Owner
Mary Prouty
City
Fort Collins
Skill Set
Beginner
Project Size
Less than 250 sq ft
Project Location
Front yard
Sun Exposure
Full sun
Year Completed
2023
Time Commitment
More than 40 hours of labor
Project Cost
less than $500
Other Project Elements
Native or drought-tolerant plants, Drip irrigation system, Pathways
Resource Central Programs
Advice from the Owner
I love a grass-free/low maintenance front yard with blooming flowers that attract bees and hummingbirds. And, my water usage has been cut in half.
Back to Inspiration Hub
Owner
Aaron
City
Fort Collins
Skill Set
Expert
Project Size
250 - 500 sq ft
Project Location
Side yard
Sun Exposure
Full sun
Year Completed
2019
Time Commitment
less than 10 hours of labor
Project Cost
less than $500
Other Project Elements
Native or drought-tolerant plants, Boulders, Berm/swale, Bird/Bee houses
Resource Central Programs
Advice from the Owner
I really liked the variety of plants that came with the garden. It’s been fun watching it mature and grow.
Back to Inspiration Hub
Owner
Gabriel
City
Fort Collins
Skill Set
Beginner
Project Size
Less than 250 sq ft
Project Location
Front yard
Sun Exposure
Full sun
Year Completed
2022
Time Commitment
11 - 20 hours of labor
Project Cost
less than $500
Other Project Elements
Drip irrigation system, Shrubs, Native or drought-tolerant plants
Resource Central Programs
Advice from the Owner
Besides wanting to replace my grass with more environmentally friendly and native plants, I had an issue with tree roots, making it difficult to even mow my front yard grass. From that perspective I love that it's no longer a struggle to deal with those protruding roots. I also love the variety of plants, which add more character than just some grass. Coordinating my yard and irrigation services to assist me with this project worked really well. They helped me with everything from removing the grass/sod, laying weed barrier, converting my existing sprinkler system into an irrigation drip system, planting the new plants, and laying all the rock. Unfortunately, I did have two plants die so far, but the rest appear to be thriving.
Back to Inspiration Hub
Owner
Doug
City
Fort Collins
Skill Set
Intermediate
Project Size
Less than 250 sq ft
Project Location
Front yard
Sun Exposure
Full sun
Year Completed
2022
Time Commitment
less than 10 hours of labor
Project Cost
less than $500
Other Project Elements
Native or drought-tolerant plants, Bird/Bee houses
Resource Central Programs
Advice from the Owner
We love having plants that are easy to take care of and are animal resistant!
Back to Inspiration Hub
Owner
Lief
City
Fort Collins
Skill Set
Intermediate
Project Size
Less than 250 sq ft
Project Location
Backyard
Sun Exposure
Full sun
Year Completed
2022
Time Commitment
11 - 20 hours of labor
Project Cost
less than $500
Other Project Elements
Bird/Bee houses, Native or drought-tolerant plants
Resource Central Programs
None
Advice from the Owner
Went from rocks to flowers. From zero diversity to having daily visits of many species. Whether they stay and use the bee hotels or only quickly visit for a drink of water it's a dynamic landscape.
Back to Inspiration Hub
Owner
Christina L Marshall
City
Fort Collins
Skill Set
Intermediate
Project Size
750 - 1,000 sq ft
Project Location
Front yard
Sun Exposure
Full sun
Year Completed
2022
Time Commitment
31 - 40 hours of labor
Project Cost
less than $500
Other Project Elements
Native or drought-tolerant plants, Berm/swale, Drip irrigation system, Pathways
Resource Central Programs
Advice from the Owner
We love that we do not have to water or mow a front lawn that was not really being "used". It was only for looks and sucking up drop after drop of water. This front yard is full sun. The grass was nearly impossible to keep green during the summer. Plus, I love all of the garden in a box colors we now have. When we purchased the home 4 years ago, there was grass to the curb. Each year we have planned to remove more grass. It was a phased approach. This allowed us to consider the way were moving around the yard and allowed our garden in the box plantings a year to mature. One major success came this year when we finally removed the final grass. We moved dirt around the yard to create berms and then installed the dry creek bed. As we had already somewhat mature plantings from the years past, it was not overly shocking to remove the last portion of the lawn. The established plants carry the yard so that it does not all look to be immature plantings. We are very pleased. We are currently transitioning our spray sprinklers to a drip system. We had the sprinkler project estimated ($3000) but then turned to YouTube and Ewing's Irrigation expert support. It turns out we can do this ourselves for less than a quarter of the cost. We use the City of Fort Collins free mulch days to mulch all fo the beds and did bring in the grey breeze rock from Ewing's landscape supply. The creek is made up of donated rocks that our neighbors were giving away. So many win-wins. We simply love it.
Back to Inspiration Hub
Owner
Jennifer Lyndsey
City
Fort Collins
Skill Set
Beginner
Project Size
250 - 500 sq ft
Project Location
Front yard
Sun Exposure
Full sun
Year Completed
2022
Time Commitment
31 - 40 hours of labor
Project Cost
less than $500
Other Project Elements
Native or drought-tolerant plants, Pathways
Resource Central Programs
Advice from the Owner
It was a lot of sweat equity but overall an enjoyable process. Garden in a Box made it super easy. I’m so excited to see it grow year over year! And to conserve water, time and money!
Back to Inspiration HubDesign Ideas
Struggling with coming up with yard design concepts? Check out what other Waterwise participants have done.
Join your neighbors and have your very own Waterwise Yard!
Have Questions?
Scan our FAQs page or reach out to us directly and we’ll be sure to help you out ASAP.