The front yard of your dreams will take time, effort, and sweat, but having a home with great curb appeal is worth it. And the satisfaction of having done the work yourself – it’s so empowering.
Here’s how I transformed the front yard after buying my house in Gainesville, Florida. Everything I did you can do too – with some adaptations for where you live and the local climate. Consider this a guide to front yard makeovers.
- 1. Lawn: Weed and Overseed
- 2. Flower Beds: Choose Native Plants
- 3. Trees and Bushes: Add Color and Texture
- 4. Sidewalk: Cracked Concrete to Bricks
- 5. Edging: Add Defined Borders
- 6. Landscape Lighting: Show Your Work
- 7. Front Patio: Make It Comfortable
- 8. Fight Lawn Pests: Moles and Dead Man’s Fingers
- 9. Gutters and Roof: Clean Gutters, Sweep Roof
- 10. Maintenance: Keep Everything Looking Sharp
1. Lawn: Weed and Overseed
We inherited a yard that had been neglected. The previous homeowner had spent big on a state-of-the-art kitchen that wowed us, so the front yard is where I started on our upgrades.
Here’s what I did: I pulled the weeds, and I overseeded to fill in the bare spots. Gainesville’s sandy soil meant that it took a bit longer for the grass seed to fill in the patches than I had been used to with more solid Midwest soil.
See Related:
– Guide to Weed Control in Your Yard
– Clear Signs You Need to Overseed Your Lawn
2. Flower Beds: Choose Native Plants
The flower beds had been invaded by weeds and grass. The big island of a flower bed in the front yard needed new plants that added color so that it would draw butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and other winged wildlife to the yard.
The flower beds on either side of the sidewalk also needed the old dead plants, weeds, and grass removed.
Here’s what I did: For the big island of a flower bed, I purchased native plants, including a couple of firecracker bushes that were like magnets for pollinators. The flower beds along the sidewalk received new colorful flowers to brighten the walkway and make the sidewalk more inviting for visiting neighbors.
With all the flower beds, I installed landscape fabric to deter weeds and then 3 inches of red cedar mulch to set off the flower beds from the green of the grass. Mulching your flower beds is one of many cheap landscaping ideas that will improve your front yard.
Speaking of native plants, the yard included an American beautyberry, which I had never seen before. Now, years later when I discovered beautyberry here in Dallas, I learned those berries are edible and some people make jams and jellies from them.
See Related:
– Benefits of Native Plants in Landscaping
– Florida Native Plants: Flowers, Trees, and Shrubs
3. Trees and Bushes: Add Color and Texture
The front yard was pretty flat from side to side and from the culvert to the front of the patio.
Here’s what I did: We added color and texture by planting two tall trees in the center of the island flower bed and azaleas along the property line with one of our neighbors. Now the flower bed would have added color from the tree’s leaves and a focal point to stand tall above the native plants.
We added plants to the side yard, too, to add color and texture, as you can see in the photo above. That green really pops with the red cedar mulch, doesn’t it?
See Related:
– Ways to Landscape Around Trees
– Flowering Trees to Transform Your Yard
4. Sidewalk: Cracked Concrete to Bricks
The front yard neglect extended to the sidewalk from the driveway to the front of the house.
Here’s what I did: We replaced it with a brick sidewalk. Laying the bricks in the pattern took time and care, but it looked so much better. And just seeing the finished brick sidewalk – knowing we had done that ourselves – with the help of a friend visiting from Canada – gave us such a sense of pride.
See Related:
– Walkway Ideas for Your Yard and Garden
5. Edging: Add Defined Borders
As mentioned before, the grass was creeping into the big flower bed in the center of the yard and the flower beds along the now brick sidewalk.
Here’s what I did: We ordered more bricks to edge the flower beds to keep out the grass and help those flower beds to stand out even more from the lawn.
See Related:
– Garden Edging 101: Ideas and Tips for Installation
6. Landscape Lighting: Show Your Work
That central flower bed, the flower beds along the sidewalk, and even the palm trees in front of the house disappeared at night – until we added landscape lighting.
Here’s what I did: We didn’t go the expensive route, but two uplights from the main flower bed highlighted the tree and the palm trees near the front door. Solar lights in the sidewalk flower beds lit the way from the driveway to the front door.
See Related:
– Outdoor Landscape Lighting Ideas for Your Yard
7. Front Patio: Make It Comfortable
If you have a beautiful yard with butterflies visiting, you want to enjoy it.
Here’s what I did: We bought a cafe table and two chairs for the patio so we could watch the pollinators while sipping coffee in the morning. A couple of hanging plants helped add some greenery to the patio area in front of the house.
8. Fight Lawn Pests: Moles and Dead Man’s Fingers
Yes, we liked our great-looking yard, but so did moles. The sandy soil made it easy to see their travels. When we had sent them packing, an armadillo liked to visit for a while. But the strangest lawn pest – actually more in the garden area near the palm trees out front – was dead man’s fingers. This mushroom-like fungal growth looks like it sounds, and it smells as bad as you can imagine.
Here’s what I did: Digging up the dead man’s fingers to get rid of this yard pest required me to pinch my nose.
See Related:
– How to Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard
9. Gutters and Roof: Clean Gutters, Sweep Roof
Part of any front yard makeover includes removing leaves when they pile up, as the neighbors on both sides had tall trees. That also means cleaning out gutters and sweeping your roof of branches and any other debris.
Why worry about gutters? A front yard makeover isn’t complete if you have sagging or overflowing gutters when it rains. First impressions count when you’re selling your home, and that includes the gutters and roof.
Here’s what I did: I climbed a ladder with gloves and a bucket and cleaned out the gutters, and I used a broom to sweep the branches from the neighbors’ trees off the roof.
10. Maintenance: Keep Everything Looking Sharp
Mowing the lawn – front yard, backyard, and side yard – and weeding those flower beds was my therapy. It’s tiring, sweaty work, but nothing beats the feeling of accomplishment of seeing your yard mowed, the flower beds weeded, and everything looking perfect.
Here’s what I did: I bought a lawn mower and set my weekend schedule to allow for an hour and a half to mow the front yard, side yard, and backyard. I allotted another hour for pulling weeds and general cleanup. Blocking out the time, setting up a routine, ensures your yard will look great from week to week and season to season.
One tip: If you go the DIY route, don’t buy the cheapest lawn mower. I did that and it lasted 3 mows before it died. If you’re spending so much on a front yard makeover, don’t skimp on the mower that will keep everything looking sharp.
Create Your Own Front Yard Makeover
Remember, everything I did, you can do too. Instead of butterfly bushes in Gainesville, the front yard of my house in St. Louis had lots of hostas. Choose native and other low-maintenance plants that will create a beautiful front yard wherever you live.
Quality lawn care makes all the difference. It boosts your home’s curb appeal. And a great-looking lawn can increase your home’s sale price by as much as 20%.
Bottom line: Whether you DIY your yard care or hire one of LawnStarter’s local lawn mowing pros, make your front yard inviting for visitors and someplace where you enjoy spending time watching pollinators or talking with your neighbors.
Main Image: Gainesville, Florida home. Photo Credit: Jeff Herman / LawnStarter
