Unconventional Plans for a Front Garden

Lawn Alternatives

• You can save time and water if you choose an ornamental grass or other groundcover in place of standard turfgrass. Some regional grasses include little bluestem, broomsedge, wiregrass, blue grama and purple needlegrass. Herbs such as creeping mint and creeping thyme make fragrant groundcovers.

Wildflowers and Other Natives

• When you grow plants that are endemic to your region, they perform well and are easy to maintain. After they become established, native shrubs, trees, grasses and wildflowers require little if any irrigation, other than rain. They often self-sow, resulting in additional plants.

Vegetables and Fruit Trees

• A front yard can serve as a vegetable garden as easily as a back yard usually does. Fruit trees add shade, spring flowers and summertime food to any landscape. To easily replace a lawn, simply lay sheets of cardboard over it and pile up topsoil, compost and other organic materials to make rich raised beds in which your vegetables will thrive.