Shade & to Break up the Flat Front of our Farmhouse Siding

The first thing we did after digging a few plants out was add a tree, a Hawthorn tree.

Adding a tree was also a great way to add more shade to the front of our house.

I chose a Winter King Hawthorn tree because it has year round interest.

Beautiful grey bark, white flowers in the late spring and red berries in the fall and winter.

Planting Hydrangeas for Color under the Tree

I transplanted 6 small hydrangeas from around the yard to go under the Hawthorn tree. 

Hydrangeas are my absolute favorite shrub and I wanted to mimic the hydrangeas on the other side of the front walkway.

They haven’t started blooming just yet but they should sometime in the next few weeks.

Planting Evergreens as Foundation Plants to Soften & Ground the Curb Appeal with Landscaping

We added 6 dwarf Buford hollies in the front of the garden bed to add some evergreen color to the front. 

We also added more evergreens against our farmhouse (see below) such as boxwood, wax leaf privet, rhododendron & Camellia.

I really like the shiny glossy look of the their leaves and they also have pretty white flowers as well as red berries so they compliment the house and the tree we chose very well.

Planting Hostas to Fill in Empty Shady Spots to the Curb Appeal Landscaping

We transplanted some hostas from around the yard to fill in the blank spaces in the front. 

Hostas are hardy plants that transplant well & worth the reward of more green color through the spring, summer and fall.

We dug out and moved the boxwoods closer to the house under the kitchen windows where there was plenty of room for them to grow and they would add some green color year round. 

Annabelle Hydrangeas are Great for Farmhouse Curb Appeal Landscaping

I also dug out the 2 Annabelle hydrangeas from the front bed and moved them in place of barberry bushes against the house.

I wanted to place the hydrangeas under the windows so I could appreciate their blooms from inside as well as outside.

This type of hydrangea also tends to get a little droopy in the hot sun so I think moving it closer to the house were it will get more shade and water from the downspouts will make it a little happier.

We added 2 more evergreens against the house a waxleaf privet, and an Autumn Moon Camellia in between the windows at the front of the house to continue to break up the siding. 

At 8 feet tall by 4 feet wide these shrubs should fill in the blank spaces perfectly. 

They look so pretty next to a rhododendron that was here when we moved in.  It has such pretty pink blooms.

Save Money with Transplanting & Reusing Landscaping to Improve Your Curb Appeal

In order to change out the curb appeal landscaping to the front of our farmhouse it took a little longer than I had hoped but we found spots for almost everything we dug out which made me happy. 

Reusing & transplanting shrubs and perennials we already had helped us save a lot of money because with the exception of a tree & a few evergreen shrubs everything else was free. 

Yay for free plants! 

We topped the new landscaping off with some new mulch to hide the dirt and keep down the weeds. 

Next week we hope to tackle hiding the ugly concrete/ stucco wall that digging out the bushes exposed. (see that HERE)

Planters Flanking the Walkway to Improve Curb Curb Appeal with Landscaping

Lastly I moved our 2 cedar flower planters (see the DIY HERE) down to the driveway, flanking the front entry stairs. 

I planted 2 red rose bushes in the planters to add more color and interest to the driveway & stairs.

They also smell pretty good too!

We aren’t done yet adding curb appeal to the front of our farmhouse but here’s what we have done so far!

Farmhouse Curb Appeal – see the Full Reveal (HERE)

• dig out and move the shrubs that are in bad spots in the front and place in better locations in the yard
• add a tree, some evergreens and other small perennials to the front
• hide the ugly short wall in the front (DIY Lattice HERE)
• add more comfortable seating to the front porch (HERE)
• paint the entryway bench (HERE)
• change out the front light to one that isn’t as bird friendly and has more of a farmhouse feel (HERE)
• add more potted plants and porch decor
• time permitting extend the front entrance by adding a pergola (HERE)

I hope this inspires you with ideas of how to improve curb appeal with landscaping to the front of your home!

by Tara Lehman

Don’t forget to pin my Curb Appeal with Landscaping Ideas to your favorite Gardening Boards!

More Curb Appeal Ideas from Bloggers

Seeking Lavender Lane / Simple Nature Decor / The Deans List / Mom Home Guide

Curly Craft Mom / My Life from Home / Lehman Lane / Knock it Off Kim

Paint Yourself a Smile / A Designer at Home / Our House Now a Home

More Gardening & DIY Ideas You Might Enjoy

7 Things I Do to get my Garden Ready for Spring

Gardening on a Budget – Free or Discounted Trees & Shrubs

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