20 Low-Maintenance Front Yard Ideas That Don’t Require Constant Upkeep

Play It By Light

Jacky Parker Photography//Getty Images

You’ve heard it before: Choose the right plant for the right place, Cervoni says. Always read the plant tag or description before buying a plant so you can locate it within the conditions it needs to thrive. 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!).

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

Bring Some Interest to Your Driveway

Stephen Karlisch

A huge expanse of asphalt isn’t exactly an appealing addition to your curb appeal. If you’re in the market to redo your paving in the near future, consider adding a planting bed to the middle for extra visual interest. This works particularly well if you have a round or U-shaped driveway.

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Stick to a Single Type

Andrew Frasz

When in doubt, repeat! An en masse planting of one type of shrub will almost always look tidy, sophisticated, and clean. Selects like boxwoods, privet, and even catmint work particularly well for a timeless look such as this.

Go With Evergreens

Bespalyi//Getty Images

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.

Related: How to Grow and Care for Emerald Green Arborvitae

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Embrace an Organic Look

Eric Piasecki

If low maintenance is the goal, there are a few landscaping design styles that will be your friend, mainly cottage-style gardens. Designed to embrace a bit of beautiful mess and invite a whimsical atmosphere, plants chosen with this aesthetic in mind look their best when they’re a bit wild and overgrown. Music to our ears!

Dress Up Your Front Porch

Stacy Zarin Goldberg

Your front door is a focal point, so boost its curb appeal by surrounding it with simple containers filled with easy-care annuals you can change with the seasons. Think pansies for spring, geraniums or begonias for summer, and mums for fall, or use a potted evergreen for year-round interest.

Related: 32 Front Door Plants for a Show-stopping Entrance

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Invest in Flowering Trees

PETER HAYNES//Getty Images

Get the most bang for your buck: A flowering tree accents your landscape but usually doesn’t require tons of upkeep or pruning. 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.

Related: The Prettiest Pink Flowering Trees for Your Yard

Level Up Your Flower Beds

David Papazian//Getty Images

Raised beds provide a boundary that keeps your front yard looking neat and gives it a bit more prominence, so they’re easier to see from the road. Natural stone is especially appealing as a foundation for your planter and, with proper care, it will last forever.

Related: 20 Raised Garden Bed Ideas to Elevate Your Yard

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Opt for Durable Materials

RiverNorthPhotography//Getty Images

Nothing ruins curb appeal quicker than a splintering fence or chipping planter. Choose long-lasting materials for projects such as fencing or decks, Cervoni says. 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.

Related: 10 Cheap Fence Ideas Designers Actually Love

Plant Ornamental Grasses

Jacky Parker Photography//Getty Images

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

Related: The 10 Best Ornamental Grass Types

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Add Shrub Roses to Beds and Borders

Alison Rose//Getty Images

Do you love roses? Stick with hardy shrub varietals, such as knockouts, for all of the beauty with (almost) none of the fuss. They’re self-cleaning (meaning they drop their spent blooms without needing pruning) and are more disease-resistant. They also bloom nonstop from spring to frost. Great choices include the brand-new Orange Glow Knockout, with luminous orange flowers, or the Pink Double-Knockout, with hot pink double flowers.

Related: The 3 Types of Roses Every Garden Needs

Plant Spring-Flowering Bulbs

Jacky Parker Photography//Getty Images

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 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.

Related: 10 Best Bulbs to Plant in the Fall

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Fill Window Boxes

Grace Cary//Getty Images

Window boxes provide color without having to invest in landscape plantings. You can also change up plantings by the season if you want, say, spring-flowering bulbs or autumn mums. Invest in self-watering containers so you’ll need to water only every week or so instead of daily.

Related: 10 Self-Watering Planters to Make Gardening Easier

Incorporate Perennials

Fasil Tiru / 500px//Getty Images

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

Related: How to Grow Colorful Coral Bell Plants

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Substitute Ground Cover for Lawn

Photos by R A Kearton//Getty Images16

Opt for Succulents

Karl Tapales//Getty Images

Drought-tolerant, low-care succulents, such as sedum, make a pretty groundcover, or you can plant them in pots for a fun display that won’t need to be watered frequently. Make sure they’re hardy to your USDA zone so you can leave them outdoors all winter.

Related: 10 Types of Succulents You Need to Know

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Try a Container Garden

Kim Sayer//Getty Images

No landscape beds in your front yard? Add a series of tiered pots to provide plenty of color and beauty all season long. From spring to fall, choose seasonal flowers. In the winter, you can fill them with greenery.

Related: 20 Best Flower Pots to Show Off Your Green Thumb

Plan Ahead for Fall Color

emer1940//Getty Images

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

Related: Planting These Trees Can Increase Your Home’s Value

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Stick to Drought-Tolerant Plants

cstar55//Getty Images

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.

Related: How to Grow English Lavender Plants

Design for All Four Seasons

Jasenka Arbanas//Getty Images

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.

Related: 17 Winters Flowers Thrive During the Coldest Months of the Year

Watch Next

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

Readers Also Read

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below