FRONT GARDENS
Jasper Green plans front gardens for terraces, cottages and Federation homes across the Inner West, Eastern Suburbs and North Shore. A front garden is seen far more often than it is used: it faces the street, holds functional items such as bins and meters, contains front paths and driveways, and in some suburbs sits under heritage controls. We create front gardens that reconcile the utilitarian and aesthetic aspects into value-adding spaces.
Recent projects
Rozelle
(Completed 2026)
A small front garden on a busy road that needed to be enjoyed in passing and add to the kerb appeal in a style to suit the house.
Who this service is for
This service suits owners of terraces, semis, cottages and Federation houses as well as new builds, whose front garden has become an afterthought: a patchy lawn, a leftover hedge, bins in full view. Many are finishing a renovation and want the front of the house to match the work done inside. Others live in a heritage conservation area and want to know what they can change before they spend anything.
If your space is an enclosed courtyard, see Courtyards. For backyards and whole properties, see Residential Landscapes.
Front garden issues we regularly resolve
- Heritage and streetscape rules: in conservation areas, council controls can cover front fences, paving and even materials. We check what applies before anything is decided. Our article on council rules for Sydney gardens.
- Water and levels: front gardens often fall towards the house or collect run-off from the street and neighbouring properties. We set levels and drainage before choosing surfaces and materials, so water leaves the garden instead of sitting against the walls.
- Street noise: planting can soften noise, but on busy roads we plan the garden to be enjoyed from the house and in passing, and put any seating where it is most sheltered and useful.
- Meters, pits and driveways: they need clear access and usually sit in the most visible spot. We give them a proper place in the layout, screen them where we can and keep them easy to reach.
- A lawn that won’t thrive: small front lawns struggle with shade, foot traffic and hot paving. Often planting or alternative treatments do the same job with less ongoing maintenance.
How a front garden project runs
- Discovery Call (free, 30 minutes). You tell us about the garden and what bothers you about it. Afterwards we email a proposal for a Site Diagnostic.
- Site Diagnostic. A one hour visit covering sun, soil, drainage, access, services and the controls that apply to your street, then a written report and recommended next step within 10 to 14 days. The Site Diagnostic page has more detail.
- Scope of Works. The work undertaken, the plans you will receive and their fixed fee, agreed before work starts.
- Reverse Brief. We set out your goals and limits in writing so you can confirm we have understood them.
- Concept. The layout, materials and planting direction for the front garden.
- Working plans. Drawings and a planting plan detailed enough for a landscaper, or for you, to build from.
- Construction support (optional). Visits during the build to answer questions on site.
Each stage is explained on our process page.
Fees
Front garden projects start from $1,500. The Discovery Call costs nothing, and every project begins with a Site Diagnostic. The fee for the plans is then fixed in the Scope of Works, so it is agreed before work begins and paid in stages. Heritage controls, level changes and drainage are what usually increase complexity and costs. Our guide to landscape design costs in Sydney explains some of the background.
Where we work
We work across Sydney. Most of our front garden projects are on new builds, terraces, semis and cottages in Rozelle, Balmain, Lilyfield, Leichhardt, Annandale and Paddington, and on Federation homes on the North Shore.
Who you’ll work with
Damian Norton founded Jasper Green on the view that good outcomes start with understanding people, places and the problems that connect them.
With a degree in design and a postgraduate certificate in garden design, he brings decades of experience in strategy and problem-solving to landscape work, based around careful investigation of each site and client needs.
Damian leads every Jasper Green project, from the first call to construction support, and brings in arborists, engineers and other specialists when a project or site needs them.
Frequently asked front garden questions
My front garden is tiny. What can really be done with it?
More than you’d expect, once you decide what it is for. Most small front gardens have three jobs: a welcoming path to the door, somewhere for the bins and meters, and providing kerb appeal. Giving each a clear place, then planting appropriately, usually does more than adding features.
How can I make a small front garden feel bigger?
The answer is often to simplify it. A limited palette of materials and plants feels less cluttered and gives a sense of space. Obscuring boundaries also makes the edges harder to read. Keep the path clear and let planting rise in height towards the boundary rather than crowding the middle. Our article on common small garden mistakes has more.
What can I do about privacy? Can I build a wall?
Sometimes, but councils usually limit the height and solidity of front fences and walls, especially in heritage conservation areas, and a solid wall often needs approval. A tall wall can also cut light to the house, keep the garden damp and look out of place in the street. Layered planting behind a lower or more open fence is often the better answer: it screens the windows that matter and keeps the house connected to the street. Our Site Diagnostic service confirms what your council allows.
What is a low-maintenance option for a front garden?
One planned around the time you actually want to spend on it. That usually means fewer plant types chosen for your sun and soil, clipped shapes that need trimming a few times a year rather than weekly, mulch to hold moisture and keep weeds down, and drip irrigation if the garden is exposed. No garden is maintenance-free, but a well-planned one needs very little.
How can I hide my bins?
Give them a permanent home before planning anything else. Bins need a level route to the kerb and enough room to open the lids, so we fit them into the layout and screen them with hedging or an enclosure that suits the style of the property.
How can I make my front garden feel less like a thoroughfare?
Create a sense of arrival. A gate, a change of paving at the entry, planting either side of the path or a slight bend in its line all slow people down and mark the garden as a place rather than a corridor. Even a small front garden can feel like somewhere you step into, not just walk through.
Start with a conversation
If the front of your house doesn’t do it justice, a free 30-minute Discovery Call is the place to start.
