6 Ways to Combine Paving and Planting in a Front Garden
Ensure your front garden or driveway is both practical and attractive with this expert advice
A well-designed front garden can add beauty and value to your home, but it can also be a challenging space to get right. The recent rise in electric car ownership means more homeowners now need space on their front drive or garden to charge their car, but this needs to be balanced with creating a green and welcoming space.
Searches on Houzz for ‘front garden driveway’ have increased by 74% year over year*, reflecting a growing demand for multifunctional outdoor spaces that enhance kerb appeal and include attractive planting while also meeting modern needs.
We asked three garden professionals for their advice on how to create a front garden that combines hard landscaping with beautiful planting.
Professional advice from: Jane Ashley of Jane Ashley Garden Design; Guy Barter, RHS Chief Horticulturist; Georgia Lindsay of Georgia Lindsay Garden Design
Searches on Houzz for ‘front garden driveway’ have increased by 74% year over year*, reflecting a growing demand for multifunctional outdoor spaces that enhance kerb appeal and include attractive planting while also meeting modern needs.
We asked three garden professionals for their advice on how to create a front garden that combines hard landscaping with beautiful planting.
Professional advice from: Jane Ashley of Jane Ashley Garden Design; Guy Barter, RHS Chief Horticulturist; Georgia Lindsay of Georgia Lindsay Garden Design
1. Choose permeable materials
There are many beautiful and sustainable forms of permeable paving that will allow water to safely drain away, creating a drive that’s both practical and attractive. Guy Barter suggests using simple porous blocks or gravel to allow water to soak in.
“Permeable clay pavers and gravel aid drainage, so storm drains aren’t put under stress, and allow rainwater to evenly permeate the ground naturally,” Georgia Lindsay agrees. “The worst thing you can do is pave over you drive and force water into one drain.”
The advantage of gravel is that plants can grow through it, softening the edges, as seen here. Porous blocks, meanwhile, can be set slightly apart for a similar result, with grass or low-growing plants greening up the area while still allowing a solid surface for parking.
“Creating permeable landscapes has become an increasingly important factor throughout design considerations,” Jane Ashley says. “There’s a growing fashion to lay plank paving or stepping stones within gravel. This allows water to drain into the ground more easily. Materials such as permeable grouts and mortars are also becoming more widely used.”
There are many beautiful and sustainable forms of permeable paving that will allow water to safely drain away, creating a drive that’s both practical and attractive. Guy Barter suggests using simple porous blocks or gravel to allow water to soak in.
“Permeable clay pavers and gravel aid drainage, so storm drains aren’t put under stress, and allow rainwater to evenly permeate the ground naturally,” Georgia Lindsay agrees. “The worst thing you can do is pave over you drive and force water into one drain.”
The advantage of gravel is that plants can grow through it, softening the edges, as seen here. Porous blocks, meanwhile, can be set slightly apart for a similar result, with grass or low-growing plants greening up the area while still allowing a solid surface for parking.
“Creating permeable landscapes has become an increasingly important factor throughout design considerations,” Jane Ashley says. “There’s a growing fashion to lay plank paving or stepping stones within gravel. This allows water to drain into the ground more easily. Materials such as permeable grouts and mortars are also becoming more widely used.”
2. Create ‘tyre tracks’ for parking
Another option if you need to have a hard surface on your driveway to park a car, but still want to combine this with planting, is to not pave the entire area. “Try to add as much planting around and under the cars [as you can],” Georgia says
One effective way to do this is to limit the hard paving to two ‘wheel tracks’, where the wheels of your car will go. The areas either side of and in between these tracks can then provide rainwater drainage, as well as creating planting pockets for grass or suitable plants.
Find a garden designer on Houzz today.
Another option if you need to have a hard surface on your driveway to park a car, but still want to combine this with planting, is to not pave the entire area. “Try to add as much planting around and under the cars [as you can],” Georgia says
One effective way to do this is to limit the hard paving to two ‘wheel tracks’, where the wheels of your car will go. The areas either side of and in between these tracks can then provide rainwater drainage, as well as creating planting pockets for grass or suitable plants.
Find a garden designer on Houzz today.
3. Incorporate planting pockets
If your car will take up most of the space on your driveway or front garden, see if there are any unused corners where you can squeeze in some ‘pocket planting’. “While paving is often vital for practical reasons, there are usually opportunities for some permeable areas and plants,” Guy says.
“Finding space for plants is usually possible in corners to leave space to park and load or unload the car,” he continues. “Other options include lifting slabs to make planting pockets after improving the underlying soil.”
If you really don’t have any space for planting, you could bring in greenery with containers. “Adding large containers that are hard to pilfer is especially valuable in smaller gardens,” Guy says.
If your car will take up most of the space on your driveway or front garden, see if there are any unused corners where you can squeeze in some ‘pocket planting’. “While paving is often vital for practical reasons, there are usually opportunities for some permeable areas and plants,” Guy says.
“Finding space for plants is usually possible in corners to leave space to park and load or unload the car,” he continues. “Other options include lifting slabs to make planting pockets after improving the underlying soil.”
If you really don’t have any space for planting, you could bring in greenery with containers. “Adding large containers that are hard to pilfer is especially valuable in smaller gardens,” Guy says.
4. Integrate vertical planting
If ground space is at a premium, look at maximising vertical surfaces to bring in some valuable greenery, Georgia suggests. If you only have a small planting area, then fill it with climbing plants to help boost the amount of greenery in the space.
“[Increasingly] fewer people want wall-to-wall paving in their front gardens, and there’s more interest in using space for planting, whether in the ground [or] climbing up the house,” Jane says. “These beneficial developments make front gardens more appealing, but also reflect the regulations on sustainable urban drainage, which limit the quantity of impermeable paving that doesn’t drain into a flowerbed.”
Jane has also noticed a growing demand in front garden design for bike and bin stores. Many of these can incorporate a green roof or support climbing plants, bringing greenery and wildlife habitats to a front garden or driveway.
If ground space is at a premium, look at maximising vertical surfaces to bring in some valuable greenery, Georgia suggests. If you only have a small planting area, then fill it with climbing plants to help boost the amount of greenery in the space.
“[Increasingly] fewer people want wall-to-wall paving in their front gardens, and there’s more interest in using space for planting, whether in the ground [or] climbing up the house,” Jane says. “These beneficial developments make front gardens more appealing, but also reflect the regulations on sustainable urban drainage, which limit the quantity of impermeable paving that doesn’t drain into a flowerbed.”
Jane has also noticed a growing demand in front garden design for bike and bin stores. Many of these can incorporate a green roof or support climbing plants, bringing greenery and wildlife habitats to a front garden or driveway.
5. Replace fences with hedges
To increase the planting in a small front garden, you could also line the space with hedges, which offer a wildlife habitat, visual interest and a softer edge to a hard-landscaped area.
“Where space permits, replacing fences with hedges is helpful,” Guy says. “As well as mopping up water, hedges can help to reduce wind gusts, intercept dust, absorb pollution and help wildlife.”
But if a hedge is not possible, Guy suggests greening up your existing fences or walls with climbing plants to soften them.
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software.
To increase the planting in a small front garden, you could also line the space with hedges, which offer a wildlife habitat, visual interest and a softer edge to a hard-landscaped area.
“Where space permits, replacing fences with hedges is helpful,” Guy says. “As well as mopping up water, hedges can help to reduce wind gusts, intercept dust, absorb pollution and help wildlife.”
But if a hedge is not possible, Guy suggests greening up your existing fences or walls with climbing plants to soften them.
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software.
6. Plant trees
Trees might not be the first thing you think of planting in a small front garden, but, when chosen carefully, they can be an excellent use of limited space, providing visual interest, cool leafy shade and valuable wildlife habitats.
“Trees are the best thing to grow in a small space,” Georgia says. “For the footprint they take up, they offer the largest canopy.” She suggests choosing trees such as crab apple, Amelanchier or rowan for a front garden.
More: 10 Tricks for Adding Kerb Appeal to Your Home
Trees might not be the first thing you think of planting in a small front garden, but, when chosen carefully, they can be an excellent use of limited space, providing visual interest, cool leafy shade and valuable wildlife habitats.
“Trees are the best thing to grow in a small space,” Georgia says. “For the footprint they take up, they offer the largest canopy.” She suggests choosing trees such as crab apple, Amelanchier or rowan for a front garden.
More: 10 Tricks for Adding Kerb Appeal to Your Home
Remember your front garden can be part of a positive wider landscape
The risk of overwhelming storm drains and flooding because of paved driveways mentioned earlier shouldn’t be underestimated. “The area of paved-over front gardens in London is stated to be equivalent to 22 Hyde Parks,” Guy says.
But that accumulated impact can also be flipped around to create a positive effect. If you consider your front garden as part of a wider network that connects you with your neighbours and creates a green corridor, this could have incredible benefits for both you and your neighbourhood. For example, planting intentionally across several front gardens can create an extended network of tree cover and vegetation for wildlife, as well as increasing the kerb appeal of your home and the street as a whole.
It could also make you healthier and happier, says Guy, who explains, “As well as the environmental benefit, RHS research has shown that residents’ wellbeing is enhanced by greener, more planted front gardens.”
*Data reflects year over year growth in UK-based searches on Houzz from January-March 2025 versus January-March 2024.
Tell us…
Have you combined planting and paving in your own front garden? Share your suggestions and photos in the Comments.
The risk of overwhelming storm drains and flooding because of paved driveways mentioned earlier shouldn’t be underestimated. “The area of paved-over front gardens in London is stated to be equivalent to 22 Hyde Parks,” Guy says.
But that accumulated impact can also be flipped around to create a positive effect. If you consider your front garden as part of a wider network that connects you with your neighbours and creates a green corridor, this could have incredible benefits for both you and your neighbourhood. For example, planting intentionally across several front gardens can create an extended network of tree cover and vegetation for wildlife, as well as increasing the kerb appeal of your home and the street as a whole.
It could also make you healthier and happier, says Guy, who explains, “As well as the environmental benefit, RHS research has shown that residents’ wellbeing is enhanced by greener, more planted front gardens.”
*Data reflects year over year growth in UK-based searches on Houzz from January-March 2025 versus January-March 2024.
Tell us…
Have you combined planting and paving in your own front garden? Share your suggestions and photos in the Comments.
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With the rapid rise in the use of electric cars, more homeowners now need to create a parking space directly in front of their home to allow for charging, which means front gardens are becoming parking spaces when perhaps they weren’t previously.
But if you’re considering paving your front garden, bear in mind there are regulations governing the use of impermeable paving on driveways in the UK. These regulations are in place to prevent the risk of flooding and water pollution as a result of rainwater runoff from impermeable paving surfaces, such as concrete or asphalt, so do your research before you start or speak to a professional to get up-to-date advice.
A good garden professional will be able to advise you on the specific requirements in your area and suggest creative ways to create an attractive space that meets planning requirements.
Check out the following design ideas for combining planting with a hard surface.