NO GRASS Front Yard Ideas | Xeriscape Landscape Design Tips from a Landscape Designer!

[@liv4wkn632]

I agree, lawns are overrated! Removing the grass in our front yard was the best thing ever. No more obnoxious gas-powered lawn mower and leaf blower polluting the air for us. I now sit in my courtyard, enjoy a drink, read a book, or just sit and enjoy our drought tolerant landscape. Darn, I just wish I had a bigger yard so I could plant some of those gorgeous olive trees! Wow, what a truly terrific job you did with that yard. 😍

[@JohnandBobs]

Thank you very much. Making the switch to xeriscape landscaping from having a lawn is an eye opener! Less pollution, less water, and (usually) less work! Thanks for your support.🌱-J&B's

[@joanescuriex7913]

I LOVE that you keep the environment paramount in your designs! Not everyone can re-do a RH scene, but to have a garden that does NOT require pesticide, insecticide fertilizer, and copious amounts of water should almost be mandatory! It is shocking what people apply to their lawns and ultimately allow to run off their property into our waterways!

[@JessicaJLandi]

It just so happened that the sunniest place for a vegetable garden was in our front yard. For the garden, I also always include a beautiful big potted palm tree focal point with orange hibiscus at the base in the pot and trailing purple petunias. Then in raised beds all around are vegetable beds also containig a sprinkling of other flowers (nasturtium, marigold, sunflowers). We're loving it. In fact, every year I seem to replace a little more lawn with edible or visually interesting landscaping.

[@JohnandBobs]

That sounds like a beautiful (and functional) garden! Thanks for sharing with us. 😀💚

[@tvs9978]

".. if it's for drinking, it should be level!" 🤣 Good advice. Love the final outcome. The trees look as if they've been there for decades.

[@JohnandBobs]

Hah! Thank you. We're quite pleased with they way this front entry turned out. - J&B's

[@cindyw.johnson9806]

Thank you! So grateful to find you. Living in the high desert of the Texas Panhandle, gardening is challenging. I am ready to get rid of grass! Bless you for your encouragement!

[@JohnandBobs]

You got this! 💚🙌 Do you know what you are going to replace your grass with yet?

[@galleta_2024]

I LOVE this presentation. I''ve been watching KZbin videos since April to get rid of my lawn for all the reasons you mentioned. I inherited this lawn along with a stunning Birch Tree in 2016. The tree I believe was planted in 2000 when this 55+ community was built. I NEVER liked the lawn as it is an endless pit of maintenance/money and green waste and it never looks beautiful. I've been trying to find landscaper since I moved in to remove lawn and put in a natural looking rock garden and whatever has to be planted needs the same water needs and the Birch. I have 9 sprinkler heads that move from side to side and cover a large area. This lawn is 572 sq ft so it's not by any means a large project and I dislike symmetrical look. More like a natural looking scape that Birch leaves can been blown off without harm. I'm in zone 8b-9b central coast California and any ideas are beyond more than welcomed. I'm in my 80's and want this done so I can appreciate looking outside the window and marvel at the beauty of true nature. thanks a bunch for any ideas.

[@JohnandBobs]

We are glad you like it! We have some other small/low maintenance/xeriscape yard videos that could help you with ideas. Here are a few of my favorite, hope they help! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pn3GYWSJn79ko80si=pjm_XXVBek-P3MpM kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5uVYaaDh9mAnKc. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqKkf6pueN5-eLs. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIicm6WkbLWUic0

[@galleta_2024]

@@JohnandBobs Thank you very much. I will definitely look at them today. Just need to find a landscaper willing to take on a mini project as all the good ones are doing huge projects. You and Chip are fun to watch. I'm assuming those olive trees you show are fruitless. When this community was built I lost count as to how many olive trees were planted and what a mess. Lovely trees but unless someone's going to do something with olives best to leave it to the growers. Squish and splat all over.

[@JohnandBobs]

@@galleta_2024 you’re welcome! 😊 Yes those ones are fruitless….pretty trees but the fruit bearing ones are definitely a pain to clean up after

[@ronniek4478]

Beautiful! Those olive trees are magnificent. Love the shadows they create on the walkway.

[@JohnandBobs]

They are quite spectacular!

[@musicdiva9365]

I loved this, it came out beautifully!

[@JohnandBobs]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@imaginecastles]

Great ideas and concepts. I am a fan of the idea that gardens should be useful and used.

[@JohnandBobs]

Thank you. We think more people should get on board!🌱😊 - J&B's

[@rfung4745]

Beautiful design! Love the olive trees and the uplighting.

[@JohnandBobs]

We appreciate your input Mr Fung! Are you back in the groove with our channel?

[@johnbehneman1546]

GREAT VIDEO JOHN!!! I AGREE WITH YOU 100%. DUE TO THE HIGH COST OF WATER IN SO CALIFORNIA. I LOVE TO USE DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS IN MY LANDSCAPING. THESE PLANTS SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY. SO, YOU CAN USE MORE MONEY FOR OTHER HOBBIES INSTEAD.

[@elizabethbrozic6074]

Johns videos are AMAZING. I just purchased a beautiful dwarf fruitless olive tree, it's so lovely. Johns videos are teaching me to be much more discerning in my plant options due to lack of water here in California. It's been difficult however because I worked in a nursery and love ALL trees and plants. Unfortunately I lost lots of them. Thanks to John naming the plants in his videos I can be much smarter in my plant and tree selection.

[@CrownedForCreation]

Great video

[@JohnandBobs]

Thanks!

[@elizabethbrozic6074]

Hi mr. Valintino. Elizabeth here from canada learning about zone 9b now that i live in Sacramento. I adore your landscape design and so happy i found you.!!! You have inspired us to get rid of our backyard lawn and incorporate so many of your designs. I need you😊.

[@JohnandBobs]

Welcome to California! It can be tricky learning a new zone, luckily zone 9 has many wonderful native plants! Thank you for your comment, we are glad to have you here with us. 🌱

[@postholedigger8726]

NO MORE LAWN MEANS NO MORE LAWN COSTS AND NO MORE AIR CONDITIONER COSTS. About 30 years ago I reforested the lot around our house. When we purchased the house it was a typical grass lawn with two trees suburban home. I initially planted 60 young hardwood trees throughout the yard and 90 Burford Holly bushes around the perimeter of the property. Looking at a house as having four walls and one roof I concluded that 4/5ths of the heat was coming through the walls and 1/5th was coming through the roof. The roof was getting direct heat and the walls were getting direct heat plus reflected heat reflected from the lawn. .My reasoning was the trees would stop direct sunlight and the Holly bushes would stop reflected sunlight hitting the walls of house. Before the trees and Holly bushes grew to their current size we had to run the air conditioner 24/7. This gave us a power bill close to $400.00 a month. In spite of the high power pill, it was unable to cool the house to a comfortable temperature. I made a few modifications to the house by adding roofed decks around the back and front entrances, to block the heat coming into the house through the doors, plus replacing the small window in the upstairs bedroom with French Doors plus a small roofed deck. The French Doors effectively took out most of the upper bedroom wall allowing the heat rising from the lower floors to escape. As the trees and Holly Bushes grew providing more shade the electric bill came down. Now the house is surrounded with a forest canopy and we no longer use or need the air conditioner. Our electric bill has been reduced by almost 75% and is currently $110.00 a month. The forest canopy is filled in to a point where the house can no longer be seen from the street. The property forestation is completely self sustaining and does not require watering, chemicals, mowing or any other human intervention.

[@JohnandBobs]

Sounds Great! -John

[@postholedigger8726]

@@JohnandBobs John, I would like to add that over the years most of the other houses in our neighborhood have deforested their yards and replaced the shaded areas with grass lawns. They now run their air conditioners 24/7 from February to October. The elevation of our area is over 1000 feet above sea level and is not conducive to grass. Grass does well in low elevation wetland areas but quickly turns brown in the summer and winter months in our higher elevation area. . After a few months the initial grass lawns are taken over by various low lying weeds which choke out the grass. This not only causes the temperature of a house to increase but the yards become a hideous weed patch. Due to constant mowing and taking the clippings to a landfill, the soil in their yards dies and turns into adobe, where nothing grows. This forms reddish brown dirt patches throughout their yards. Earthworms, which are a necessary part of the the ecosystem to replenish the soil, can no longer survive, and the soil turns into hard red bricklike adobe. That being said, about 3 years ago the county code inspector inspected my yard and ordered me to "REMOVE ALL VEGETATION". When I asked her reasoning she told me that all of the other homes in our neighborhood deforested their properties and put in grass lawns. She told me that anything that was not grass was a weed. She called my Burford HOLLY bushes "SCRUB BRUSH" and called the young hardwood trees "TALL GRASS AND WEEDS". This was in spite of the fact that the county codes specifically stated that deforesting property was ILLEGAL and REFORESTING (as I did) was in compliance with the law. She stated that she preferred grass lawns and put a lien on my house threatening me with thousands of dollars in fines. Fortunately the person in charge of her department actually read and understood the law and removed the lein. In spite of the terrible heat that enters houses on a deforested lot, coupled with horrible electric bills, our neighbors are removing more and more trees. I have talked to many of them and showed them that my electric was 1/4 of theirs, but they keep having their trees removed; replacing their yards with grass, which dies, gets choked out with weeds, ending up with dead patches of adobe soil.. The savings in lawn care costs plus power bill costs comes to thousands of dollars a year but they just can't see it.

[@elizabethharvey7762]

Love this design

[@JohnandBobs]

Thank you! 😊 We are glad you like it.

[@d1sc0urs3]

Learning about xeriscape

[@JohnandBobs]

Glad to hear it!

[@rebeccagrider7359]

Try filling the fountain basin with large cobble to quiet it

[@JohnandBobs]

That is a great idea!

[@lorihamlin3604]

I’ve spent many hours shelling peas with my grandmother under the pecan tree and a few months later spent many more hours on my knees picking up pecans to sell and shell for upcoming holiday pies.

[@JohnandBobs]

I love that so many of us have great memories surrounding a special tree. Thank you for sharing. 🌳💚

[@elizabethbrozic6074]

Wow, I wish our squirrels would leave our pecans alone, I would like to be able to shell them☺️

[@JohnandBobs]

@@elizabethbrozic6074 Try place plastic owls on elevated surfaces around the Pecan Tree(s), plant mint nearby or purchase predator urine (wolf or tiger urine sold in canisters) for spraying in vicinity. -John

[@elizabethbrozic6074]

Thank you, our pecans tree is beautiful and tall. My husband wants to take it down because of the flowers create quite the mess. I have convinced him to keep this beautiful tree and he agreed. I'm still learning about the life cycle of it. These squirrels are very very rascally. I don't think I can get an owl deterrent so high. I'll look into the predictor urine. Thank you.

[@JohnandBobs]

@@elizabethbrozic6074 Pecan really is a really attractive large shade tree. Best of luck, please feel free to update!

[@u0480478]

wow! where do you even find mature trees like that? is that challenging to transplant? great work. looks amazing.

[@postholedigger8726]

You don't need mature trees. Young trees grow quickly and reach the height of your roof in a few years. Start with young trees and put in as many as you can afford. One aspect that is overlooked is that a forest protects trees. The quantity and density of trees provide protection for each individual tree. from excess exposure to sun, wind, soil erosion, from excess rain and control of unwanted weeds. Shrubs and bushes around the perimeter are important in controlling the DIRECT and REFLECTED radiant heat penetrating your house. As the trees and bushes grow you will see your electric bill reduce.

[@CA-gk1bl]

I agree Penny but the beauty of this particular garden can be down sized to your budget. You don't have to buy BIG mature trees their are different size trees. Your local nursery has small trees that eventually grow to be nice big trees and the beauty is the smaller trees are a fraction of the cost of a mature tree. John I do have a question about all the nice flowering shrubs. I like the natural look of them when their small. But when they grow the typical "pruning" is to just make them square, or round ruining that natural look. Could you possibly make a video on how to shape those nice flowering shrubs as they grow. One last thing John what type of mulch do you prefer? And where could I purchase it. I also live in Fresno as well and use your soil products to create a nice lush garden thanks so much for your videos.

[@JohnandBobs]

I like to use a double ground cedar top dress mulch. My first preference for shrubs rather than clubbing them into submission is to select shrubs that don't get too big for their location so that minimal pruning is required. That is what we did in this garden - very little pruning will be required even as they mature. If shrubs that are way too big are used, it's very difficult to keep them small without hedge pruning them. We've done some videos on proper pruning (mostly trees-principles are the same) and we'll do more in the future! - John

[@jimbarnes5451]

Very nice! Great video. Bet THOSE olive trees were a buck or two…

[@JohnandBobs]

Unplanted about $2,500. to $3,000. per tree..

[@vickigonya9432]

That's what I'm doing, but I will incorporate food. Growing food. Blueberry Bushes , tomatoes etc

[@JohnandBobs]

That's a very nice concept. We have done some videos on this topic, we think it's great!

[@cameliaturda6472]

💜

[@happyhalimatastyhealthyfoo5576]

great idea how do u get rid of leafs from the gravel under the trees?

[@JohnandBobs]

Using a leaf blower works well

[@lilianarodriguez8056]

How do I hire you??

[@JohnandBobs]

We usually only do jobs in the Fresno/Clovis area. Our landscape company is ‘ Truxell & Valentino’ 😊

[@rooney2561]

I wish you'd make a trip to Oregon sometime 😊

[@karinaquismundo1898]

If you have small rocks or gravel how do you manage fallen leaves? I ln my mind it will be more difficult but I don't know much and can't decide

[@JohnandBobs]

The pea gravel compacted into decomposed granite is firm and surprisingly holds up very well if leaves are blown or raked off it. It's quite durable and stable!

[@lorihamlin3604]

I find that leaf blower works well with most dry leaves without blowing gravel away. I’ve been looking at mulch glue which can be used on rock as well.

[@postholedigger8726]

You don't need mature trees. Young trees grow quickly and reach the height of your roof in a few years. Start with young trees and put in as many as you can afford. One aspect that is overlooked is that a forest protects trees. The quantity and density of trees provide protection for each individual tree. from excess exposure to sun, wind, soil erosion, from excess rain and control of unwanted weeds. Shrubs and bushes around the perimeter are important in controlling the DIRECT and REFLECTED radiant heat penetrating into your house. As the trees and bushes grow you will see your electric bill reduce.

[@tinaknutsen]

Concrete walkways;Yes. Gravel; NO! Way too messy!

[@JohnandBobs]

In my experience, if in the right place and properly installed gravel works well.

[@postholedigger8726]

Single family stand alone homes are being purchased in the thousands by large heavily funded development corporations. When a development company purchases a home, the home becomes a PRODUCT for RENT. To advertise their "product" they deforest the property so potential renters can view the house. CURB APPEAL is codespeak in he real-estate industry for PRODUCT ADVERTISING. There is about a 7 to 8 degree F difference between a shady forest area and an open front lawn. Every time a forested lot is deforested and replaced with a lawn, the temperature of the surrounding area goes up. At some point, what was once a beautiful shady forest setting producing shade protection for a house, now becomes an urban desert. Trees and bushes ABSORB radiant heat; blocking the sun's heat rays from hitting the walls of the house.. Grass lawns REFLECT heat from the yard into the walls of the house. Deforesting a property to advertise their product destroys a beautifully wooded area but the companies that do this do NOT live in the neighborhoods they destroy.

[@pennygates6934]

This is far too expensive for most people!

[@JohnandBobs]

While landscaping can be pricey at times, there are many other ways to make your garden your own without breaking the budget! Sometimes all you need is a little color in the form of flowers or shrubs, or maybe simple garden lighting- this can be done quite inexpensively if you know what to look for! - J&B's

[@Jonathan2x6]

crap