David Domoney offers tips to make the front of your home cosy and charming during the festive season.

22 December 2021

Deck The Driveway

Give the front of your home and patio a Christmas makeover by cleaning your patio, adding plants and features for festivities.

 

A Warm Welcome Home

As a festive farewell when you’re leaving your house and a warm welcome home on a winter’s evening, these tips will make the front of your home cosy and charming.

 

Creating A Winter Wonderland

Start creating your winter wonderland by potting up containers full of winter-flowering plants or evergreens with fantastic foliage to add something special to the front of your home.

 

Burst Of Colour

Pick winter bedding plants like winter flowering pansies and cyclamen which add a burst of cheery colour on a dull day.

 

 

Cyclamen coum (eastern cyclamen) are a hardy choice that have neat growth, with pink-purple blooms and foliage that has silver marbled effect for added interest.

 

 

Contrast the pink flowers with the evergreen foliage of Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’ that has dark purple leaves that are mottled with pink spots, bringing a brightness to the mix. Add some height and movement by softening the container with an ornamental grass like Carex flagellifera (sedge) that has bronze coloured, arching foliage.

Combine the right plants and you can have structure and colour through winter and beyond. Choose low maintenance plants and they won’t demand much but will provide a big impact to the front of your home.

 

Christmas containers

When choosing a container, pick something durable that will survive frost, snow, and cold temperatures without cracking.

 

 

Therefore, it’s best to steer clear of clay or terracotta pots. Instead, choose fibreglass, iron, heavy plastic, and stone containers are the best weather-resistant options.

 

Lifting LEGS

As with all containers, ensure there is sufficient drainage because the last thing you want is waterlogged winter pots. Raise the pots up with pot feet or use old wine corks to add elevation so water can drain away efficiently.

 

Cottage Driveway

Create a seamless design by choosing a container that matches the style of your driveway and the aesthetics of your home. For example, a tall, large matte black planter will suit a contemporary home using Slate Driveway. These large paving stones have black-blue tones for a dark and dramatic option. If you’re looking to recreate a cottage look with Old York & Cotswold Block Paving, embellish with containers suited to a timeless cottage garden. Bring out the colours by choosing a deep purple or sage green planter to emphasise the colours.

 

Christmas Tree Kerb Appeal

Christmas trees are a central part of our festive celebrations, from picking out a tree, to then decorating it and then placing presents underneath it for our loved ones. So bring that magic to the front of your home by planting up conifers to frame your front door.

 

Cupressus macrocarpa (Monterey Cypress) ‘Goldcrest’ has bright green foliage which is intensified by the cooler winter temperatures. The foliage gives off a lemony scent, so they offer a lot to the front of your home.  
For some icy blue colouring, look no further than Juniperus squamata (flaky juniper) ‘Blue Star’. The compact growth grows up to 50cm tall, with dense foliage. This evergreen will grow best in a sunny or partially shaded spot. 

 

 

Add some Christmas sparkle to your garden by adorning these trees with glimmering lights to bring magic to your home’s entrance.

 

 

When it comes to lighting up your garden at Christmas, you can either go subtle with hanging icicle lights that have a simple but sophisticated appearance, or completely transform your space into a winter wonderland with decorations galore.

 

 

Whichever route you choose to go down, now is a great time to think about the practicality of light through autumn and winter for when the evenings draw out, and the mornings are dark.

 

 

Standing lantern style lights can have a wonderful effect and suit most garden styles. Pillar lights are a great way of illuminating the boundaries of your driveway.

 

 

LED lighting offers a long-lasting solution as well as being a powerful choice that will effectively light up your space ensuring your driveway is safe and accessible.

 

 

This winter, deck your driveway by embellishing the space with containers full of colour and illuminating the front of your house for practicality as well as festive cheer.

 

This month I have selected a video, filmed in warmer times, as an example of kerb appeal. As per my writings in the festive article above, it's all about kerb appeal.  As you approach ths driveway the slim block paving becomes so distinctive, shouting a quality which sets the property apart. I do hope you enjoy watching it.

 

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