Garden Designers Say These 7 Front Yard Features Will Date Your Home in 2026 – Here's How to Refresh Them
Signs that say your front yard needs a future-facing refresh
Trends and styles don’t just influence what we wear, listen to or decorate our interiors with. While it may be a slower process, the exteriors of our homes are just as impacted by what’s in and what’s out. Your front yard may look stunning and modern but give it five years and it will start to look stale, or even uninviting.
In 2026, front yards are expected to look lighter, more intentional and more in tune with architecture and nature. There’s a greater interest in creating a home landscape that feels part of a community. Yet many homes are still hiding behind hedges and clinging to design habits that quietly signal another decade.
1. Overgrown Foundation Shrubs
One of the fastest ways to age a home is with foundation plantings that have simply grown too big.
As Shaina Barnum of Shaina B Design in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, puts it: 'Overgrown foundation shrubs are an instant giveaway dating a home,' Shaina noted. 'Big evergreens will start to cover windows or crowd walkways.'
When shrubs hide architecture instead of highlighting it, the whole house feels heavier, Sheila explains.
'It makes the whole front of the house feel heavy and unseen. So instead of highlighting the architecture, you end up hiding it.'
The solution isn’t just trimming but rethinking the whole structure of the planting.
'Foundation plantings are meant to frame a home, not completely swallow it,' she says. Instead, designers are moving toward mixed, layered beds.
'When I think of 2026, I think of modern front yards that are using layered mixed plantings – a combination of grasses, perennials, smaller shrubs – to create movement, texture and interest,' she adds.
Linear rows of shrubs are giving way to softer, more naturalistic designs. 'It feels lighter and more intentional and in line with today's naturalistic design trends.'
2. The 'Mustache Bed' and Endless Lawn
Dave Marciniak of Revolutionary Gardens in Culpeper, Virginia, has a name for one of the most outdated front-yard features: 'I call it the mustache planting bed, which is a foundation planting bed that's just four feet wide along the front and that's it.'
That narrow strip of shrubs surrounded by endless grass is losing favor. 'People now want a front yard that has a much better balance of plants to [lawn] grass,' Dave says. Instead of tiny beds hugging the house, he’s designing beds that 'extend out beyond the foundation of the house and even out to the street and help anchor the house to the lot.'
Dave recommends beds that are 'at least five to six feet deep front to back,' so you can layer plants properly.
He suggests mixing in trees and large shrubs like serviceberry and dogwood 'just to have a little bit more interest than your standard row of box woods'.
Shaina Barnum is a container design specialist and a lifelong flower grower who celebrates seasonal color and the sense of connection it creates. With more than 15 years of hands-on container design experience and a deep knowledge of garden and landscape plants, Shaina combines practical expertise with an inviting approach that encourages people to experiment, share and find joy in growing together.
Dave Marciniak is a landscape designer based in Culpeper, Virginia. He owns Revolutionary Gardens, a firm dedicated to creating one-of-a-kind landscapes for folks who love being outside. Dave has designed landscapes all over the country, from New England to California, before settling in Virginia.
John Algozzini is recently retired from Hursthouse Landscape in Bollingbrook, Illinois, after a 44-year career in primarily a design/sales role. Winner of over a dozen state and national landscape design awards, John's work has also been featured on multiple websites and in dozens of magazines over the years.
3. Containers That Miss the Mark
Pots and planters are another subtle giveaway of a dated yard. Shaina noted that two styles in particular are aging poorly: small, undersized containers and glossy ceramic pots.
Tiny pots at a grand front door throw off the whole scale. 'You see this big, beautiful front door, and then you see these tiny little pots,' she says. 'It feels very top heavy and the scale is just off.' Shaina suggests starting with containers at least 16 inches in diameter and going larger when the house allows it.
Glossy ceramics are also losing their shine. 'I think they have had their moment, but in 2026 we're ready for more modern curb appeal,' Shaina says. Instead of matchy-matchy sets, she recommends one oversized statement planter or mixing sizes using earthy materials like stone or concrete.
Container maker, Arbora, offers lightweight containers that only look like stone and concrete, thanks to a polyresin. The 16-in Valencia pot from Amazon adds that natural material look to a porch or patio but not all that extra weight.
Retired landscape designer John Algozzini agrees that containers matter, but says the bigger problem is mismatch. 'Frequently, you'll see containers are inconsistent with the style of the architecture.'
He explains that people often buy pots on sale without considering style. John noted that the real problem is homeowners holding onto their pots for too long. 'People will hold on to the same container for eons, even when it doesn't look good,' he says.
4. Outdoor Furniture That Tells on You
Outdoor furniture can quietly betray when it was last updated. John says cushions and accessories are major tells.
'If you go back and you look 25 years ago, green cushions abounded… and 15 years ago it was Martha Stewart Orange,' he says. 'When those colors are still sitting on the porch, it shows.'
Luckily, updating doesn’t mean replacing everything. It's a simple fix swapping pillow covers to keep things current without needing to buy all new furniture.
5. Walkways That Isolate Instead of Welcome
Another dated feature is a front door that only connects to a driveway. Dave says more homeowners now want walkways that connect directly to the street. 'They're looking for that connection with the neighborhood,' he says.
This small change has a big emotional effect. 'It's making the front door actually feel welcoming and like your house is a part of the street,' Dave adds. The solar lights such as the bronze outdoor solar path light from The Home Depot, puts out a soft but safe glow for nighttime visitors.
6. Hardscaping That Doesn’t Match the House
Hardscape can age just as fast as plants. John pointed to faded or clunky modular brick: 'If you have a modular brick that is faded, it makes it feel outdated,' he says. Especially if it’s visible from the street, old brick can instantly signal a past era.
The fix usually isn’t cosmetic but would be a whole new installation. The key is matching hardscape to architecture.
'Make sure that that project is consistent,' John advises. 'You get the wrong contractor and the wrong homeowner together, they can make some choices that will make your hair stand on end.'
7. Mulch as Decoration
All three experts agree on one thing: red mulch. 'Red mulch has always been my nemesis,' Shelia admits.
For his part, Dave said he’s been 'fighting the battle against red mulch for my entire career.' John puts it even more bluntly: 'Red mulch, or dyed mulch in general, if it first came out on a Friday, it was out of style by Saturday.'
The bigger issue is using mulch as decoration instead of support. Dave explains to his clients that mulch is not a ground cover. The good news is he’s seeing fewer 'big seas of mulch with individual little plants' and more layered plantings where plants, and not mulch, do the heavy lifting.
John agreed, saying that hardwood mulch should fade into the background. 'The mulch is not the star of the show,' he says. 'And if it is, your project is already dated.'
There are multiple mulch options available, including natural hardwood mulch from Back to the Roots at Lowe's that contains no synthetic dyes, prevents weeds and helps conserve soil moisture.
In 2026, front yards are less about rigid formulas and more about thoughtful connection to architecture, nature and the neighborhood. Heavy shrubs, shiny pots, faded brick, and loud mulch and a dozen other small missteps all send the same message: the yard isn’t keeping up.
And the fixes don’t require starting from scratch. Often, it’s about layering, scaling, swapping and choosing materials that fit the architecture, and letting plants be the star. Start small. Now is a great time to consider a porch pot reset. Follow some of Martha Stewart’s container garden secrets to fill your patio with spring and summer floral fireworks.
