Make an Oasis in Your Front Yard!

Just over a year ago, I decided to remake my front yard. Due to drought, the grass was dying and in fact, most of it had died. So I thought it would be better to conserve water and stop trying to have that "perfect lawn" that used to be the standard.  I cleared a spot in the center of the yard, and you can see the progression of the "Oasis" over the years time.  It's still a work in progress, but as you can see, many plants have matured and others have died and been replaced.  I outlined the entire plot with concrete curbing I made in individual molds over time. Into the molds, I encased various words using styrofoam cut on the hotwire machine.  One raised bed, a post with a planter on it, a pathway, some concrete tree rings, a bird bath  and a variety of plants make an attractive, interesting "garden spot" in the front yard.

Comments

[msplantladi]

looks great,I live in Las Vegas so i am learning gardening all over again. What are some of the plant names that you used?

[fkey541]

How did you create 'The Oasis' stone? I have already downloaded and plan to create pavers and planters. Thanks!

[Creativeman]

I just cut them out of styrofoam, which had been pre-painted...then they are glued onto the concrete piece as shown. They won't last forever, but it's an easy fix to remake them if necessary.

[Momastray]

Very lovely. I have a very small yard and I need to do something like this. I just don't know where to start! haha I especially love your borders with the messages in them. I love making things like that, I'm just not a gardener. Anyway, yours is an inspiration.

[Creativeman]

Thanks for your comments...it is hard to get started sometime, but just start, and one thing leads to another, right? Good luck.

[Horse_Fly]

I love this! I am in the beginning stages of replacing my lawn in my backyard as I am tired of battling weeds and having to mow it. I have the unfortunate obstacle of it being a slope so I have to do retainer walls or creative planting to prevent things from eroding away :P That adds onto the cost and labor quite a bit. I am determined though to get it done in the next 5 years. Just want enough grass left for the dogs to play ball. I think a doggy playground is gonna be part of my design.

[leonardml]

Beauuuutiful! Love the lemons in the foreground. Made any lemoncello yet?!

[Creativeman]

Actually, they are oranges, and they make fabulous orange juice! Thanks.

[Zenun]

How's that water bill?

[Robyntheslug]

Looks great! For even better water retention, some hardy groundcover or some mulch might help fill in the bare spots and cut back on weeding.

[Creativeman]

Thanks...you're right, but the design is not complete yet, and don't want to finalize it with groundcover just yet...

[Tomcat94]

This is so awesome!! I should try to do this as well, and have an oasis in my backyard instead. :)

[Creativeman]

Thank you for the comment. It makes a lot of difference in a yard.