Most people will tell you that their front yard is the first place they know a problem exists. They hear someone next door start mowing before the morning light is fully gone, and the mowing sounds quickly travel through the neighborhood. Then, they take a glance at their own front yard. They see that bare spot against the sidewalk, that area that could be planted, and those hedges that have grown too tall again. None of these issues were dramatic; they simply felt like another item on your never-ending to-do list. It is here that low-impact landscaping begins to make sense. The majority of homeowners do not wish to develop a display garden. They simply want a beautiful-looking front yard to enhance the beauty of their home and require minimal maintenance. With proper planning, it is possible to have a quiet, low-maintenance front yard.
Having Too Much Lawn Creates More Work Than Beauty
Large lawns may seem the simplest solution. They are open, recognizable, and attractive when recently mowed. However, having a large lawn requires a great deal of ongoing maintenance. Each week, a larger lawn means more mowing, watering, edging, and more obvious wear and tear due to heat or drought.
Take some examples. Consider the number of homes in your neighborhood with nearly a complete lawn with several shrubs growing adjacent to the house. To you, the lawn appears clean enough. But after some weeks or months, depending upon soil type and weather conditions, you may find yourself viewing the entire lawn as somewhat worn.
Reducing the size of your lawn typically provides both improved aesthetics and reduced maintenance requirements. Adding a planting bed along a pathway, adding gravel beneath a tree, or creating a low-growing groundcover border can create a greater variety of spaces and visually divide your front yard from your neighbors. Additionally, reducing the lawn area reduces the frequency of weekly lawn mowing. If you continue to maintain a relatively healthy section of lawn (i.e., you don’t let it grow into weeds), using an electric lawn mower can greatly decrease the level of disruption caused by routine lawn maintenance. Electric mowers can be used frequently for quick touch-ups, thereby making it easier to stay “on top” of the lawn without initiating a new noisy project every weekend.
Wrong Plant Choices Create a Confusing and Demanding Feeling About Your Property
There are times when landscaping will appear aesthetically pleasing for a limited time frame and then become a continuous repair task. This generally occurs when the plants selected are not compatible with your location. An example would include a water-thirsty floral border located in direct sunlight, a hedge needing frequent pruning, or delicate plants being placed in a windy area of your front bed. In either case, poor plant selection creates more problems than benefits.
While the primary concern regarding wrong plant selections is the effort required to address them, they also affect the perception of your property. A front yard that consistently appears to be “one missed watering away” from disaster is perceived as stressful. Therefore, it is perceived negatively.
Unlike traditional gardening methods, where plants are maintained on a constant basis for aesthetic purposes, low-impact landscaping uses plants that can perform their functions independently. For instance, naturally rounded shapes of shrubs provide less pruning/maintenance than boxwood-type shrubs. Perennial plants that bloom/re-grow annually contribute to the stability of your landscape. Ornamental grasses, evergreen trees/shrubs, and hardy regional plants tend to produce a fuller, more stable landscape than fussy annual flowers.
Sound Is Part Of The Discussion When Talking About Landscaping
Generally speaking, people view landscaping strictly as an aesthetic issue. They discuss such things as color, balance/symmetry, scale/horizontal placement, etc. On the other hand, few consider the potential impact of sound upon their outdoor living space.
However, sound plays a significant role in changing our experience of our homes as much as anything else.
Therefore, a front yard may present as neatly manicured yet uninviting/stressful due to constant maintenance activities (mowing, weeding, blowing leaves, raking leaves). You observe this best during small moments throughout your day (e.g., sipping coffee on your porch early in the morning; opening your windows late in the spring). As such, noise greatly impacts the ambiance of your outdoor space.
Clean Lines Between Spaces Are Usually More Important Than Having More Plants
More often than not, it is the edges between spaces rather than all aspects of your outdoor space failing simultaneously that creates an untidy appearance.
For example:
- Grass grows into plant beds.
- Mulch deteriorates close to pathways.
- The border between driveways and lawns becomes disheveled.
Although these are minor details relative to the overall presentation of your outdoor space, these details collectively create the initial impression visitors receive as they approach your residence.
Consequently, this is why establishing clear lines between spaces via edge work represents perhaps one of the smarter low-impact solutions available to homeowners today. Clear borders lend simplicity to landscaping projects and reduce repetitive maintenance because areas are defined and easily distinguishable.
In particular, stone, metal, or brick edgings can define separation between grass and plant beds and serve to maintain neatness for years to come. Defining paths leading to entrance doors commonly enhances the completed look of an entrance. Similarly, newly applied layers of mulch in plant beds can improve the appearance of your outdoor space without necessitating wholesale revisions.
Your Yard Should Reflect Your Lifestyle
One common trait among the most visually appealing front yards is that they reflect your lifestyle. There is a sense that homeowners can utilize/enjoy their outdoor spaces without continuously battling them. Lawns remain easy to mow; plants thrive in existing environmental conditions; and maintenance routines are reasonable.
That is essentially what low-impact landscaping accomplishes: It provides homeowners with an outdoor space that supports their home without consuming excessive amounts of time. Curb appeal is created based on practical decisions rather than continuous maintenance. Homeowners do not necessarily need an elaborate redesign to achieve this same effect; oftentimes, simplification of what currently resides in front of them achieves this exact outcome.
A quieter piece of equipment, such as an electric lawn mower, combined with fewer high-maintenance plant varieties, coupled with a little bit of consideration concerning layout, can dramatically alter the overall character of a yard. The yard remains attractive; however, it ceases to demand constant commotion.
