From Concrete to Colour: My Award-Winning Front Garden Design
When I look at my front garden today, buzzing with pollinators, defined by beautiful, flowing pathways, and crowned with a First Place award from the Haywards Heath Town Council, it’s hard to remember what it looked like just a year ago.
As a garden designer, your own home is often your biggest showcase. This project was a chance to put my philosophy and principles to the test, taking a traditional, dull space and turning it into a functional, beautiful, and ecologically rich entrance.
The Before and The Challenge
Like many front gardens, mine was highly practical but completely uninspired: just a boring stretch of lawn and unforgiving concrete paths and driveway.
Before: Photo of the front garden with concrete driveway and lawn
The brief for the transformation was complex: the space needed to work hard while looking stunning. Key requirements included:
- Functionality: Creating a new driveway and pathways that complied with modern Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) requirements.
- Access: Ensuring the bins were easily managed and could be brought out for collection without cluttering the view. (I used 2D and 3D visuals to confirm for myself how the pathways would perfectly accommodate the required route).
- Beauty: Transforming the formerly direct pedestrian route into a visually engaging ‘journey’ framed by structured borders, ensuring the path was interesting, not just functional.
The Design and Planting Palette
The garden is west-facing, bathing the space in warm afternoon light and providing beautiful, long evenings of sunshine. Seating was placed in a prime spot to fully enjoy the view with an evening tipple!
The new design introduced two new pathways and a SUDS-compliant gravel driveway, instantly softening the hard lines of the previous concrete. The pathways now lead visitors through the heart of the garden, maximising the visual impact of the planting beds.
After: Photo of the front garden
For the planting, I was committed to a very specific, calming palette dominated by purples, lilacs, and whites. This restricted colour scheme ensured cohesion and elegance throughout the different borders.
A Haven for Pollinators
Attracting wildlife was a non-negotiable part of the design. The garden has been a hive of activity all year, living up to its design goal as a pollinator magnet. The main perennial workhorses include:
- Lavender
- Salvias
- Perennial Geraniums
- Astrantia
- Verbena
- Campanula
- Anemones
After: Front Garden photo after planting
To maintain structure and visual interest during the quieter months, I incorporated hardy evergreen shrubs such as Hebe’s, Pittosporum, and Choisya, ensuring the garden looks good year-round. This is complemented by early growth in the spring from bulbs, including crocus, wood anemones, and striking Alliums.
The Award-Winning Result
It has been incredibly rewarding to watch the design mature. After all the planning, managing the landscaping, and planting the beds a year ago, the garden has grown into everything I hoped for.
The ultimate validation came this year when my front garden was awarded First Placing in the Haywards Heath’s Best Kept Garden competition. This recognition proves that thoughtful design, meticulous planning, and careful plant selection can turn any underused space into something truly award-worthy.
If you are looking to transform your own front garden, whether for curb appeal, functionality, or to create a wildlife haven, I would love to help you achieve your own award-winning results.