Small front gardens

Add plants to your front garden for year-round interest, says Anne Swithinbank, and you'll be helping to green up the street and improve the environment for wildlife

- Anne Swithinbank

GARDENING is contagious, so if you live in a street of houses whose front gardens have nothing to offer but bins, bicycles and parking spaces, take action. Lift a slab or two, plant up some pots – and wait. Passers-by might stop to chat and, with luck, others will be inspired to join in. Plants, compost and soil attract insect and bird life, so that a previously barren street will come alive to increase everyone’s well-being.

The secret to a thriving front garden lies in planning before paving. For cars, mark out their entry, parking and exit while keeping hedges and trees on the boundary and creating new beds around the edge. Terraced houses often have narrow yards or ‘areas’ and my favourite was filled by a type of gourd that swarmed up the house, flowering and setting fruits.

Fragrance zones

Similar fun could be provided by the tender cup-and-saucer vine (Cobaea scandens) or Spanish flag (Ipomoea lobata), with all growth cleared in autumn ready for another year. In his book Designing Your Ideal Garden, David Stevens introduces ‘fragrance zones’ for warm sheltered spots near the house and illustrates this with a small front garden resplendent with tobacco plants and herbs. He observes that: “On warm summer’s evenings, with windows open, some of the scent will waft indoors.” A path constructed of old bricks provides access.

Before planting, note the direction of your front garden, as those facing south and west catch more sun, and walls here would play host to the likes of wisteria.

Three types of plant