5 Small Front Yard Landscaping Ideas That Are Actually Low Maintenance

• Opt for native plants around your area, so they better fit your local climate.
• You can still choose small-scale fruit trees to better fit your space and gardening needs.
• Stick with plants that don’t require high water maintenance so it’s more sustainable.

Small front yards don’t have to cramp your style. With a little expert advice, you can make the most of the area you have without spending large amounts of time trying to care for it. Out of the many landscaping ideas for small front yards, there’s no shortage of choices that are low maintenance too.

An added bonus? Most of these ideas can be beneficial to the surrounding wildlife and insects near your home. Whether you usher in beautiful native plants and ornamental grasses or opt for a low-water xeriscaped look, you’ve got options aplenty.

Drought-Tolerant Native Plants

One way to embrace a low-key garden and stick with sustainable gardening is through your selection of plants. Those that don’t require much water and are local to the area you live can make both of these things possible.

“For small front yards, we tend to replace high water use lawns with drought-tolerant, native plants that add to habitat and support pollinators,” Stacy Passmore, a co-founder of Superbloom, a women-led/owned landscape architecture firm, says.

Passmore explains how she likes bunch grasses since they are able to thrive yearly after they’re established. Growing in tufts, they can make a large visual impact in a small space, Passmore says.

Take a look at the plants native to your area to get a good understanding of what will thrive and (positively) impact the ecosystem you live in.

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Dwarf Fruit Trees

Don’t let size limit what you can cultivate in your front yard. While you may not be able to start a full-blown orchard, it’s perfectly possible to implement edible plants like fruit trees—just on a smaller scale.

“Dwarf fruit trees are another fun option for a small space, that can add a little verticality as well as some beautiful blooms,” Diane Lipovsky, a co-founder of Superbloom, says. “As always, it’s important to choose native or waterwise perennials, shrubs, and trees that are adapted to your local climate or USDA Hardiness Zone.”

While it depends on where you’re living, some popular options in smaller varieties are citrus fruits like lemons and oranges, plums, cherries, and figs.

Grasses

Joshua Faas, the owner and lead designer of Paperbark Design Studio, says to first consider a few questions when you’re planning out a tiny front yard. Consider if you have sun or shade, deer in the area, and what your budget is. One option that usually ticks all the boxes regardless of your answers is grasses.

“There is a grass for every height needed, and most are deer-resistant,” he says. “Calamagrostis Karl Foerster (or its fun variegated counterpart Calamagrostis ‘Overdam’) has a great upright habit that can be used in masses, and hold a beautiful color throughout the winter.”

He also suggests lower perennials such as the mesmerizing purple nepeta ‘Junior Walker’ or whimsical geranium ‘Biokovo’ for this purpose. He explains how these can often weed out weeds while creeping about the garden.

Wildflower Meadows

The burst of color and texture blooms provide don’t need to be a high-stress situation. In fact, there are plenty of ways to design a low-maintenance wildflower garden in your front yard.

“Wildflower meadows are also a fantastic alternative to a manicured lawn,” Ward Dilmore, the founder and head landscape designer at Petrus Landscape, says. “They require far less maintenance and are great for your local wildlife.”

This is another chance where it’s best to look for native species and flowers that help (rather than hinder), especially if a few spread. You’ll be supporting pollinators and have quite a pretty spectacle to look at each day.

Xeriscaping

Saving water is another way to cut down on the required maintenance of your front yard and it’s often a much more sustainable and affordable route, too. For warmer climes, a cool way of implementing this is through xeriscaping.

Dilmore explains how xeriscape landscaping (plants that require very little water to survive) is ideal for dry hot climates.

“This could include rock gardens with succulents,” Dilmore says. “Most plants that are native to your climate zone are acclimated to your local weather, meaning they can be drought-tolerant, and require less watering, weeding, and fertilizing.”

Even if you don’t live in an area that’s hot year-round, this style of landscaping can also be appealing and beneficial to locations that are dry and arid.