Reduced Maintenance Outdoor Landscaping Ideas

Are you looking for low maintenance outdoor landscaping ideas? Most homeowners enjoy having a lovely lawn in their front yard. But that requires a lot of maintenance and water of course. More and more of us are concerned about water conservation. The outdoor landscape ideas suggested below are all drought tolerant.

We suggest you lose the lawn in the front lawn. In its place have a woodland garden, hardscape or meadow. An alternate outdoor landscaping idea would be to create a natural looking pathway to the front door. Turn the front into a woodsy garden that includes concrete or natural stone slabs. The path leading to the front door becomes a destination in itself with interesting plantings dotting the stones.

The northern areas of the east and west have plant varieties that last all year around with little maintenance. One showy perennial that does very well is the hellebores. It belongs to the buttercup family and produces up to 50 blooms on a single small bush in the winter and early spring, that can grow up to 18 inches tall and wide.

For the Southwest drought resistant outdoor landscaping ideas are commonplace and many homeowners have created small patio areas in their front yards and will compliment it with a few shade trees. To add some interest they might use two different colors of gravel in their garden areas and plant drought loving cactus and succulents in differing colors, shapes and sizes. A pergola is often added to create a nicely shaded area to enterain in.

The west is one of the biggest consumers of water that comes from other areas. Those living in this area should be considering alternative outdoor landscape ideas. A couple of great plants that provide both color and aroma are rosemary and lavendar. They will flourish with very little water or care. Westerners should consider creating a focal point out of Mexican or concrete pavers and add a small water feature. This could be a lovely area to share a glass of wine with the neighbors.

There are several online sites that give suggestions for native plants that would deffinately thrive in your region. You can see photos of drought resistant flowers, shrubs, trees as well as fruits and vegetables. A money saving suggestion would be to purchase small four inch potted plants instead of more mature plants. They get big surprisingly fast and look great in no time.

Front Yard Landscaping Ideas That Are Not Boring

Many front yard landscaping ideas are simply boring. While you don't want to do anything that would get you kicked out of the homeowner's association, you can still have an interesting and unique design. Here are a few suggestions.

Rocks, Stones and Boulders

You may have seen a large boulder in a neighbor's yard and just assumed it was a part of the landscape before the home was built. That could be true. But, if the boulder seems to fit just right, it was probably placed there by a landscape design team.

You can buy decorative boulders, rip-rap rock, granite, river rocks and other stones from a number of different suppliers. Most companies offer free delivery for large heavy orders.

There are several advantages to decorating with rock. First, the stones provide protection against erosion, but require no watering. Second, they help prevent weeds from growing. Third, they look interesting.

Your driveway and front walk can be composed of interlocking paving stones, rather than asphalt or concrete. If you look at some of the online pictures of completed projects, you have to agree that interlocking pavers are much more attractive than conventional materials.

Using pavers is one of the front yard landscaping ideas that will save you money in the future. Ice expansion will not cause them to crack. They will even give during an earthquake instead of crumbling.

Interlocking or mortar-less stone can be used to create flower beds, fountains, retaining walls and other decorative items. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and the size of your lot.

Plant Herbs, Shrubs, Flowers & Trees

While some people might not agree, I don't think it is possible to have too many flowering plants. Herbs are not only beautiful. They are fragrant and can be used in the kitchen.

For some really unique front yard landscaping ideas, you might talk to people that have gotten rid of all or most of their grass. While the "barefoot lawn" is still the norm, there are alternatives. Some of them are quite beautiful.

The homeowners that have decided to go grassless make use of ornamental grasses, flowering ground cover and evergreen shrubs like boxwoods.

Boxwoods are a hardy drought-resistant plant that can be used to create a hedge and block traffic noise. The year-round greenery is pleasing to the eye and can be covered with shrub lights at Christmastime.

You can find hundreds of front yard landscaping ideas online. Just be sure to check with your homeowner's association before you do anything too drastic.