Annuals like petunias and impatiens brighten planting beds and containers. They'll only last your growing season and won't survive most US winters.
Tall ornamental grasses including switchgrass, beak grass, and Indian grass add texture and movement to front yard landscaping.
It may be tempting to buy a lot of plants at the garden center, but a simple front yard landscaping suggestion is to buy five. One evergreen, two bigger shrubs, and three perennials will fill an area without cluttering it and costing little.
Plant densely to cover all ground to reduce yard maintenance costs. Weeds like open soil, light, and moisture.
Before planting and mulching, cover exposed soil with cardboard to form a biodegradable weed screen. Cardboard lets moisture into the soil and inhibits weeds.
Spring is the best season to plant since getting outside is tempting after a long winter. You can save hundreds of dollars by buying plants in late summer and early fall when garden centers and large box stores are clearing out.
Hostas, grasses, and peonies, which have outlasted several owners, benefit from clump splitting in established yards.
Use planted containers and pots to save thousands instead of planting a yard. Use gravel, sand, or pebbles as landscape filler in dry climates and arrange containers to give color and flair.