For years I have been nibbling at our 'lawn' until we are left with roughly a 6-8 ft wide strip bordering the road. This grass is not good looking, and hard to maintain, and we are considering just getting rid of it altogether. I'd love to hear suggestions from those of you who have done something similar.
I'm open to suggestions of both a different type of planting (maintenance free), or a hardscape for that area.

I use perienniel peanut but unless you buy alot of it, it takes time to spread. I heard mimosa is good to.

Thanks Jan! I thought this thread had vanished.
We have decided to go with gravel in the main area, offset by a few beautiful bromeliads or maybe Agaves, and the side areas get packed with smaller bromeliads and then mulched.

I use the p.peanut in a strip between the sidewalk and street that's about 3 ft wide by 50 ft long. The city is picky about what's planted on the right of way area. The rest of my front yard is beds and mulch. Personally, I don't care for gravel but if it has enough plants in it, it can be downplayed.

https://www.facebook.com/Flori...

Here is the result....

Looking great but I see a few more spots between the mailbox and the urns that are begging for some plummies. LOL

Actually, that is city easement so I will have to restrain myself . Jan I think you know me too well.

From one addict to another, I plant on the easement. I look at it as a viable excuse to get more plants if they need to come out for any reason.

Looks great Hetty!

Hetty, Thank you so much for posting the pictures, one question----do you have any problems with cars going by and hitting the rocks along the edge? I often have cars pull over out front and park with wheels on the grass, that would be my only objection to doing exactly what you did. Hmmm, maybe I could put spikes every fith rock or so huh? wonder if I would get sued.

Oh, I forgot; you need a bird bath to finish the whole thing off. Can't forget our feathered friends!

Hetty, now I gotta bug ya It looks like your neighbor has a drive next to your gravel (stone) lawn, is there any point where his lawn abuts yours? It there is, what did you use to keep the stone off his lawn? Gotta tell you I really love the look. Did you kill off the grass and put plastic down before the stone? I've heard that in Arizona folks use green stone and wonder if dyed stone would lose it's color? So far do you have any regrets? Any suggestions, lessons you learned from the experience that you might want to pass on? Thanks again for posting.

I love the look of your garden Hetty! Any update now that the plumerias are blooming? I'm also curious if weeds can grow in between the rocks. Beautiful rock garden though, looks like you have a maintenance free yard.

Hello Hetti,

I was just backtracking and came across this thread. Seeing your yard really puts your Plumeria collection in vision......WoW! You do have some Plumerias and then some. It must be absolutely beautiful when they are all in leaf and blooming!

Is That a Poincianna in front with those large seed pods?

Thank you - and yes it is.

jimsned2 said:Hetty, Thank you so much for posting the pictures, one question----do you have any problems with cars going by and hitting the rocks along the edge? I often have cars pull over out front and park with wheels on the grass, that would be my only objection to doing exactly what you did. Hmmm, maybe I could put spikes every fith rock or so huh? wonder if I would get sued.

jimsned2 said:Hetty, now I gotta bug ya It looks like your neighbor has a drive next to your gravel (stone) lawn, is there any point where his lawn abuts yours? It there is, what did you use to keep the stone off his lawn? Gotta tell you I really love the look. Did you kill off the grass and put plastic down before the stone? I've heard that in Arizona folks use green stone and wonder if dyed stone would lose it's color? So far do you have any regrets? Any suggestions, lessons you learned from the experience that you might want to pass on? Thanks again for posting.

Hetty, bumping Jim's questions. I'd be interested in those answers, too.