Front Gardens
Valuable Habitats
As reported by the RHS, nearly 1 in 4 front gardens in the UK are completely paved over. In London the number is 1 in 2. It is an increasing trend that sees three times as many front gardens paved over compared to ten years ago.
Front gardens are valuable habitats for urban wildlife. They provide food for pollinators and homes for birds and invertebrates. They are effective barriers for air pollution and can help with dealing with extreme heat or rain.
Having read the statistics above, I decided to walk around my local area to see what the current state of the front gardens were like. Unfortunately an increasing number are being paved over, making the area less green. However, it is possible to integrate parking into a front garden and have a permeable surface with planting and where this had been done it was very successful. So I’m trying to remain positive that there are some people out there that value this important space. It can be low-budget, low-maintenance, functional and environmentally beneficial!
If you are thinking of updating your front garden, here are a few tips to consider:
If you need a parking space, think about the surface material. Try to go for something like gravel or permeable paving which allows rain water through, avoiding street drains becoming overloaded.
Keep the parking area to a minimum if you can and plant around the rest of the space. Planting can be low maintenance so little watering or pruning is required.
Select plants that are environmentally beneficial, such as flowering plants for bees and butterflies.
Think about the location of planting; hedges at the front of the property help to filter out air pollution from roads, climbers on walls can help to insulate or cool, depending on the weather.
If you have any existing trees or shrubs try to include them in your new design as they may be a valuable habitat for birds and other local wildlife.