What are front gardens for

During lockdown last year we used the front garden, for the first time in 30 years, to sit and eat. It gets all the evening sun. We are in a cul de sac and have quite a large garden. Many neighbours come and have a social distanced chat. VE Day was fantastic, all but one household came out to join in festivities. Tonight will be our first meal in the front this year.

BlueBelle

I think it’s a class thing
Upper class sit in their back secluded gardens under their parasols and the hoi palloi sit on the front chatting and in sight to all probably with their aprons on ???

I used to live in Manchester. People brought out their chairs and sat on the pavement having drinks in the evening. How common lolol My mother would have tutted loudly ???

I find that most front gardens have been converted to hard stands to park cars. I love my front garden - just the right size for me to keep it in check, and to pass the time of day with people when I am out weeding or trimming.

What are front gardens for? Hmmm.... well, according to the family across the road, they're for storing that skip full of waste house alterations materials that they've been accumulating for at least 2 years, the rusting car that hasn't turned a wheel since I've lived opposite them, the childrens bikes, scooters and doll's pram that have been there for so long they're almost obliterated from view by the weeds and 3 overflowing wheelie bins.

I don't have a front garden - maybe a pot of geraniums - but have plenty of space in the back. Even when I was a child, our front garden was largely ornamental and if we did sit out, it was in the large back garden.

I have lots of passers-by. My road continues to a public footpath, and I have a lovely large wooded and grassy area of Common Land opposite. I have an arbour seat with roses growing over, where I like to sit with a cuppa and watch the world go by.
A few years ago I had a double wall built, which is a riot of lovely coloured plants. People often stop for a chat, and to compliment it. I leave a bowl of water by the gate on warm days, so the dogs can have a drink while we chat.
I love my front garden!

Midwifebi6. Your amusing story of being mistaken for burglars reminds me of the time that I was caring for my neighbours’ elderly cat, while they were on holiday.
It was a chilly evening, and the cat hadn’t come home for his tea. I didn’t want to leave him out all night, so I left their kitchen light on, hoping that it would entice him home.
A short time later, a police car pulled up outside. A neighbour, seeing the light on, and knowing that they were away, had dialled 999.
Very embarrassed, I went out and apologetically explained. While doing so, the cat appeared, and miaowed to go in for his supper. Luckily the Bobbies saw the funny side!

Goodness me, tutting at you!!! I' d have said very loudly " what friendly neigbours we have, cheers" ...Let them change roads for their walk if they don' t like what they see. Honestly, some people can find fault/ object to anything !!!!

Our front garden is about four feet deep so we aren't able to have off street parking, when I am gardening out there lots of people stop to chat.Down the road some friends have a bench in their west facing front garden and some times sit there having a drink. When we had dogs they used to sit at the open front door and watch the world go by!

Just ignore the tutters.l have a seat in mine sit there nice evenings chat to my neighbours and passing folk.

My front garden is totally wasted.
It’s been paved over, but weeds appear amongst the joins.

Couldn’t possibly sit out in it, we live on a busy main road.

My front is about 1/3 drive, 2/3 lawn with shrubs bordering - I sometimes sit out there evening time if the sun is there or daytime on weekends/holidays with a book and cup of tea/coffee sometimes a glass of something - it is nice to see people passing and get the odd hello. As other posters have said, this was especially nice in the first lockdown, we had bingo and tea party for VE Day on the pavements - saw more of the neighbours in those few months than I have in all the time living here (nearly 35 years !! ). Usually though I do spend more time in the back garden as the sun is there longer, sometimes also have breakfast or other meals out there.

Front gardens are part of the glory of the English domestic living space (= house)
They create privacy, help with drainage, and add to our green capital.
It is tragic to see them paved over - this should be made illegal.

Parking cars . We like low garden maintenance . Couple of pots and hanging baskets are enough for us.

I remember years ago, sitting outside the front of my house, with my neighbour, enjoying a very warm day in Feb. It was quite common in my home town where ladies would sit and have a chat and catch morning sun. Shame some people are such miseries.

We've got bluebells and violets growing in the front. I planted the violets and they have spread but the bluebells just appeared one year and multiply each time. We also have a lot of geraniums and pelargoniums from cuttings, they just grow and grow.I used to have begonias but they died of neglect during a hot spell!

We tend to sit in the back where the sun is in the late afternoon and evening.
I can appreciate what is being said though, our village is near the Lake District and we get strangers wandering along usually with dogs in tow. As our house has the kitchen windows at the front if the light is on they tend to look over, never wave just let their dogs do what they do.
I do have a bench at the front and have sat on it a few times over the years usually with GC.
We should make a stand for all these unused lovely front gardens and make a point of sitting in them then the gateway would not be viewed as a doggy loo.
Funnily when it was VE day last year and clap for carriers we all used them and had a good weekly chat about where to buy things in short supply etc..

Whitewavemark2

Here you are ? mine is only small and I do have tiny spreading thyme (moss doesn’t work - too dry) but it is really easy. DH made me a Zen rake and I love doing all the different patterns.

That's so lovely! Really peaceful looking and though I adore flowers and would always choose to have loads of those, I think I'd now really like to incorporate a wee Zen garden too, just to calm me down when I get too stressed.

Our front garden is basically just a flower bed and a walkway to the garage. We dont use it for anything

What a front garden is for depends entirely on where you live.

In my Scottish childhood the well to do regarded a front garden as being entirely for show. Some grew flowers there, but never vegetables and washing was never, ever dried at the front of the house, even if it got more sun than the back.

In the Netherlands the front garden is most definitely for show and these days often paved with shrubs in pots or small beds to save work.

A similar tendency seems to be creeping in here in Denmark. I would simply love to be able to afford to have our front garden paved with a couple of flowering shrubs in small beds.

A neihbour was actually cheeky enough to tell me I should mow the front lawn more often than the back. I told her to mind her own business, unless she was actually offering to come and do it for me, as I have quite enough work on my hands without moving a lawn twice or three times a month.

That is lovely.

It would be more polite of them just to say 'hello' - it is your garden after all

Our home has a narrow, unfenced strip of soil with aquilegia growing against the front wall in front, with a bench against the wall. People passing up and down our lane stop and chat. It's lovely!! No negative comments - that we've heard - at all....

Now I assume you were fully clothed - sorry, just had to ask - what grumpy people. We sit on our front doorstep with a glass or coffee depending upon the reason that takes us there. Sometimes a rest from gardening, sometimes for a bit of shade (our back garden is full South and can get too hot to sit out). As somebody else said "Your house, your rules". You could say you are starting a new trend for sociable people! Perhaps they'll get the hint and pipe down next time. Go on enjoy your front garden - otherwise you're just keeping it nice for other people to look at!

Hi everyone - do you remember the old american films that used to have people sitting on the front porch at the end of the day and saying hi to everyone that passed or wanted to stop and have a chat. That's neighbourly. I always wanted to be able to do that.