Low maintenance ideas to spiff up the front yard and add curb appeal...

[Pink_Converse]

We have two massive and beautiful oak trees in our front yard so it's very shady. I have a little concrete walkway leading to the front door and would like to maybe plant something along side it as a border. Any shade loving plant ideas? Also, you know when people put mulch or rocks or something around trees? How do you feel a about that and what do you think looks best? Staging the front porch-It has bushes in front of it, and a small and kind of shallow concrete "porch" or pad from one corner, past the front door and a few feet on the other side of that. What do you have on your front porch to make it pretty? Out front yard is kind of small, shady and right by a main street so I don't want things that are easy to steal or ruin. Lots of kids walk by after school. TIA and show pics if you've got them.

[lml41981]

I like the look of mulch around trees. Especially if the shade is so bad that grass can't grow well right around the tree. You could plant hostas, spiderwort (sometimes called wandering jew...I don't like that name, though...they're the purple leafy plants that branch out and make little pinkish purple flowers) or impatiens (New Guinea or standard). Last year I even planted two bromeliads in my yard, much to the dismay of my neighbors who said I sentenced the plants to death...they survived quite well until I didn't bring them in when it got cold. If you get some sun, I think some daffodils would be pretty. You can dress up your porch area for fall with a couple hay bales, corn stalks and pumpkins or gourds.