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Whether in a home, hotel, or office complex, the driveway is one of the first areas anyone sees when looking at a building. Despite this, driveways still manage to be overlooked in landscape design, resulting in them looking like the prototypical drab, gravel driveway everyone's so used to seeing. But what if you could transform your driveway landscaping with the help of plants? And what if that could make them look as good--if not, better--than the rest of your commercial or residential space? Well, this is all possible with the help of driveway entrance planters!
This article will focus on landscape design ideas for the driveway entrance that will boost the curb appeal of your property. However, before getting into those ideas, we'll first discuss what curb appeal refers to, why it's important, and how your driveway space ties into the equation.
After that, we'll provide some expert tips for using planters by the driveway of a house or similar property, in hopes of providing inspiration for when you begin driveway landscaping with plants.
Explore our Outdoor Planters collection page now and discover how driveway entrance planters can elevate your curb appeal.
Contents
What Is Curb Appeal?
Simply defined, curb appeal refers to how attractive a house or property is when viewed from the curb. It can be likened to the first impression one would have of any given site, as, not yet having stepped foot through the front door of the property, it'd be impossible to gather any other sense of the location than what lies in front of them.
Why Is Curb Appeal Important?
As mentioned, curb appeal has everything to do with giving guests a first impression of a property. According to Build Magazine, curb appeal also increases the value of your home, impresses neighbors and guests, and saves you money on future repairs and replacements.
By spending an adequate amount of time and money figuring out how to boost the curb appeal of your property, you'll not only be able to create a good first impression for visitors, you'll also be benefitting in many other areas.
Driveway Space For Curb Appeal?
Now we've discussed curb appeal and its importance, how does a driveway entrance come into play?
Well, because curb appeal focuses on the first impressions of a property gained from viewing it from the curb, the driveway is one spot that will be in every visitor's line of sight. As such, whether you're able to create a good or bad impression of a space is contingent on various factors, one of the key factors being the landscape design of a driveway.
With this understanding, we can now talk about how to create natural beauty in driveways by using plants and planters. Let's get started!
Curb appeal from a patio? Check out The Best Patio Planters For Any Kind Of Property
1. Driveway Landscaping Idea: A Garden Of Greenery
First on the list, let's start with something simple. This landscape design idea harkens back to the classic American look of the front yard garden right beside the driveway.
The best way to achieve this look is to be blessed with a grass lawn right by your driveway. If space permits, this offers a nice separation of grass, shrubs, and trees alongside the otherwise grey, gravel paving so visitors can have the feeling of leaving the city for the country every time they come around.
If, however, you aren't lucky enough to have enough space for a lawn, you can still achieve a similar sense of natural beauty by using plants and planters! Why not have some fiberglass planters like these Delray Tall Rectangular Planters around the front yard and driveway to balance out the hardness?
This is especially worth trying out if your property is a hotel or other commercial area, as you can leverage the benefits of biophilic design almost immediately i.e. increased value placed on your goods and services and a beautiful property that's a pleasure to be in. Of course, you can go a step further and add a fountain, but sometimes all it needs is a beautiful plant display!
Want to learn more about fiberglass? Read up on the Possibilities And Benefits Of Fiberglass
2. Driveway Landscaping Idea: Garden Plants Lining A Driveway OR GARDEN
Next on our list, why not try opting for an outdoor garden that not only brings green to a driveway, but also adds a sense of symmetry? Plants lining a driveway are the best way to go about doing this.
To begin, start by taking a step back and getting an overall view of the landscape. Then, ask yourself these questions:
- Where does the driveway entrance begin? Where does it end?
- Is the driveway open or is it surrounded by walls?
- How much space is there available for plants? Could you plant trees?
These are a few matters you'll want to have an understanding of before you start planting, but if you're all set, then get going!
For the best results, how about something like the Tolga Tall Rectangular Planter above? With its natural shape and size, you'll be able to cover more of the driveway's edges so you won't have to splurge on a crazy number of planters. On top of this, with their fiberglass materials, they'll serve you and your plants through the worst snow and the hottest sun.
Finally, given their stature, they can also function as privacy screens--Talk about a triple threat!
Looking for privacy for your patio? Check out these Privacy Planters For Patio
3. Driveway Landscaping Idea: Round n' Round A Circular Driveway!
A more grand entrance than its aforementioned counterparts, a circular driveway is what dreams are made of. Just think for a minute of the most spectacular hotel or resort you ever had the pleasure of staying in.
Did you picture a circular driveway leading to the front door? If you did, you can thank movies like James Bond for that, as they popularized the glitz and glamour such driveways stand for.
Now, if you are lucky to be working with a property that has a circular driveway, there's no better way to improve the overall landscaping than by planting a garden in the site. This will really take what's already majestic and turn it into something otherworldly!
Before you get started, do you want to plant on the outer edge of the driveway or around the inner circle? How about both?
A good jumping off point is to begin by planting a garden to function as the centrepiece around which every vehicle will travel. You could plant foliage like trees, shrubs, or plain ol' grass for this. Along the outer edge you could use fiberglass planters for more selective displays of your favorite plants. How about a beautiful bed of flowers? These can function as makeshift walls or fences against the driveway, making them viable safety considerations too! Try a Hollywood Rectangular Planter for that glamorous feel.
Need more ideas for rectangular planters? Read up on these 6 Amazing Rectangle Planter Ideas
4. Driveway Landscaping Idea: Tall Plants By Driveway Gates
Though we've talked about the possibilities of introducing gardens to your actual driveway, how about taking a look at what you can do with gates at a driveway entrance?
Imagine, an exclusive country club or mansion-esque property, one that takes a bit of a drive through rolling hills and forests to reach. Once there, you wait before a set of large, regal gates, flanked on either side by greenery of which you've never seen before. Tall, flowering trees or big, bushy shrubs. With a deep sigh, you look forward to your upcoming weekend getaway.
How did that sound? Are you booking your ticket already?
The reason that the image is so attractive ties in with the fact that for any landscape design architect, tall plants are one of the best ways to really create a sense of awe. It's one thing to grow a selection of small plants (we're looking at you, succulents), but it's another thing entirely to harness a feel of the great outdoors in the form of a tall plant. By pairing such plants at the entrance to any driveway, you're immediately giving anyone who comes by the best first impression possible.
If you don't have a big country house and gardens, using planters to bring nature to these location is your best way forward. To start, why not try the Corry Cylinder Planter below?
The round shape is perfect for growing any kind of plant from small to very large. With its fiberglass, you won't have to worry about constantly replacing it--These pots last forever - perfect for the driveway entrance!
Curious about how you install a pot? Read this guide on Installing Fiberglass Planters
5. Driveway Landscaping Idea: Colorful Planters Offset Stone Walls And Gravel!
As mentioned at the start of this post, driveways often go overlooked in landscape design. The result of this is a lot of grey gravel and grey walls, nothing that really gives anyone a chance to admire a space because they're bored of it before they can even try--Tragic, right? One simple solution to this problem is to use colorful planters in a driveway, and if that sounds simple enough it's because it is!
Colorful planters are great because they allow you to really tap into your inner child and let your imagination run free. Who said landscaping had to be serious, after all?
To go ahead and try your hand at this, simply look at your driveway as it is now. Do you see the gravel? Do you see all the dreary, imposing walls? Now kiss goodbye to that sorry scene and start picking out some planters. How about the Toulan Modern Tall Tapered Square Planter? Available in 18 colors, you'll be sure to find the shade that's right for you!
Once the container is ready, think about the plants to grow inside! This is where you further toy around by picking plants that play off of the color of their container. With that, you now know how to transform dull driveways into ones with a garden of green.
Top read: Find out the 9 Container Gardening Trends To Watch For in 2023
6. Driveway Landscaping Idea: Add Chic Rain Garden Features
Once you get comfortable with gardening and landscape design, you can start to implement features like a rain garden for some added benefits.
What Is A Rain Garden?
A rain garden is a practice used in landscaping where a garden sits on a lower terrain than its surroundings. What happens then is that when it rains, rainwater naturally runs off into the garden.
By doing this, the garden acts as a natural rainwater filter, as, according to estimates made by the US EPA, "pollutants carried by rainwater runoff account for 70% of all water pollution."
Though this might sound confusing at first, really, all you have to do is consult with a landscaper and they can help you install rain gardens in your driveways. These are the perfect spots for rain gardens because they tend to be on a slope, so having the garden at the bottom allows it to collect all the natural runoff from the driveway.
FAQ's
What if you live somewhere where it rains often?
A valid question, but easily managed thanks to the fact that these gardens always have great drainage, usually drying out within 12 to 48 hours. For the best results, install a rain garden during the dry season for it to better adapt to its habitat.
What plants can you grow?
The best choices are plants that are native to the area. This is because you won't have to worry about purchasing fertilizers, further ensuring simple maintenance. For actual types, go for perennials, shrubs, or wildflowers.
A front porch rain garden? Check out these 4 Front Porch Trends to find out more
JBD Concepts Offer You Or Your Customers The Best Planter Solutions Available
All of our planters come with an industry-leading warranty for both residential and commercial use giving you peace of mind that your investment is safe, and the form, function, and beauty of your new planter will last beyond expectations.
Are you a landscape architect or designer and want to get more customers with our planters? Contact us today to learn more about the exciting opportunities our wholesale range can deliver!
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Shop now and begin improving your space!
