Have you ever walked down a sidewalk and felt a real sense of community was happening there? Front yards can do that. It’s surprisingly easy to communicate either openness, inclusiveness and friendliness or just the opposite – various iterations of self-imposed isolation – by your front yard garden choices from fencing to flowers to adding a flock of plastic flamingoes. And now there’s hardcore research that proves front yards make an impressive impact on a neighbourhood’s connectedness. If you want to go way beyond curb appeal and up your neighbourliness quotient (an especially keen feeling when you’ve just moved into a new home) then adding or subtracting just a few things can make a world of difference. Here’s how.

These hedges, backed by substantial cement hardscaping, along the side of a home on an open corner lot in Toronto certainly make a statement. Stylish? Yes. Friendly? Nope!

Express yourself

In an article published last month, entitled Happier, More Connected Neighborhoods Start Right In The Front Yard, researchers from the University of Buffalo studied 1,000 front yards and discovered that there are certain things that can capture the attention of passers-by (in a good way), start impromptu conversations and bolster neighbourhood pride and connectedness.

Interestingly, trends and ‘good taste’ don’t much factor into what makes a front yard say “Hi there!” or a neighbourhood say “We’re in this together!” So an ultra-stylish neighbourhood may inspire awe but not necessarily the warm and fuzzies. When residents responded with positive feelings about their neighbourhood and reported a greater sense of place, certain signals kept popping up again and again – whatever helped the home owners express themselves personally.

• Garden decor: from plant containers to sculptures (yes, garden gnomes and pink flamingoes, included)
• Flags: National, political, sports affiliated, or simply graphic banners
• Lush plantings: from distinctive themes such as the English country garden look to foodscaping.
• Personalized mailboxes
• A homemade Give-or-Take Little Free Library for neighbours to swap and share used books.

Porches for the people

This front porch hits all the right notes for broadcasting a big welcome. Shot in July in a small town outside of Gananoque, Ontario.

One of the study’s “strongest results” for boosting a resident’s “sense of place” were “elements that facilitate socializing.” Anything that beckons people to sit and linger awhile were tops on the list: chairs, benches and, of course, the classic front porch.

Make it easy, make it open

A boardwalk-style pathway makes a stunning graphic feature in the front garden of a home in Gananoque, Ontario.

Needless to say, high fences or hedges, locked gates and such tend to be intimidating, whether they were consciously designed as such or not. But any garden design element, whether fencing, hardscaping or simply the way flower beds are positioned, can give off welcoming vibes. For instance, it doesn’t matter whether a pathway leading from sidewalk to front door runs directly or indirectly but a welcoming one will make a graphic statement and prioritize accessibility.

Size doesn’t matter

One important finding in this study was that you don’t need a big front yard to convey openness or neighbourly solidarity. Residents in urban communities with postage stamp-sized front yards or even no space at all between front door and sidewalk could still add warmth and unity to their neighbourhoods by way of window boxes, homemade mailboxes or colourful flags or banners.

Trust does matter

Another interesting find was that front yards don’t have to be picture perfect. In fact, a stray toy left on the front lawn didn’t flag a sloppy home owner but actually signalled trust. Parents living here, it’s perceived, are happy to have their kids play with the neighbour’s kids and they figure no one is going to come along and steal that toy. In this category, you could add all kinds of other fun details that signal neighbourliness such as brightly coloured pillows left on garden seating, small garden sculptures placed in flower beds or wickets set up for a game of croquet.

Of course, there’s a limit to how much you should let your freak flag fly in the front yard. But it seems chasing Insta-perfect garden aspirations isn’t all that neighbourly, either.

Just have a little fun in your front yard and unleash the power of a well-placed garden gnome.