Thank you so much! I love that idea, but I think a deck is beyond my DIY capabilities. Instead of the desk though, I think I'll create gravel patio areas and then mulch the heck out of the space and fill with drought tolerant plants & ground cover (instead of lawn). Love the succulent garden, maybe I'll do containers on the gravel.

http://houzz.com/photos/132001

I dont know how to copy photos from the photo section but try this link. It has a simple gravel area. You could plant around it to create privacy

Tanya, you're so sweet to help your mom with this! One easy fix...plant a low-growing hedge or other plantings across the front...no higher than the bottom of the two larger windows. Add a window box to the far left window and plant with something trailing and colorful, like ivy geranium. Place some pretty planted pots or urns on both sides of the front door.

Professional help is great but can be pricey. Maybe take the photos here to a local (reputable) nursery and ask for some suggestions.

You don't say what planting zone you're in so it's kinda hard to recommend specific plants. Also why is the grass yellow so much of the time? That's actually one thing you need to figure out if you're planting anything else. Because if the grass is yellow so much of the time, then maybe there needs to be some soil testing and amending to alleviate the situation.

Now, as for design ideas....ooooh I've got so many I could share but one thing that's easy to do is google search xeriscaping (low water level planting ideas) online and/or getting gardening magazines for ideas. Also if you're not able to hire a landscaper go to your county soil conservation office where they have people on staff who know a lot about what works for plantings in your specific area/planting zone. Usually they're help is free :-)

We're in zone 9 (Glendale, CA). The city has restrictions as to how often we're allowed to water our lawns. Our neighbor waters every day, so her grass stays green. We water 3x a week as allowed. Once the weather starts warming up, the grass just doesn't stay alive as we get full sun til about 4PM. I've ordered a soil testing kit from Amazon, though any recs on how to get it properly tested would be much appreciated.

I've spent the last 48 hours googling drought tolerant plants for our zone and succulents that do well in full sun. There are so many, just trying to figure out what won't run rampant (to minimize maintenance for my mom). And then I'm worried about falling in love with a plant and not being able to find it. :)

One drought tolerant plant that works in pretty much any zone is Russian sage. They even grow in our zone 3/4 :-) Also many daylilies once established are drought tolerant. Both these plants will give off little 'newbies' but they're not hard to maintain nor do they take over. They're exceptionally easy to move around a yard too. Everything takes watering in the initial stages so it can get a good footing, but these kinds of plants will do fine later if water is unavailable. Here in our zone we can go from -50 degrees F in winter to 110 degrees F in summer. Our plants gotta be able to take extremes and be water resistant :-) Go around neighborhoods in your areas to see what others have planted. The simple idea here is "if it works in their yard, it'll probably work in yours too". I love gardening and if I was there, I'd be happy to help you :-) Here's a pic of Russian sage. I had a row of them at our former home. They were between two long double driveways and did fine with just rainfall. Once established I never watered them :-)

Here's a link that might be helpful http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/10-top-groundcover-plants/

How about adding a shade tree to the front? Grass grows nicely in dappled shade and needs less water. Here are some photos that suggest ways to replace part of your lawn with stone or plantings. I would reduce the amount of lawn that you have and what remains cool it off with some type of shade tree that will allow the grass to grow.

Before you plant anything get the soil check at a local nursery and see if it needs nutrients added to it. You don't want to spend all that money on plants for them to die.

I would think going ornamental grasses, gravel and pavers would go a long way in landscaping this front yard,

Here is an inspirational pic. along with the others that have been posted.

What kind of ground cover can you use instead of lawn? Shrubs and a tree are a must, but for them to stand out, you need the flatscape. When I lived in Northern Cal, we used Vinca Minor. Here in Florida, I'm using a Perennial Peanut.

These have been nice because they rarely need mowing, but can be walked on. Get some grid paper and draw out the existing house on it so you know how many square feet you're dealing with. Then you can use pencil and draw out your ideas. Even though you're using drought tolerant plants, you need to have irrigation in the ground at least on the four corners so your work can be watered.

You'll want a tree on the right side, but not too big of one. Maybe a birch. That's what we had.

The house is very reminiscent of what I had. I remember the "red hot pokers" plants we had that I loved. And African Iris'. Thryallis was good and looks great with Plumbago.

Keep the plantings low in front of the windows and higher on the corners near the street.

Look around on the internet, you will find pictures you can copy. There will be websites that illustrate drought tolerant plants in your area. Pay attention to how big things get when full grown.

I would NOT put a sitting area out front. It wont be used and will look silly in such a small yard.

Blue plumbago and Yellow thryallis

A blend of hardscape, seating, and pretty plants and flowers would be very nice.

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I'd plant on either side of the walkway and the front of the house,

dig it up well and add compost. Russian sage , daylilies and rosemary would need little water after established. fill in areas with California poppy seeds, they are super easy and beautiful (dollars stores have them 4 packs for a dollar. ). attaching a pic of my walkway, did it all myself a few years ago.
Good luck!

Don't think you have to keep those poor little shrubs next to the house just because they're already there. Get rid of them and do some irregularly shaped beds and plant a three trees. Two trees on one side of the walk and one near the right corner of the house but not too close.

Look into grass that's more drought tolerant. Also, there are systems that recycle the water from your sink or showers that can be used for watering the lawn. They might be expensive???

LADWP offers a great rebate for removing the lawn and installing drought tolerant plants. It's something like $2 per square foot.

Here is a link. http://socalwatersmart.com/qualifyingproducts/turfremoval

I've taken advantage of the rebates for energy saving appliances and it is pretty no-hassle but it takes a bit of time for the $$ to come through.

With the drought, I'm surprised you're allowed to water your lawn at all. And shame on your neighbor for watering every day!

Do a garden plan on graph paper and note what habit you want your plants to have in each space. Then go to the best nursery in town and ask their horticulturist to walk through it with you and recommend plants for each spot.

A deck might be beyond your diy ability, but I'll bet pavers or flagstone are not.

Not that you asked for advice on this but if the shutters were removed from those cool windows the house would have it's Mid Century vibe back...

This is a simple ranch house that has a sweet cottage vibe. You can do a great cottage landscape with natives. Look on the tree of life website - they open to the public on Fridays and are worth the train ride to San Juan Cap. I'm in SD. There are pros who specialize in natives and one of them will help you make a plan that you can carry out over time - definitely consult one. Putting down decomposed granite with some flagstone is a great start once you have the right layout. Here's the scoop from one with a lot of native plant experience, don't plant now. the Best time to plant natives is fall - just after the first rains in Nov or Dec - it gives the roots time to get established before our lovely warm summers tell them to "grow, grow, grow" - - - that is good, however, because it gives you time to get a plan, put down the hardscape and convert all the irrigation to microsprayers or drip, and kill off all the remaining weeds and grass. There are lovely grasses, flowering shrubs and amazing native flowers - you'll want to do masses of the same thing but in layers so it doesn't all look leggy at the same time. . . google your community and native landscape design - you'll get some great options - good luck!

It looks like this post is a year old. I wonder how her project turned out.

Hi all! Thank you so much for the advice. Yes, this was originally posted a year ago. I have completed phase 1. Now that I know where things will grow and where they won't, I'm planning on phase 2 (building a larger path than the existing one) to further reduce our water use. And the neverending phase of weeding. :) I'm happy to say our water bill has gone down, and we no longer have to pay for a gardener. Will post pictures as soon as I can! Thank you again!