Developing a neighborhood entrance requires landscaping. You'll need to design the entrance with an attractive, as well as functional, landscape. With a properly designed landscape, the neighborhood will project a more welcoming atmosphere. Neighborhood entrances, however, often require different landscaping practices than the residences within them.

#1) Don't Obstruct Signage
When planning the entrance's landscape, you should be conscious of the signage and whether or not it's visible. Most neighborhood entrances, of course, have a sign denoting the name of the neighborhood. Some of them have street signs as well. You can add bushes and plants around these signs, but you shouldn't obstruct them.

#2) Choose Native Plants
Native plants are ideal for neighborhood entrances. Since they already grow in the surrounding region, they require less maintenance than other, non-native plants. With native plants, your neighborhood entrance won't require as much work to maintain. Native plants may still require some maintenance, but they are far easier to maintain than non-native plants.

#3) Consider Hardscape Elements
Hardscape elements are a common component of many neighborhood entrances. Hardscape elements are nonliving objects used in landscapes. Nearly all neighborhood entrances feature a combination of living plants and nonliving objects. Hardscape elements fall under the latter category. They consist of non-living objects like brick pavers, stones and even water fountains.

#4) Discourage Weeds
Weeds are a concern for most landscapes – and neighborhood entrance landscapes are no exception. Even if there are no weeds currently growing at the entrance, they may pop up later. You'll need to discourage weeds from growing at the entrance. Ensuring that the entrance has a solid bed of grass, for example, will discourage weeds. You can also cover exposed areas of soil with mulch. Mulch will prevent sunlight from reaching the soil so that weeds are less likely to pop up.

#5) Consider Lighting
You should consider lighting when planning the entrance's landscape. When the sun goes down, lighting will illuminate the entrance and its signage. There are different types of lighting for neighborhood entrances. There are battery-powered light-emitting diode (LED) lamps, for instance, that can illuminate the entrance. There are also solar lamps that capture and store electricity from sunlight. Solar lamps will typically turn on automatically at night and turn off during the day.

While designing a neighborhood entrance landscape is time-consuming, you don't have to do it yourself. You can hire a commercial landscaping company to design the perfect entrance landscape for your neighborhood.

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