A Front Yard Refresh

Well it was finally time for a refresh for the front yard.  After over six years and planting the odd plant here and there it was in need of a little more than just weeding. 

But what to do?  Of course whatever we did decided to do it had to be budget friendly and something we could actually find locally. So we scrolled through endless Pinterest ideas and other online sources and looked through all the many different kinds of options. Weeding out the "oh wows", and the "over budget" to the more practical. Then we priced out a few options and decided what we would like to purchase at our local stores.  

The goal was to reduce maintenance, improve curb appeal, and possibly reduce watering time. After pricing everything out we decided to go with slate gray bricks (at just over a dollar each) and a non wood mulch.  

While watching one of many home makeover shows (yes I confess I love them) they used a black rubber mulch around plants in the front yard. It looked so nice that we decided to see if it was an option for us.  As it turns out it was just what we were looking for and it was available locally and at a reasonable price.

We did consider the rock option instead of mulch but it was just too expensive.  Wood mulch wasn't even an option for a house hold with allergies (especially mold allergies). We also wanted to reduce bug activity (so definitely no wood mulch) and weed clean-up. 

What we ended up with was a product made from 100% recycled rubber.  These rubber mulch nuggets are made to be used as ground cover and they actually have a 12 year colour guarantee. They also won't attract bugs like wood mulch.  They will however help prevent weeds and help maintain moisture in the soil.  The brand we used is actually certified for use as a playground safety surface. How nice is that?

We began by covering the area with some leftover landscape fabric we still had. You can also use newspaper or cardboard instead of landscape fabric it works well and it's a helpful money saver.

Once the grass grows in front of the bricks and the plants fill out it should look even better.

We did have to leave the utility access easy to get to and thankfully they're not that visible from the road. Around some of the edges we lined up our bricks, flattening areas as needed to make everything line up. Once that was all secure and just the way we wanted it we spread out the rubber mulch. And, yes we did end up having to make an extra run or two to the store for a couple of extra bags and bricks.  But in the end it looks so much better than when we started. It also feels good to see neighbour's walking by and making positive comments on the changes we made.  So I think we made a great choice especially as the plants and flowers continue to grow and bloom and fill out the space even more.

Just added a couple of solar lights to finish it off.