My front yard is approximately 6-feet wide. I got tired of opening the gate and going out there to mow such a small swatch of land. I did this with my front yard and it’s held up very nice. I get no weeds, no runoff and the flowers come up as expected every year. It is just about maintenance free.
Most front yards without grass are relatively small. To avoid the need to mow grass, landscaping is utilized to present the area in a manner that is pleasing to the eye and eliminates the need to plant grass seed. Landscaping is an art form and completely up to the eye of the beholder but there are several things you can do to landscape a front yard without grass.
How to design a front yard without grass
Step 1
Place a short retaining wall around the yard to keep dirt from running into the sidewalk or street during heavy rains. You can construct a retaining wall with pavers to avoid the use of mortar and to avoid the need for footers in the ground. If you do not wish to protect the lawn from runoff with pavers, you can use landscaping timbers to keep the dirt from washing away.
Step 2
Place landscaping fabric over the entire area. This prevents weeds from growing out of the dirt and it also adds additional protection against water runoff.
Step 3
Cover the landscaping with decorative gravel such as river gravel, lava rock or sandstone. This hides the landscaping fabric, adds color to the yard and provides you with a substrate to filter water off the landscaping fabric.
Step 4
Cut slits into the landscaping fabric with a utility knife and plant perennial flowers indigenous to your area into the ground. Utilize plants that require less water and that are relatively hardy without fertilizers. This will minimize the work you need to do to maintain the area.
If you try out this technique, let us know, we’d love to see pictures!
Image: iStockPhoto
