A few low maintenance and cost-effective landscaping ideas can transform your low maintenance front yard into an exquisite blooming piece of art. If you do not know what supplies you may need or where to begin, here are 11 landscaping ideas for you to get you started. No single plant will flourish and grow to its full potential in your front yard, particularly native plants. However, with the right care you can provide your yard with blooming shrubs, perennials, annuals and flowering plants that will fill the space and add color year round.
Low maintenance landscaping ideas include regular fertilization and watering. Providing your lawn with an organic mulch is beneficial as it helps to prevent weed growth, one of the biggest problems associated with front yards. By providing mulch, weeds are denied their primary food source, which is sunlight. By giving them this limited food source, weed growth is curtailed.
Flower gardens and shrubbery are low maintenance landscaping ideas that can add curb appeal to any home. In addition to adding color and variety to your landscaping, flower beds will also add texture to the soil. Since flowers require less water than shrubs, they will often survive drought conditions better than their shrub counterparts. This is great news for people who are trying to conserve water during tough times. Choosing flower beds that are tolerant of dry spells is also beneficial because flower beds will provide year round flowers instead of just year-round foliage.
The types of plants you use in your landscaping design will depend heavily on the style you want. Some landscaping enthusiasts prefer to use a mixture of native perennial plants and shrubs in the form of small rock piles. In landscaping design, stone comes in many forms: bricks, tiles, gravels, rocks, and flagstone. Most stone used in landscaping is crushed limestone or chalk. Since stone comes in a wide range of colors, the use of different colored stones in your landscaping design adds flair and individuality.
Most grass landscaping ideas revolve around using low maintenance grasses. These grasses provide good color contrast to the rock and stone that are a part of stone and brick designs. One problem that many people run into is the watering needed for the plants. Since grass does need a lot of water, homeowners should plan on mowing their grass more often during the hotter months of the year. This will help to keep the grass from drying out and suffering from brown patches.
Low maintenance perennials such as ferns and hostas provide an elegant backdrop for a colorful landscape. They do require minimal watering and pruning and, in colder climates, can handle frost. Mulching with a weed barrier provides additional protection against weeds. One mulch in particular is made with all of the natural ingredients that naturally block weeds, which makes it impervious to most weeds. Other plants that benefit from weed barrier mulches include California tulips, which can be eaten by some dogs and cats, and Japanese maple trees, which also can be eaten by some birds.
Low maintenance grass and ground cover such as hostas and ferns are ideal for landscaping. However, there are many ornamental plants that can be planted along the sides, which provide a focal point for the lawn maintenance. While decorative grasses provide aesthetic benefits, they also require significant amounts of water. Hostas and ferns both work well with just one application of water while ornamental plants require two to three applications of water.
When considering ornamental plants for landscaping, remember that you will need to water them every day. Ornamental grasses should be planted about one foot deep and then covered with the appropriate weed barrier and fertilizer each day. If you are using native flowers, consider watering them every other day. When it comes to native flowers, the best way to maintain them is by pruning them every few years so that they grow in healthy, full, and thick growth.