Loading the slideshow
The slideshow requires script be turned on to function.
Next up
12 great foliage border plantsYou can add pop and color to garden borders without the help of flowers.
Year-round plan for the perfect lawnStay the envy of your neighbors each season of the year.
Snowbird's guide to yard maintenanceMoving to a warmer climate? Don't make these 8 mistakes.
Roll out the green carpetWhere a lawn won't grow, plant moss — no mowing, no fussing, no problem.
Plant a moss lawnDon't want to see a brown lawn next year? Try moss instead of grass.
Save a drought-stricken lawnHere's how to bring your lawn back to full glory after a dry summer.
8 ways to beat the leaves this fallThese tools and tips will help you tame the mess of leaves on your lawn.
8 great home-and-garden appsUse your phone or tablet to improve and repair your piece of the world.
The real cost of an enviable lawnHere are the costs involved in making your lawn the best on the block.
© Ginny Mellinger
© Jennifer Cheung
© Jennifer Cheung
© Jennifer Cheung
© Jennifer Cheung
© Brooke Dietrich
Brooke Dietrich
© Brooke Dietrich
© Brooke Dietrich
© Brooke Dietrich
FIND YOUR DREAM HOME OR APARTMENT
must-see on msn
-
10 curious facts about Shakespeare
Tooltip Information:
10 curious facts about ShakespeareVideo by:Description: Portrait of William Shakespeare ((C) Fine Art Images/SuperStock/Getty Images)Rating:Views:
-
2013 summer movie guide
Tooltip Information:
2013 summer movie guideVideo by:Description: Man of Steel ((C) Warner Bros.)Rating:Views:
-
14 exercises for people in pain
Tooltip Information:
14 exercises for people in painVideo by:Description: 14 exercises for people in pain (Health.com)Rating:Views:
-
Jennifer Lopez stuns at beach shoot
Tooltip Information:
Jennifer Lopez stuns at beach shootVideo by:Description: Jennifer Lopez stuns at beach shoot ((C) E!)Rating:Views:
Leave it to bing to offer a bunch of useless information with no answers. Waste of time using bing, they don't follow through. Before"s and after's don't match. The article on " how to diagnose lawn disease" offer no advice on how to fix problems. Bing needs to get new writers.
if you have no money,do some dumpster divinig..or as we call it sidewalk hauling...you can find interesting lawn ornaments,,ie: old wheelbarrows..metal articles..an old chair..work with what you have to make these fit into your yard space...i did
2 creative front-yard makeovers
By Julie Chai and Sharon Cohoon of Sunset
Two landscape designers use some of the same great ideas, yet each garden ends up with its own distinct look.
Woodsy meets wild makeover: Before
The only way to get to the front door of Ginny Mellinger's house in Redwood City, Calif., was to cross the driveway or lawn. Although — or because — the space was wide open to the street, it was useless.
- Sunset: 18 front-yard makeovers
- Video: Spring gardening tips
- On our blog, 'Listed': Death knell for the suburbs?
2 creative front-yard makeovers
After
A new fence, a path and the understated plantings that replaced the lawn add huge curb appeal. The beauty of the new front garden is that the plants look good all year with minimal care. It now has two parts — a public one and a more private one — separated by fencing. In the woodsy "public" section, shapely Arbutus 'Marina' trees are underplanted with mounded, deep-green Carex tumulicola, which spills onto the entry path in a haze of fine, soft leaves. Closer to the house, scattered around the patio, an exuberant mix of plants adds some color — yellows, blues and deep plum-chocolate. "I don't think I'd ever again have a lawn in my front yard," Mellinger says. "Why would I, when there are so many other things you can plant?"
Design: Jared Vermeil, San Francisco (vermeildesign.com)
- On our blog, 'Listed': Condo board sues residents over flowers
2 creative front-yard makeovers
Decide where to use your color
Here, brighter hues are kept inside the fence, nearer the house: Lime-green aeonium rosettes, spiky plum cordyline and kangaroo paws grow in large swaths around the patio, lending year-round color and texture.
- MSN Living: Find the right ground cover
2 creative front-yard makeovers
Balance the public and private
The fence panels of ipe wood, together with Arbutus trees, define the new outdoor room but don't completely block the view from the street. "We have a warm, friendly neighborhood, so I didn't want anything barrierlike," Mellinger says.
- Pinterest users: Check out MSN Real Estate's boards
- Video: Spring gardening tips
- On our blog, 'Listed': Death knell for the suburbs?
2 creative front-yard makeovers
Create imperfection
The pavers are set neatly in gold-colored gravel. The overall look is a bit wild, though, thanks to a few small grasses and euphorbias tucked here and there between the pebbles.
- On our blog, 'Listed': Condo board sues residents over flowers
2 creative front-yard makeovers
Little patch of paradise makeover: Before
This yard in Costa Mesa, Calif., was little more than 1,500 square feet of tired lawn and broken tiles in a challengingly arid climate.
- MSN Living: Find the right ground cover
2 creative front-yard makeovers
After
Landscape designer Brooke Dietrich added a fence and then — inspired by the king palm — went for size and color in her plantings. Building this garden around an existing king palm called for vibrant flowers, cool foliage and strong shapes. Whereas Mellinger's fence is a rich auburn that picks up her trees' rust-colored bark, Dietrich chose to paint hers a plant-framing black. To cut costs, she kept hardscaping to a minimum, adding only a new front walk made of budget-friendly concrete. Then she planted shrubs and perennials, placing colorful blooms outside the fence and quieter green plants inside. The effect is breathtaking, especially in winter and spring, when almost the whole yard is in full bloom.
Design: Brooke Dietrich, Costa Mesa (greenlandscapestoenvy.com)
- Pinterest users: Check out MSN Real Estate's boards
- Video: Spring gardening tips
- On our blog, 'Listed': Death knell for the suburbs?
2 creative front-yard makeovers
Make an entrance
A series of off-kilter concrete pads, stained a warm sandstone tone and flanked by imposing Agave attenuata, now leads toward the front door from the street.
- On our blog, 'Listed': Condo board sues residents over flowers
Slide show: 14 plans for a great home garden
- MSN Glo: The season's best gardening tools
2 creative front-yard makeovers
Share your vivid colors
Hot-colored flowers — coral aloe, chartreuse euphorbia, lipstick-pink grevillea and, yes, kangaroo paws again, this time in bright orange — add punch to the outer garden, while a judicious splash of blue Senecio mandraliscae tones down the heat.
- MSN Living: Find the right ground cover
2 creative front-yard makeovers
Steer clear of thirsty plants
Bold succulents — agaves, aloes and aeonium — give Dietrich's garden the tropical foliage she wanted without the heavy water requirements. There's also a lot less lawn to be irrigated now; she left just enough grass to spread out a blanket.
- Sunset: 18 front-yard makeovers
- Video: Create a water-wise garden
- MSN Glo: The season's best gardening tools
more from Sunset
