I'd like to replace the turf in my front yard with flower beds. I think it's a waste of time and resources to maintain grass just to cut it down. And I'll get more enjoyment out of gardens. Will it negatively affect my house value to have a yard with very little grass? I plan on living here for many years. But if I were to sell the house, the next family wouldn't have room to play.
I don't know about the house value but I think that finding a buyer might be a lot more difficult with the whole front yard in gardens. It would have to be another gardener who really wants to maintain it. I turned our front yard into a full garden a few years ago and have noticed that I am being copied by a few homeowners around the neighborhood. I turned our back yard into all garden a few years before I started on the front. My hubby and I figure that we will do with and to the house what we like and can while it is our house without too much thought about house value in the future. On March 29th we entered our 30th year in this house and April of 2017 will be having a mortgage burning. We have told our daughters that when we go and the house is theirs they are to contact the local community garden, tell them to bring their own pots and start digging up what they want. Then offer the house for sale with a discount in price to cover yard replacement. We do love photos of before, during and after gardening projects so be sure to get the camera busy before starting.
We've hardly got grass left around our house. The entire property was a collection of assorted hedges, moss, weed and grass when we moved in. Our climate is chilly and wet, so keeping a lawn nice is a bit difficult. We've got garden plants all over the place now because that's the way we like it. We've got paths here and there too. The place looks like an eccentric, haphazard construction site but hopefully we'll get it sorted before we croak. The good thing about our constructions and plants is that they can be removed to make a lawn again. As for future house value we never thought about our garden affecting it in any way. We got rid of our mortgage last year and celebrate 20 years of ownership later this year. For us the main thing is that we love living here as long as we own it. Good luck with your project, and please post photos!
Not a one, it's was a lot of work. My husband really had fun getting rid of the lawn mower, he always hated mowing. We put some picket fence panels up and I started on one corner with my trowel and pulled all the grass up, putting down mulch and putting in plants as I got a section cleared out. We get so many comments about it when people drive by and we are outside...good comments thankfully. And I think since a few others in the area are converting their front lawn to gardens is a sign that most people like the idea. These photos are from April 2013 http://www.gardenstew.com/threads/spring-is-lasting-longer-this-year.29077/
I'm looking forward to getting rid of the lawn mower, too. It'll be nice to look out the front door and see something magnificent.
I SO agree with grass being a waste of time and resources to maintain!! However, I have a long way to go to get rid of all the grass on my 2.5 acres (but I'm trying ) I much prefer to look at a yard with well maintained garden beds than well maintained lawn. Can't wait to see what you do with your yard imaginegirl
Inaginegirl--sounds like a big project. But I so agree with all of you. I just can't understand why people move out to the country, buy a few acres, build a home and put it all in lawn that they have to mow. If they wanted a it to look like the city they should have just bought a place in town with a large lawn to mow. I had read an article several years ago that said the lawn mowing was on of the biggest polluters of our planet. If they planted a smaller portion in lawn and then seeded the rest in wildflowers what a beautiful yard they would have in a few years. I would love to turn our back pasture area into a wildlife area, now that we do not have goats. Planting shrubs and flowers that would benefit the wildlife. But I do not think I have that much energy. We do mow it but only twice a year. I think this year we will let it go all together and just to mowed paths threw it like our other 4 acres has. Those 4 acres have a lot of trees, dogwood and native plants that benefit the wildlife. If you start with one area of your yard and each year expand it then it won't seem like such a big task.
