Reduce Lawn Area
Consider reducing the area of grass in your front yard. Mark out new garden beds that can accommodate native plants and pollinator gardens to add diversity to your landscape. Lawns consume a lot of water and don’t provide much in the way of habitat for the friendly bees that are so important to ecosystems, even small ones like front yards.
Mulch
Keep weeds in check with organic mulch. Many communities now offer mulch for residents made from discarded Christmas trees. Other landscape suppliers specialize in producing organic soils and mulches for eco-conscious gardeners.
While mulch can make your front yard look tidy, don’t make the mistake of “volcano” mulching around your trees. Mulch piled up against the base of trees holds moisture against the bark, which can cause rot, fungus growth, and unhealthy root formation. Mulch in the rain shadow of your trees, but leave the base of the tree bare.
Use Container Gardens and Garden Art
A quick way to add color and interest to your front yard is to use container gardens. You can place attractive planters of different heights and sizes around your front entryway or even plant various annuals in garden beds to add interest and beauty to your front yard.
Planters themselves can be works of art in your garden. Select pieces that express your personality, echo the style of your home’s architecture, or just delight you. You could also add a tasteful, inexpensive statue, birdbath, or fountain to freshen your front yard.
Dress Up Your Mailbox
Your mailbox is often the first part of your property that passersby and visitors encounter. If your local post office doesn’t object, try growing a clematis vine up your mailbox post. Create a low raised bed around the base of your mailbox that features flowering plants and decorative grasses of varying heights to add interest to the entrance to your driveway. Or, use a decorative mailbox cover to add some color and personality to your mailbox (but check again with your local post office to make sure you stay in their good graces!)
Add a Garden Arch or Gate
You don’t necessarily need a walkway to install a garden arch—just use an arch to mark one area of your garden as a special retreat. Add a bench to sit and enjoy a climbing rose you’ve planted to grow up and over the arch.
If you do have a front walk, consider adding a charming gate to mark the entrance, and plant evergreens on either side of it to set off your walk. Over the next few years, you can create lovely borders along your walk, which will take the place of boring grass and won’t need mowing!