Low Maintenance Landscaping Tips

Landscaping is a great way to express your personality and tie your home's exterior together. But one thing that can throw a wrench in this is the maintenance involved with keeping all those plants green and lush especially when it comes to seasonal changes.

If you live in an urban area, you'd notice that not many people around you have a front yard that's both attractive and has low-maintenance landscaping. You're probably thinking that a front yard that's attractive but needs lots of work is not very useful. And if the yard is easy to maintain but not attractive, why bother?

Fortunately, there are many low-maintenance landscaping ideas for your front yard that will keep your front yard looking great for years without requiring much effort on your part.

Let Shrubhub help you! We've compiled our favorite ideas here so you can enjoy them as well! We will help you create a beautiful front yard landscape that looks beautiful and doesn't take a lot of your time.

Define Your Space

Defining your space is the first step to creating a low-maintenance landscape. It will give you an idea of where to place your plants and other elements, and it will make it easier for you to visualize how the finished design will look.

You can define your space using brick edging or plastic edging along the perimeter of your yard. The bricks or plastic can be either temporary or permanent, depending on how much money you're willing to spend. If they're temporary, just remove them when winter comes around and store them until spring!

You can also use herbaceous perennials and terracotta tile to define your yard space in a more vibrant and fun way! Herbaceous borders alongside landscaping beds and evergreen shrubs are a fantastic way to help define your outdoor space while still keeping it colorful, and interesting, and sticking to the low-maintenance landscaping!

Another great way to define your space with options that require minimal effort is by using separators and garden liners like river rock, crushed stone, decorative stone, paving stone, and natural stone. Adding varying heights to your hardscaping and walkways can help define the space while allowing for regular foot traffic and add a nice simple dimension to the overall look.

Consider Artificial Turf

If you're looking for a low-maintenance front yard, you'll want to steer clear of grass. It's not only hard to maintain and expensive but also requires a lot of water and is not very attractive or environmentally friendly.

In contrast, artificial grass is an attractive alternative to real grass. It's a great durable surface, easy to maintain, requires no lawn care, no yard work after installation, and looks great year-round considering they can hold up in varying weather conditions. You can use artificial grass in your front yard, backyard, patio, or deck. It's even perfect for areas with poor drainage or high traffic since it requires little care or water!

Artificial lawn alternatives also provide a low-maintenance solution while mimicking other types of greenery. Even better: If you have pets that love to play outside on the lawn (or maybe even chew on it), artificial grass is a safe and durable choice.

And if that isn't convincing enough, it's also easy to install yourself with simple tools like a shovel.

Use Carpet of the Stars Instead of Regular Grass

If you're not a fan of artificial grass, but still want a low-maintenance lawn then carpet of the stars is what you're looking for. This hardy plant requires little care and is perfect for dry soil.

This grass can be used in areas where it will be walked on or sat upon. The Carpet of the Stars also requires less water than other types of turf grasses.

The Carpet of the Stars looks like regular grass, but it has a finer texture and it's softer than traditional lawns. This type of grass grows well in most parts of the country and can handle shade as well as sun exposure.

It does require more fertilizer than traditional lawns, but it doesn't need much watering or mowing either. If you want to add some color to your yard and save time on maintenance chores, this is an excellent choice for you!

Create a Living Patio with Creeping Thyme!

Another great option for drought-resistant grass is Creeping Thyme. Also known as Mother of Thyme is a low-growing perennial. It is a spread-out, readily growing type of thyme. It works well whether planted as a living patio alternative or between stepping stones or pavers.

Creeping is usually grown in a USDA hardiness zone 4-9 with relatively little need. This evergreen Creeping variety, which rarely grows taller than 3 inches (7.5 cm), has a light-haired leaf and grows in tiny patches that are swiftly covered in low, dense mats, and surprise surprise! Can be harvested and used like regular thyme!

Like other thyme cultivars, Creeping is edible and has a mint-like flavor and aroma when crushed or steeped for teas or cures. To dry the thyme ground cover, remove the leaves off the stems or pluck them directly from the plant, then hang them upside-down in a dim, well-ventilated area. Early in the day, when the plant's essential oils are at their peak, gather creeping.

Get Some Trees In The Mix!

When it comes to designing your backyard space one of the first things to come to mind is trees. The first question that might arise is where to put them, how to use them, and which ones to choose. Now, this topic could go on and on for ages so let us keep it short and sweet.

Trees are a great way to introduce some curb appeal to your yard and will add a lot of visual interest anywhere they're put and are very practical to have. You can use a large shade tree in those heavy sun spots, use medium-sized trees for garden borders, and as a centerpiece for garden beds.

Some of our favorite trees for these types of projects as different varieties of citrus trees, dwarf cherry trees, deciduous trees like oak and maple, weeping willows, and tulip trees.

Add Low-Maintenance Trees to Your Front Yard

If you're like me, you've probably spent too many years of your life running around trying to keep your lawn looking perfect. I mean, let's be honest: you can spend an entire weekend just mowing the lawn and trimming around flowers and bushes!

Now, imagine if you just planted some trees in your front yard instead. Huge difference right?

Trees are a great way to add shade and color to your front yard. They also provide privacy from neighbors who are peeking over at your yard (or from nosy people walking by). Plus, they're a smart investment because they'll increase the value of your home.

Install Wooden Decking

Wooden decking is a great option for any type of outdoor living space. Wooden decking is long-lasting, extremely low maintenance, and can be installed in several different ways.

It's also easy to maintain, which makes it perfect for the busy homeowner who wants to spend their time doing other things besides maintaining their yard.

Wooden decking offers many benefits over other types of decks and patios. For one, it's easy to install; you don't need any special tools or equipment like you would with concrete or stone tiles.

You can choose between prefabricated systems (like those made by Trex) that require minimal construction skills but have limited designs available—or more expensive options where you can design your look using natural materials like cedar boards or stone pavers.

Wooden decks tend not only offer drainage channels on either side but also provide drainage pipes underneath them so water doesn't pool at all times during the rainy season.

Take Advantage of Technology

One of the most common questions we get from our clients at Shrubhub is, "What's the best way to water my plants?" And one of the most common things we hear from them after they've adopted a smart watering system is something along the lines of, "Why didn't I do this sooner?"

If you're looking for an easy way to automate your yard that won't break the bank or require hours of tinkering in your garage, take advantage of technology and give smart controllers or irrigation systems a try.

Smart irrigation controllers and sprinkler systems help you save money on your water bill as well as time spent managing your irrigation.

You can also use a drip irrigation system. They're a great way to get the most out of your yard's water resources.

These systems use a network of tubing that delivers water directly to the roots of each plant, so you don't have to worry about over-irrigating your plants or forgetting to turn on the sprinklers in time.

If you live in a more rainy environment, using rain barrels is a great simple alternative as well! The most effort will be done during the setup and from there all you need to do is keep your yard hose connected for any time you need to do some lawn maintenance.

Plant Some Succulents

If you're looking for low-maintenance plants that are drought resistant and easy to grow, succulents are your answer.

They come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. They also have an almost endless variety of uses in landscaping not to mention they require significantly less fertilizer!

For example, you can use them as ground cover or edging. You can make mini terraces with them by building up mounds of soil around their base and then planting smaller succulents inside them to create an interesting focal point for your garden bed or rock garden area.

Succulents are also great plants to use in place of traditional flowers for things like flower beds.

Grow Native Plants

Native plants are the best choice for your front yard landscaping design because they are better able to withstand the climate in your area. This is especially important if you live in an area where it rains a lot or gets very hot during certain seasons.

Another benefit of using native plants is that they can attract birds and insects that pollinate other plants nearby, which helps them grow better.

Native plants also tend to have fewer pest problems than non-native ones, so you won't have to worry about spending time spraying chemicals on them all summer long. In addition, native species are usually more drought tolerant than non-natives—which means less watering!

Use native plants for flower beds or even create your own backyard Mediterranean gardens!

And finally, many natives tend to be salt tolerant as well; this makes them highly desirable if you live near a beach or oceanfront property (or anywhere else where salty air might be present).

Make sure you take a look at the USDA hardiness zone website before choosing plants so you can determine your environment more closely. It'll also make it a lot easier since most all plants have a zone preference!

Heath or Tea Tree For Low Maintenance Hedging

Heath or tea tree is a robust and low-maintenance choice for hedging. It has attractive white flowers and grows quickly to make an effective visual barrier against the neighbor's property.

The plant can tolerate drought conditions, making it ideal for those who want to maintain their yard without the need for constant watering.

The plant also has a pleasant fragrance, which helps mask any unwanted smells that may otherwise be present in the yard.

It's a great alternative to other common hedges such as boxwood or bamboo (which both require more maintenance).

Make Use of Mulch

Remember to use Mulch to keep your grass green and healthy. Mulch is a great way to control weeds in your front yard. It also makes your yard look beautiful! It can be made from many different materials, including decaying leaves, compost, wood chips, or bark.

Mulch will help keep soil moist while adding organic matter that helps improve the soil's texture and drainage properties.

Enjoy the Benefits of a Low Maintenance Yard

We hope you've enjoyed reading about our top 10 low-maintenance front yard landscaping ideas! Whether you're a new homeowner who wants to transform your front yard into something special, or an experienced gardener looking for some inspiration, take these tips and tricks in stride.

They may seem like small steps, but they can make all the difference when it comes to keeping your yard looking great without having to spend too much time on maintenance. Remember: less work means more time spent enjoying the outdoors!

And, as always, if you're stuck banging your head against a wall not knowing what to do with your yard, you can always contact us at Shrubhub.com for professional 3D yard designs that start at just $197.

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