How to landscape my front yard?

Hi there, I've posted about my front yard before regarding drainage and lawn prep advice and got feedback which was very helpful, so back again for another query. Does anyone have any ideas about how I could landscape my yard. I just want easy and simple as it is for a rental under the house and I'm on a bit of a tight budget. I will probably put topsoil and lawn seed or rolled out grass in the centre area in front of the entrance and tiled area but can't seem to picture what should go around the sides and raised areas. I was thinking possibly decorative stones or bark spaced around the sides including raised areas with plants spaced. around.

If anyone has any other ideas for things including plants that might work I would appreciate it.

Taken from sliding door tile areaTaken from concrete wall

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Planting and Growing

Landscaping

Comments

KatieC

Hi @john5

What a great space you get to work with!

Decorative stones would look gorgeous in your garden.

Do you have a floorplan with the dimensions for your space?

Do they enter the rental from the street where the wooden post pictured is, to the sliding door entrance?

@WoodenGregsWood @sandy_d and @Jimi have great experience with landscaping their yards and I am sure would have some ideas for you.

Your climate will help determine which plants will grow best, check out this article by @Noelle How to choose plants for your garden | Bunnings Workshop community.

Our resident D.I.Y. pro @EricL will be online later this afternoon and will be able to help out as well.

Katie

john5

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/18201#Comment_18201

Hi Katie,

Thanks so much for your encouraging and helpful message. It is a great space to work with but the more I stare at it the more confused I am with what to do with it haha. There is a bit of a floor plan for it but will need to measure up again to check. They will be entering the rental from the driveway which leads to a side path and gate so they don't need to cross the yard. Thanks for the contacts

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/71751#Comment_71751

Hi @john5

My apologies for the late reply. I'm currently drawing you up a simple garden layout. As soon as I finish I'll post it here.

Eric

EricL

Hello @john5

Here are the sketches for your garden layout. I recommend dividing your garden into three areas. One is to be covered with Cypres Heartwood or Cedar. Don't use anything else, these mulches repel termites and insects. Your other option is to use Tuscan or Red polished pebbles. Please make sure to put weedmat under them to prevent weeds from growing in between the mulch and pebbles. Section two is the turf area. With a limited turf area mowing will be easy and will not require you to spend a lot of water on the turf. Section three is the paver covered area. It serves as a spot for a barbeque or just a place to lounge around with a picnic table. The only condition of this design is that the area must be levelled flat.

The walking path is made of large 600 x 300 pavers and surrounded with Tuscan Path 10kg 10 - 25mm Polished Mix Pebbles. I suggest putting drought-tolerant plants to make sure that they will survive even if the tenants only water them occasionally. Please have a look and tell me what you think. If you wish to see it in another configuration, please let me know. I'll be more than happy to re-arrange it for you.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

John5 garden1.jpg John5 garden2.jpg John5 garden3.jpg John5 garden4.jpg John5 garden5.jpg

john5

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/18233#Comment_18233

Hi Eric, this is amazing and I absolutely love it! Thank you so much for taking the time to put this layout together, I really appreciate it and it is above and beyond any feedback I was expecting. It all looks very straight forward and makes good use of the space with low maintenance. Is there any special method in installing the pavers or is it just a case of making sure the ground is level and putting them in place?

I'll write out the shopping list with the products you've listed and head down to Bunnings. Do you have any suggestions for a reliable turf product I can use.

Once again thank you for the layout and product advice. It has been very helpful and I will go with this plan.

Cheers

Kane

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/71768#Comment_71768

Hi Kane (@john5),

@EricL will be back after the weekend and I trust he will be pleased to hear that you've found his design useful.

You should find this guide on How to lay paving for a path of benefit. We also have a step-by-step guide on How to lay turf. My recommendation would be Buffalo turf as it is low maintenance, hard wearing and drought tolerant.

I'm sure @EricL will let us know if he has additional advice.

Mitchell

john5

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/99183#Comment_99183

Very very helpful indeed. Thank you very much.

Jimi

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/99183#Comment_99183

@john5

Sorry for my late addition, but I think the design is great for your requirements, and I would also agree that Buffalo is a fantastic choice for the space you have. It is cost efficient and easy to maintain, but most of all it is self repairing. Drought tolerant plants are also the way to go as suggested, just maybe not yucca's. The root systems can get very aggressive and after spending the weekend at my rental property removing yucca plants, they can easily get out of hand if not used in the right locations.

john5

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/116413#Comment_116413

Oh no. Thanks for the heads-up. I wouldn't want to be digging those up with all those roots.

eneity

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/18233#Comment_18233

Hi @EricL, great drawings you have there. If you don't mind me asking, what computer app did you use to draw these? Many thanks!

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/71979#Comment_71979

Hi @eneity,

@EricL uses the free version of Sketchup for these drawings. Super cool aren't they!

What are you planning on designing?

Mitchell

eneity

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/99309#Comment_99309

Thanks @MitchellMc - yes I have plans to do something about my tiny backyard… but just can’t find the time 🙁 but this tool will be super handy when I get around to it. Thanks again for letting me know!

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/116450#Comment_116450

Hi @eneity

Please post some photos and measurements of your backyard. I'll be more than happy to do a quick plan for you.

Eric

eneity

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/126272#Comment_126272

Hi @EricL, thanks for offering your help. I would really appreciate your time and help. Should I start a new discussion with my specific measurements (I feel like I’m hijacking this discussion, which is not my intention). Thanks!

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/132828#Comment_132828

Starting a new discussion would be best @eneity. It's not about hi-jacking this thread but more about visibility for your project and questions. That way, our members can follow your backyard makeover from start to finish. 👍

Mitchell

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