13 creative driveway landscaping ideas

When considering driveway landscape ideas, also think about the conditions. No matter where you live, you’ll want to address drainage issues. In this case, the landscape includes plants and mulch on the high ground and a swath of river rock on the low ground where it serves as a dry creek bed to direct rainwater.

See how to install an in-ground drainage system.

When space permits their use, circular driveways not only add a touch of class, they also serve a practical purpose, eliminating the need to back up. In this case, a statue is surrounded by a formally sheared boxwood hedge, which also keeps vehicles from getting too close. Fill the interior with an easygoing groundcover, and you’ve got an attractive focal point.

Here are 12 simple ways to enhance kerb appeal.

Although it may be tempting to landscape the entire expanse of your driveway, another driveway landscape idea is to create a planting pocket. It can be any size or shape, so long as it’s got enough rooting space for your chosen plants. Consider the mature size of the plant, though, to ensure it won’t outgrow its bounds. In this example, the bed itself is edged to keep grass roots from migrating into the bed and causing extra maintenance.

Learn everything you need to know about garden and lawn edging here.

If you want guests to know where to park, you can earmark the driveway with matching trees lit up by landscape lighting for extra drama. Note the trees have been pruned to make them more architecturally interesting and to avoid blocking the view when vehicles are reversing. This is a good example of a smart driveway landscape idea.

Plants aren’t the only thing that can improve a driveway’s looks. Repave your driveway for instant enhanced kerb appeal.

Consider a mix of materials – in this case, gravel, sleepers, rustic stepping stones, boulders, and as a focal point, a cluster of stunning native plants.

Learn how to lay a gravel driveway.

Colourful cottage garden flowers are a delight. But how sad it would be to see them inadvertently knocked over by a careless driver. A kerb helps keep that from happening – and also keeps soil and mulch in place in case of rain.

Landscape architects share their secrets to creating a lovely yard. 

A slope and a tuck-under garage pose an aesthetic challenge that’s easily solved with smart driveway landscaping ideas like this. Tall arborvitaes help tone down the house’s height. A large group to the right is balanced by a smaller clump of arborvitaes and cascading Japanese maple to the left. Now imagine the setting without the tall evergreens –the house would seem out of scale with the rest of the landscape.

Learn how to create your dream garage. 

Placing large containers in strategic locations is another driveway landscape idea. The key is to put them where they won’t interfere with vehicles – and to use containers that are large enough to see easily. Small pots would look fussy – and they’d be hard to see – but these larger pots work just fine. Notice how the colour and shape of the containers is repeated to streamline the design.

Learn how to give pots better drainage. 

Landscaping is great, but you still need a place to park the cars. Note how the landscaping here is limited to the right side – in front of the house where it’s best appreciated – while the left side is gravel so extra vehicles can park without blocking the garage.

Bedding plants are valuable when it comes to implementing driveway landscape ideas. They look good in batches, so you can plant a nice expanse of colour that pops from the street – or from your front window. These marigolds and dusty miller plants are an example of mass appeal.

Learn how to design a small garden.