Welcoming & Water-Wise Entry Garden—Colorado

Project Summary

This Colorado homeowner wanted to replace her thirsty front lawn with low-maintenance groundcover plantings. She also wanted a welcoming entry garden where her family could enjoy hanging out and neighbors would feel encouraged to drop in.

Check out the plan notes below to learn more about Home Outside’s design solutions!

Base Plan

Draft Design

Final Design

Landscape Design Plan Notes

Stepping stone path through garden and no-mow lawn.

Create garden with a sweeping curve to connect mailbox bed to sitting area.

Retain hedge as it separates back yard from front yard successfully. Remove fence from behind shrubs if it is unnecessary.

Prune trees to a tidy shape.

Sitting area backed by low to mid height shrubs and perennials.

Remove freestanding wall to brighten front entrance area.

Use container plants in corners of hardscape.

Small flowering trees or tall vase-shaped shrubs.

Continue perennial garden on east side of path. Use matching plants, arranged asymmetrically, yet balanced, on either side of walkway for visual connectivity.

Flowering small/mid-size cherry tree. Match in size and/or species to existing cherry tree.

No-mow low-height fescue or similar steppable groundcover plant as lawn alternative. Option to consider very low maintenance gravel as groundcover as well.

Upright architectural shrubs anchor planting bed along side of house.