In a small garden, following a few key principles when planning and planting will help make your garden look bigger and feel less cluttered.
Whether you have a tiny garden or a small patio, there are many ways you can improve your space. Taking time to choose colour schemes, picking plants that will flower for months and using design tricks such as repetition or adding focal points, will all have a big impact. Take design inspiration from other gardens you visit – large or small – and from flower shows. Discover the winning gardens of the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
For limited budgets, think about using gravel instead of paving or a lawn. This also provides more space for plants in a tiny space. Install simple lighting yourself or, if you want a small vegetable garden, sow salad successionally in containers or grow fast-cropping plants like spring radishes and short, fast-growing carrot varieties such as Nantes 2.
One of the simplest ways to give small gardens a boost is to use your vertical space – for tiny gardens use hanging baskets and planters, cover boundaries with climbers, and add height with trees or tall slim plants like alliums and Verbena bonariensis.
There are many ways to make a small garden more interesting – heres a few garden design tips for small gardens to get you started.
A lush green lawn may seem like the default choice for your home’s front garden. But maintaining a pristine patch of turf grass takes time money and resources that not everyone has. The good news is, you don’t need a lawn to have a stunning front garden! There are so many creative ways to landscape the space without grass.
As a UK homeowner myself, I’ve gathered some of the best small front garden ideas that don’t require grass. These alternatives provide eye-catching appeal and lower maintenance. Read on to discover inspiring options for converting your small front garden into a lawn-free oasis!
Why Ditch the Lawn?
You may be wondering – why should I get rid of my front lawn? Here are some of the key benefits of going grass-free:
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Save time – No more weekly mowing or daily watering required to keep grass looking its best. A lawn-free landscape needs far less upkeep.
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Conserve resources – Lawns demand substantial amounts of water. Xeriscaping with drought-tolerant plants conserves precious water.
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Lower costs – Reducing or removing grass eliminates expenses like lawn fertilizer, pesticides and fuel for the mower.
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Increase curb appeal – Thoughtfully designed landscapes have great aesthetic value, increasing your home’s kerb appeal.
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Enhance sustainability – Grass lawns have little ecological value for local wildlife Diverse plantings better support birds, bees and butterflies.
Clearly, there are plenty of excellent reasons to lose the lawn and landscape your small front garden without grass!
Fabulous Lawn Alternatives
If you decide to make the leap to a grass-free front garden, what should you put in its place? You have loads of options to create a gorgeous landscape! Here are some of my top suggestions:
Inviting Walkways
Define and highlight the path to your front door by incorporating eye-catching walkways. There are endless materials to choose from, like brick, stone, concrete pavers, gravel or wood chips. For modern flair, opt for sleek concrete tiles in bold geometric shapes. Or use irregular flagstones for a charming cottage garden feel.
Flowering Borders
One of the best ways to inject colour and personality into your lawn-free front garden is to plant vibrant flowering borders. Choose a mix of heights, textures and bloom times for non-stop beauty spring through fall. Evergreens like shrubs or small trees provide structure during winter months.
Foliage Plants
While flowers add pops of color, foliage creates the “bones” of your garden. Use plants with interesting shapes, forms and hues. Spiky yucca, swaying ornamental grasses, large hosta leaves and variegated shrubs all deliver visual impact.
Hardscaping
Incorporate hardscaping features like benches, garden art, containers and lighting. This personalizes the space and adds aesthetic appeal. Position pots bursting with colourful annuals on either side of the front door for a charming welcome.
Productive Plantings
Get extra enjoyment from your lawn-free landscape by including edible plants. Tuck dwarf fruit trees, culinary herbs or raised vegetable beds alongside your ornamental plantings. This allows you to grow fresh ingredients just steps from your kitchen.
Design Tips for Success
When planning and executing your small front garden design without grass, keep these top tips in mind:
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Focus on low maintenance – Choose mainly perennials, trees and shrubs. Avoid high maintenance plants like delicate roses or perennial borders. Go for clean, modern lines rather than intricate details.
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Limit colors – Stick to just one or two colors in addition to green foliage. This keeps the design looking cohesive and soothing.
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Incorporate hardscaping – Features like pathways, benches and decorative pots add visual interest with minimal upkeep.
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Use containers wisely – While containers offer flexibility, they do require more effort than in-ground plantings. Use them sparingly.
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Play with heights – Vary plant heights for greater depth and dimension. Columnar trees, medium shrubs, trailing vines and groundcover create layered interest.
Inspiring Pictures of Front Gardens Without Grass
If you’re still unsure what a lawn-free front garden might look like, check out these stunning real-world examples from Houzz. They showcase the amazing possibilities for small front gardens without any grass!
[Image 1] A contemporary front garden with clean lines, sleek concrete pavers and architectural evergreen shrubs.
[Image 2] Winding brick pathways through colorful raised planter beds create cottage garden charm.
[Image 3] Bold swaths of gravel and stone contrast beautifully with flowering lavender and olive trees.
[Image 4] Concrete walkways lined by containers overflowing with pink flowers provide a modern pop of color.
Which style resonates most with your own taste and home architecture? With a thoughtful landscape design, your new grass-free front garden can become a beloved space your family enjoys for years to come. Ditch the high maintenance lawn, and create an outdoor oasis with true curb appeal!
Plant up a hanging planter
Using hanging planters is an inexpensive way to add greenery to a boundary or shed wall. Plant them with bedding, ferns (in shade), trailing alpines or herbs. Alternatively use them to plant veg with shallow roots, such as salad leaves or spinach.
A small garden will look bigger if you can’t see everything at once. Divide up your garden using flowerbeds, screens or hedges to break up the space. The fact that it has different areas or sections will also make your garden more interesting to look at. This division of space works well in tiered gardens too.
Using light-coloured materials can help to bounce the light around and will make the garden seem more spacious than dark paving or paint colours. This will also brighten your garden if your outdoor space is on the shady side. Try light paving or gravel, or paint your boundaries in a light colour.
Use rectangular paving stones
Make your garden look wider by using rectangular paving, horizontally. This makes an interesting alternative to square paving and will create an illusion that your garden is wider than it is.
22 Cheap No Grass Backyard Ideas For Low-Maintenance Garden
FAQ
How to landscape a front yard with no grass?
To landscape your yard without grass, use ground covers, apply mulch, incorporate hardscaping, design flower beds, choose native plants, create rock gardens, and utilize container gardening. These options create an attractive, low-maintenance landscape.
What is the most low maintenance landscaping for front yard?
Ornamental Grasses Are Easy
Ornamental grasses are a great low maintenance landscaping option. You can find a variety of grass that are native to your area and don’t have to be a landscaping expert to find ways to incorporate them into your yard.
What plants grow well in a small front garden?
Good examples include catmint, Nepeta × faassenii; honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum; ivy, Hedera helix cultivars; and Aster novi-belgii. See RHS Plants for Pollinators for more ideas. Pots can be placed anywhere, allowing plants to be grown in areas of the front garden that don’t have soil.
What is the best low maintenance garden for the elderly?
Hostas and daylilies are a couple of perennials that require far less maintenance than most others, so good choices to retain. And there are some others that have similar attributes but on the whole, stick with shrubs or other woody plants.