15 Front Yard Landscaping Ideas For Lazy Gardeners

15 Front Yard Landscaping Ideas for Lazy Gardenersucpage - Getty Images

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Dreaming of a gorgeous front yard that won't require you to weed, trim, and toil for hours every weekend Whether you have a tiny plot or a huge yard, it's possible to create a practical but pretty outdoor space with low-maintenance landscape ideas for your front yard.

Low maintenance doesn't mean no maintenance, however. Even the best-designed landscapes require some upkeep. "But with thoughtful planning, you can create a space that looks good without constant work," says landscape designer Kat Aul Cervoni, founder of Staghorn NYC and The Cultivation by Kat. "It's really about good design that takes into consideration your wants and your lifestyle."

To create landscaping that's easy to maintain, focus on three key components of your outdoor space: Hardscape, such as your patio and paths; carpentry-type elements such as decking and fencing; and plants that won't make a huge mess or need constant trimming and babying. "All three of these design elements should be low maintenance so that your dreams of a beautiful landscape and the reality of how much time you actually have to work in your garden are in harmony," says Cervoni.

For perennials and trees, it's important to to do some homework before shopping. You need to choose ones that are suited to survive winters in your USDA Hardiness zone. Otherwise, you'll just waste time and money.

Read more: Chaos Gardening Is the Easiest Way to Grow Your Dream Garden

Ahead, we've rounded up low-maintenance front yard landscaping ideas that you actually can put into practice—not just dream about in your garden fantasies.

Pay Attention Sun Exposure

You've heard it before: Choose the right plant for the right place, says Cervoni. Always read the plant tag or description before buying a plant so you give it the conditions it needs to thrive.

Sun lovers need sun, and shade lovers will fry in the hot sun. If you try to cheat, you're just dooming a plant to struggle so that it looks bad and may eventually die (which is a waste of money!).

Read more: 32 Gorgeous Plants That Can Survive and Thrive in the Sun

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Go With Evergreens

Gorgeous evergreens come in every shade from teal to chartreuse. Opt for dwarf varieties if you're short on space, and stick with those that keep their natural rounded or conical shape without needing pruning for the most low-maintenance options.

SHOP EVERGREEN SHRUBS

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Use a Flowering Tree as a Focal Point

Get the most bang for your buck: A flowering tree accents your landscape but doesn't require tons of upkeep or constant pruning, if you choose well. Two of Cervoni's favorites include Kousa dogwood, which is more disease resistant than native dogwood, and redbud trees (seen here), which have gorgeous spring flowers that don't leave a big mess when they drop.

SHOP REDBUD TREES

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Invest in Raised Beds

Raised beds provide a boundary that keeps your front yard looking neat. Natural stone is especially appealing and will last forever.

Read more: Do You Need to Hire a Landscape Designer? Read This First

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Opt for Durable Materials

Choose long-lasting materials for projects such as fencing or decks, says Cervoni. Hardwoods such as Brazilian ipe and domestic black locust or composite materials for decking boards and vinyl or hardwood for fencing will outlast inexpensive pressure-treated pine.

Read more: 10 Cheap Fence Ideas Designers Actually Love

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Plant Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses are particularly appealing because they're hardy, deer resistant, and incredible looking when they're blowing in the wind to add texture and interest, says Cervoni. Carex and hachnechloa are beautiful options.

SHOP CAREX PLANTS

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Add Shrub Roses to Beds and Borders

Do you love roses? Then stick with hardy shrub rose types such as Knockouts. They're self-cleaning (they drop their spent blooms without needing pruning) and are more disease resistant. They also bloom nonstop from spring to frost.

SHOP KNOCKOUT ROSES

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Plant Spring-Flowering Bulbs

Plant them once and enjoy them for years! Spring-flowering bulbs must be planted in the fall to bloom the following spring. The most reliable performers year after year include daffodils, hyacinths, and muscari. Tulips are lovely but don't bloom well in subsequent years, so they're considered annuals and must be replanted every fall.

SHOP DAFFODILS

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Hang Window Boxes

Window boxes provide color without having to invest in landscape plantings. You also can change up plantings by the season, say, if you want spring-flowering bulbs or autumn mums.

Invest in self-watering containers too so you'll need to water every week or so instead of daily.

SHOP SELF-WATERING WINDOW BOXES

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Make Perennials Part of Your Landscape

Perennials come back year after year, so they're an amazing long-term investment, says Cervoni. Some of her favorites for full sun include catmint and coreopsis. For part sun, go with heuchera and dicentra.

SHOP COREOPSIS PLANTS

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Substitute Ground Cover for Lawn

Unless you love the look of a beautiful lawn, your entire yard doesn't have to be grass. If you'd prefer an alternative, consider planting groundcovers, low-growing plants that add interest and color without requiring quite as much upkeep as a lawn.

Read more: 9 Reasons Your Lawn Looks So Much Worse Than Your Neighbor's

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Create a Container Garden

No planting beds in your front yard? Arrange a series of different-size pots for a garden you can relocate whenever and wherever you like. The various types of succulents seen here are drought tolerant but offer great form and texture to the garden.

SHOP PLANTERS

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Plant for Fall Color

Design your garden for fall too. Ornamental trees such as Japanese maple offer splashes of color but won't require a ton of raking since they're typically small trees. "There's a size and variety that will appeal to everyone," says Cervoni. Read the plant tag so you know what kind you're buying, paying attention to mature size and width so you don't plant too close to your house, which could cause maintenance headaches in the future.

SHOP JAPANESE MAPLES

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Stick to Drought Tolerant Plants

Cut back on how often you need to water by choosing plants that can stand up to heat and drought once they're established. Cervoni likes perennials such as Russian sage and lavender, which have beautiful color and bloom for weeks on end. They're also pollinator friendly and deer resistant.

SHOP RUSSIAN SAGE PLANTS

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Design for All Four Seasons

Plenty of low-maintenance plants can enhance your front yard landscape throughout the year, even during the long, dark winter months. Plant evergreens for year-round color, perennials such as hellebores that bloom in late winter to early spring, and shrubs such as red twig dogwood or winterberry that show off beautifully against the snow or faded landscape.

Read more: 17 Winters Flowers Thrive During the Coldest Months of the Year

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What Is The Lowest Maintenance Fence? The Alternative Materials Landscapers Recommend For Long-lasting Boundaries

A dark grey garden fence.

The white picket fence is the pinnacle of many American homes, but it does require a lot of upkeep. Once you consider all the annual sanding, painting, and regular cleaning. The front yard fence is the first impression people have of your home, so keeping it looking good is important. It should be a reflection of your style and the rest of your home. Although picket fences can look smart when they are maintained, they often require a lot of upkeep.

Luckily there are many alternative for your modern front yard. In fact, there are so many options out there with a wide range of styles, prices, and maintenance levels.

But, if you are looking for a fencing alternative that offers a low-maintenance solution,  we spoke to fencing experts to discover the best options for easy-to-care-for yards that require little attention and still look great.

Vinyl

Wood is the obvious choice for privacy fence, but it isn't the easiest material to deal with. It often requires regular maintenance to keep it looking tip-top. Our home service experts reveal some of their favorite low-maintenance alternatives.

'Vinyl fencing stands out as a top choice for those prioritizing low-maintenance,' says Roman Smolevskiy, General contractor and owner of A+ Construction & Remodeling. Vinyl offers many advantages that more traditional materials just can't match. 'Unlike wood, it doesn't rot or warp, and you'll never need to repaint or stain it,' Roman explains, 'the occasional wash with a garden hose is often enough to keep it looking new.'

Vinyl is resistant to many of the issues that plague other fencing materials such as pests, disease, and rust.

Metal

Metal fences are another popular alternative that come in a variety of types, shapes, and sizes. 'All metal fences are low-maintenance, but wire fences tend to be completely maintenance-free,' explains home expert at Angi, Mallory Micetich.

Aluminum, steel, and wrought iron are also low-maintenance front yard ideas that can look expensive too. 'Steel is a durable, strong, and inherently low-maintenance building material,' says Jarrett Adams the director of the fencing category at Fortress Building Products. 'Steel can sidestep any issues associated with moisture absorption, one of the most common reasons traditional wood fencing will slowly deteriorate outdoors,' he explains. 'As a result, steel fencing can maintain its strength and beautiful, modern aesthetic with minimal maintenance over its service life.'

How to make wood low maintenance

There are many garden fencing ideas but if you like to keep it traditional and are dead set on wood, there are some things you can do to make it low maintenance. Roxil's wood expert, Dr. Jonathan Kirby, explains how your choice of wood can impact its care routine and the treatments to do if you want to keep it hassle-free.

'Wooden fencing has become a popular choice for many people's gardens,' says Jonathan, 'and with the right treatment, it can be really low maintenance.'

Traditional fences tend to be built using softwoods like larch, pine, and cedar, due to being lightweight, versatile, and affordable. However, they have some setbacks. 'They produce beautiful structures, but softwoods are absorbent, which makes them vulnerable to moisture ingress, algae, warping and rot, as well as woodworm,' Jonathan explains. However, with the right preventative treatments, they can be made to be long-lasting.

Waterproofing is an important step, especially if you live in a wet climate. 'Using a waterproofing wood treatment,  followed by a top-coat, means that fencing requires minimal care and attention, as it protects against most types of wood damage and moisture ingress for 10 years,' he says. Turning your wooden fence into a long-term investment that doesn't require loads of constant effort.

You will need

Roxil Wood Protection Liquid

Size: 1.3 gallonPrice: $35

Woodlife CreoCoat wood preservative

Size: One gallonPrice: $63.99

30 Seconds Outdoor Cleaner

Price: $19.98Size: 64 Oz

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Go Ahead, Tear Out Your Lawn — Here's How To Create A Grass-free Yard You'll Love

For some people, the battle for grass isn't worth it. Fertilizing four times a year, fighting off bare and brown spots, weeds, burrs, the weekly mowing dragging into December: "A lawn is the highest maintenance feature you will have in a landscape," says Kevin Lenhart, design director for Yardzen, an online landscape design service.

So what are your options if that level of maintenance just isn't for you? "There is a popular misconception that the only alternative to lawn is a rock garden or a desert landscape, and that's just not true," explains Lenhart. "You can emulate literally any garden style without including lawn." He says it's useful to think of the lawn not as lawn, but as space. And there are many ways to fill it.

Add seating areas and decorative elements.

Some HOAs have come around to grass-free yards, because they suit modern design really well and are more practical in drought-prone North Texas. Cate Singleton, the Dallas-based director of design and landscape architect for online service Tilly, says even if your HOA says no to a completely grass-free yard, reducing the amount of turf is still helpful both for your water bill and the environment.

For a Dallas client, Yardzen designed a backyard with reduced grass. That area was replaced with rocks, pavers, a pergola and a fire pit seating area.(Courtesy Yardzen)

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"You can take out sections of your lawn, expand your landscape bed areas, add decorative gravel in, create a courtyard space and establish ground covers," Singleton says. More options include a deck, a pergola, seating area, a fountain, a sculpture piece, pavers in a pattern — there are plenty of choices for a front yard or a backyard, whether you're pulling out all your grass or just a portion.

Plant a vegetable garden. Yardzen created this design that reduced traditional grass and incorporated raised beds for growing vegetables. A courtyard completes the look.(Courtesy Yardzen)

A vegetable garden can be an attractive option while also feeding your family, and it can go behind, to the side or even in front of your house. "We've found that vegetable gardens in the front are like a neighbor magnet. People always want to come over and chitchat when you're out there working on them," says Lenhart. "It's a really good thing, especially in single-family home neighborhoods where people often don't talk to their neighbors very much. The more that we can bring activity into the front yard by creating social spaces, the more that we are investing in healthier communities."

Choose artificial turf. With artificial turf, this Yardzen-designed backyard is always ready to entertain.(Courtesy Yardzen)

For open green space without the work, you could replace grass with artificial turf. You'll save water and on your water bill while having essentially zero maintenance. There are durable, environmentally friendly options and even turfs designed specifically with pets in mind. And your yard will stay green year-round. Keep in mind, though, that the artificial status will be obvious when your neighbors' grass turns brown.

Related:The 5 best landscaping tips for beginnersUse turf grasses and native plants.

Native plants are another option — and a good one. They tend to be healthier and stronger, since they thrive in the local region. Native plants have deeper root systems (anywhere from 2 to 13 feet), which enable them to access deeper water reserves and survive more easily without constant surface water once established. And Lenhart says once you put in the time and money to make the switch, you'll save time and money every year after that.

The owners of this ranch-style home opted for an artificial turf lawn to conserve water while creating a play area for their children. The front pathway is lined with drought-tolerant and pollinator-supporting plants like English lavender, with natural mulch to prevent moisture loss.(Courtesy Yardzen)

You're also helping suppress weeds and invasive plants while supporting native pollinators and other wildlife. Finally, you're not only conserving groundwater, you're improving the ability of your property to absorb and soak up that precious rainfall instead of directing it into the streets and gutters. "Lawn replacement is a massive opportunity to have a more ecologically responsible and productive yard," Lenhart notes.

You can also use turf grasses to create the appearance of standard grasses. "In some areas that may be a little more shady, and possibly for HOAs that aren't particular on the type of turf grasses that are used, you could possibly look at the thunder turf option or a buffalo grass that still appears like grass, but is a much more drought-tolerant option," Singletary explains.

It takes about three years to transition from a grass lawn to a turf-yard, so even if you do want to go grass-free, doing it in stages is recommended, she adds. "Generally the first year of planting is an establishment year, and then the second is more of a growing year," Singletary says. "And the third is when you'll see a no-grass yard really start to fill in."

So what kind of plants should you look for lawn replacement?

Frog fruit: "It really spreads pretty well and it's got a nice little pink to white bloom in the spring that goes into the summer," says Singleton. "It's also very drought tolerant." Frog fruit grows to just 3-4 inches high and spreads to 12 inches around. It can handle sun, part sun and shade, and after regular watering the first year is extremely drought and heat tolerant.

Carpet sedum: Carpet sedum will start out lime green and transition into a rust color in the fall. It's an excellent ground cover for hot, dry areas with poor soil, and once established, it propagates easily. Just break pieces off in early summer to replant.

Buffalo grass: This hardy grass can survive on just 12 inches of water a year. (Other lawn grasses can require as much as 60 to 120 inches of water each year.) Buffalo grass grows to just 8 inches and has no natural diseases or pests. It can also withstand extreme heat and cold.

Thunder Turf: This is a drought and heat-resistant combination of buffalo grass, blue grama and curly mesquite that is a self-seeding native perennial. It can survive temperatures of 1 degree all the way to 110 degrees. "It shouldn't be mowed to lower than maybe 3-4 inches, and it gives you some really great movement," Singleton shares. "It looks beautiful on more modern properties, and it's very low-maintenance and drought tolerant."

A no-grass yard is a different feel altogether, but one that can fit in well to any neighborhood or architecture, says Lenhart — even with turf grasses and native varieties. That's because your reimagined yard doesn't have to be unruly.

"There is a concept in landscape architecture of 'messy planting, orderly frames,' he says. "If you take these kind of shaggier planting designs and frame them with clean hardscape elements, decorative stone or even a minimal amount of lawn, that can go miles toward making it look presentable and certainly up to par with community standards of tidiness."

More ideas for a no-grass or reduced-grass yard:

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