Bored of looking out of the window and beholding a mundane-cum-drab yard? Does your front yard lack eye appeal, and looks at you fatigued and worn out? Convert your bland garden into a landscaping dream. Landscapes not only serve the purpose of accessibility and invitation, they also provide the overall impression of your home.

The thumb rule for front yard landscape design is to tailor your yard to suit your level of commitment, interest and budget while keeping it tasteful. You can choose to make the yard either welcoming and friendly with natural settings or you can give it a formal, classic look. The thing to obviously keep in mind is that it should blend in with the architecture and style of your home. It is a good idea to plan how you would actually landscape the garden. A sketch of the plans might be a good idea as it helps in identifying the materials required and saves against any wastage and impulse buying.Laying out the desired access paths to your house constitutes the first step of landscape gardening. As a matter of fact these access paths serve to mark the entire design and shape of the front yard. The predominant focus is obviously the driveways which will be used by you and your guests for driving up to the front door. In addition, walkways to the front and back doors should also be designed.While designing the driveway, the shape and the driveway paving have to be taken into consideration. While the geometry of the driveways and the walkways may be curvilinear or straight, the driveway paving material is an individual choice. So you may choose a rustic look with loose stones or a firm driveway with asphalt. The driveway pavers can be included for the entire surface or may be used as design elements. You can either choose brick paver designs and patterns or granite and travertine patterns. In addition, decorative borders made of building material can decorate and add style to your driveway. For those wanting a fancy driveway, the natural bluestone set in concrete is an ideal choice.Add a dash to your landscape by devising a theme. If you would like to deliver a soft, ethereal feel to your garden, it's time to have a rose garden or a herb garden planned. If creating a tropical rather 'hard-hitting' feel to your landscape is the idea, include desert plants and bushes. A theme could also incorporate variegated hues of plants or may consider sporting a custom shade throughout.This is one area of landscape gardening where you will burgeon with ideas. However selecting the perfect plants is quite a tedious and demanding job. For all those with absolutely no knowledge of gardening and plants, a few basic concepts might help ease you into the job. Choose plants of mature height for the foundation planting. Try to avoid plants which grow in height above your windows. In fact evergreen shrubs are an excellent idea.A good idea for the garden are perennials which bloom year after year and are inexpensive as well as maintenance free. For those wanting a new look each year, try some annuals which give a burst of color for just one season.While artificial colors do embellish your garden and add style, colorful flowers, shrubs and trees are excellent for beautifying and adding color to the garden. Try out showy plants that produce red leaves for adding splashes of color to your lawn.Add visually stimulating objects, like, a bird house or a bird bath to the garden for attracting interesting wildlife. You can even try to add variety by placing containers of flowers on the front porch or the driveway. A great idea for the front yard is a separate sitting place, like a bench which you can place under a tree. You can also place limestone fountains and sculptures in an open lawn area.Place a few potted plants and shrubs around the bench and you have the perfect outdoor place to seat your friends and family.So what are you waiting for? Transform your typical patch of grass, mailbox, and garden flag front yard with these creative landscape ideas. Believe me, it will give your neighbors something to talk about for days.