Homeowner met with warnings after sharing plans for front yard project: 'Why?'

One homeowner sought out the r/landscaping subreddit for advice on filling in and beautifying their front yard flower bed. 

"What do y'all recommend I do?" the original poster asked. "That bed is absolutely atrocious. Please offer me some suggestions to pretty this up!" the OP wrote, attaching a picture of the front of their house. The picture shows a sloped front lawn with a sparse flower bed.

"Also if I pay a company to just throw rubber mulch … what would y'all say is reasonable to pay?" the OP added. 

Immediately, one commenter asked, "Why rubber mulch?" They went on to recommend wood mulch instead, which is made from shredded wood or wood chips, and filling the lawn bed with native pollinator plants.

Rubber mulch may seem to be lower maintenance than other mulch options, seeing that the material doesn't break down and you don't have to refresh your mulch beds as you do with organic mulch options. 

However, as some homeowners have found, rubber mulch is very lightweight and will blow around your lawn. In another Reddit post in the same landscaping community, one homeowner asked for opinions on rubber mulch. 

Rubber mulch also leaches chemicals into the soil, contaminating the earth and plants that grow from it. This could be hazardous if you grow food in a garden bed layered with rubber mulch. 

Rubber mulch is particularly dangerous in the summertime when direct sunlight causes the material to become extremely hot, which could be dangerous for kids or pets playing around in parks where rubber mulch is often laid. 

Wood mulch, on the other hand, is a lower-maintenance organic mulch that will break down more slowly than other mulch alternatives like leaves or grass clippings. It will also help suppress weeds, keeping your lawn maintenance to a minimum. 

Native plant lawns, consisting of native plants, don't require the upkeep of most American lawns, which contain invasive grass species like Kentucky Bluegrass. 

If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation? Making it look better Saving money on water and maintenance Helping pollinators No way I ever get rid of my lawn Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Native plants have evolved to survive in the region with limited resources, resulting in longer and deeper root systems that allow the plant to source water and nutrients from lower soil levels. The longer roots also stabilize the soil, which helps prevent erosion. 

Planting a native plant lawn could save you time and money on lawn maintenance and water bills, as native plants are less water-hungry and grow more slowly than invasive plant species. Native plants also naturally attract important pollinators that support plant reproduction, including crop reproduction, which stabilizes the human food supply. 

Buffalo grass and clover are two more lawn replacement options that are slower-growing and more drought-resistant, also saving you time and money on lawn maintenance and water bills. Even a partial lawn replacement, such as in the front bed of the OP's house, could yield savings on water bills and yard work. 

One commenter shared some inspiration for designing the OP's front bed.

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