The front yard is where to showcase your succulent garden ideas. Succulents are too beautiful to hide in the backyard. But if you love succulents as much as I do you probably have them planted throughout your garden in both your front and backyard. And if you’re lucky enough to live in an arid region, you don’t even have to do much for these miraculous plants to thrive in your outdoor garden.
You can plant succulents in containers and pots to decorate your front entrance or plant them as part of your front yard landscaping. You can mix them with cacti, add rocks, and alternate colors and sizes to create the perfect garden layout. You can use succulents to fill a small garden corner or to landscape a large area. From an easy spilled succulent pot project to a simple dish garden design to more complex xeriscapes, let’s discuss these DIY ideas to inspire you to include these low-maintenance plants in your next outdoor project.
23 Ideas for Creating a Stunning Front Yard Succulent Garden
1. Plan Out Your Garden Layout
When it comes to creating a breathtaking front yard landscape design with succulents, planning is the most important step. A good starting point is to make a list of the plants you want to use. Then, for each plant, list out its growth requirements like sunlight and moisture needs. It’s easiest to use plants with similar needs in the same flower bed, that way you can care for the entire group of plants as one once the plants are installed.
Next, determine how much space each plant needs to grow to maturity. You don’t want to overcrowd your plants or their health will begin to suffer over time as they compete for space and nutrients. The final step is to sketch a layout of where you will place each plant. This will give you a blueprint you can follow to ensure when you’re done installing your new plants, they’ll look spectacular.
2. Combine Succulents and Flowers
This front yard succulent garden layout features rosette-shaped plants dividing a plethora of herbaceous flowers. The wavy path of the succulents almost looks like a river running through the flowers. The resulting mosaic is truly outstanding!
Notice how they’ve used complementary colors with lavender Heliotrope flowers that match the blue-green succulents and hot pink Phlox flowers to accent the pink-tinged succulents. Coordinating colors will help you create a cohesive-looking garden in your front yard.
3. Mix Succulents with Cacti
In case you’re wondering, all cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti. Some people only think of cacti as a large, green spiny plant that doesn’t belong in a beautiful gardenscape. However, cacti come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Cactus and succulent garden ideas often have more texture to their designs thanks to the spiny exterior of the cacti.
Here they’ve combined a few succulents with an arrangement of cacti with pops of color throughout. Despite the variation in cacti color, they’ve used species that all have a rounded shape to create a consistent theme throughout the garden. Having a consistent theme will take your front yard succulent landscaping ideas to the next level.
4. Create a Drought Tolerant Front Yard Garden
Drought-tolerant landscaping focuses on the use of plants that don’t require much water. Succulents are a wonderful choice for this endeavor! Master Gardeners with the University of California point out that “Succulents require little or infrequent water because they store large quantities of water and food in the spongy tissue in their leaves, stems, or roots, which they release when needed.”
These homeowners have used a mixture of large and small succulents in their front yard to create a lovely water-wise garden. They’ve also used pebbles instead of mulch which is a much better option for succulents that don’t handle overwatering well. Pebbles will stay warm and dry out quicker than mulch which succulents prefer. I love the way they installed the dark gray river rocks along the sidewalk! Laying them in neat rows with their short sides facing up adds an interesting texture and pattern to the overall design.
This close-up view gives you a better look at the variety of plants used in this front yard succulent garden bed idea. The patch of orange sedums complements the orange undertones of the large boulders nicely. The larger yellow striped agave and reddish green agave plants on the upper left-hand side help accentuate the colors found in the field of smaller rosette succulents in front. Over time, the smaller succulents will spread to form a carpet of stunning hues and textures. This yard is proof that a drought-tolerant garden can be a flattering addition to any front yard landscape.
5. Beautify the Front Entry with Hanging Succulent Plants
This Latin-inspired front entry garden design utilizes succulents to soften the hardscape features. There are plenty of colors and patterns here including the ornate shutters, swinging doors, ceramic vases, and mosaic tile backsplash. Using green succulent plants allows these colorful hardscape features to remain the stars of the show.
Incorporating plants helps to bridge the transition from the front yard to the indoor space seamlessly. The cascading succulents in clay flower pots going up the stairs add character and a living element vertically through the space. Adding succulents to the area in front of the stone mosaic makes the ornate feature feel purposeful and helps tie the whole design together. This succulent garden idea would make an equally extraordinary addition to a large backyard patio area.
6. Plant Large Succulents to Make a Statement
This corner front yard succulent garden looks fantastic next to this Spanish-style home. The orange of the plants complements the terracotta roof perfectly! By using large succulents, they’ve created a statement with their garden that passersby won’t be able to ignore.
The large blue agave plants can grow up to 8 feet tall and wide rivaling the size of large shrubs in traditional landscapes. The pencil cacti have a more delicate looking form and will change from green to yellow to reddish pink as the seasons change. The smaller, blooming red aloes (Aloe cameronii) give the landscape even more color. Together these magnificent succulents create a landscape design that’s thrilling to watch as it changes throughout the seasons.
7. Design Gorgeous Xeriscapes
This gorgeous succulent rock garden idea features a variety of flowering plants, creating a colorful water-friendly front yard garden. The background is dominated by the beautiful flowers of a large blooming firecracker plant. In the center, they’ve added a few variegated agave plants which have bright yellow leaf margins that add texture to the design. In the foreground, a spotted kalanchoe (Kalanchoe marmorata) complements the mottled coloration of the boulders flawlessly. Adding a variety of colors and textures in your front or backyard garden is essential to designing an out of this world xeriscape.
8. Combine Plants of Different Growth Forms
If your house has a modern architectural style, a garden full of color won’t exactly go with the simplistic vibe that’s a cornerstone of modern design. Though succulents come in a range of colors, you don’t have to rely on colors when designing an eye-catching succulent garden. Mixing plants with a variety of forms can achieve the same outcome in a more subtle way that will go well with a contemporary or modern theme.
Both the large blue agave plants and smaller agave plants have a rosette growth form, with the leaves growing in a circular pattern around a central point. The large, globe-shaped cacti add a rounded element that stands out next to the other succulents and their angular leaves. The wavy margins of the Epiphyllum cactus spilling over the huge boulder add another layer of texture to the design with its less uniform shape. This idea is a great example of how mixing succulents with different growth forms allows you to create an interesting front or backyard garden without using tons of color.
9. Replace Mulch Around Trees with Succulents
Succulents don’t have to be the focal point in your front yard garden landscape. They can be used as an accent to highlight other plant features. In this example, they’ve replaced the typical mulch around the base of this tree with a ring of rosette succulents. As the plants grow, they will slowly spread to fill the area with their adorable, flowerlike shapes. The pebbles will help prevent the succulents from staying wet for long periods of time. Succulent pebble ideas are great since you can also tailor the color of the pebbles to match the surrounding landscape.
10. Re-create a Spilled Succulent Pot Idea
Adding a spilled flower pot to your garden is a great way to give it another design element. It can add more color or be used as a sculpture in your front yard landscape. This flower bed has a large clay planter that’s been laid on its side. The hens and chicks succulents have been planted to look as though they are spilling out of the container into the garden. This idea is so creative and gives the garden a unique focal point. The clay pot is ideal for succulents since it will help pull moisture from the soil allowing it to dry out quicker.
11. Liven Up the Front Entrance With Potted Succulents
If you live in an area that gets lots of rain, you might be wondering if you can grow succulents since they prefer drier climates. Plant specialists at the University of Florida suggest “In Florida’s rainy, humid climate, a good way to grow succulents is in containers, where irrigation and soil are easier to control.” Using flower pots will also enable you to grow succulents in colder climates by allowing you to bring them inside when temperatures drop too low.
These potted succulents are helping to liven up this otherwise bland front entrance. The mixture of light silvery green to burgundy foliage brings color to the space. They’ve even stacked some of the pots to create some extra height to the design. The addition of plants around entrances in your front yard makes them feel more cozy and inviting for guests.
12. Make a Small Patio Garden with Miniature Plants
This succulent garden is a splendid idea for small patios. If you live in an apartment or townhome, you likely don’t have a lot, or any, patio space. But don’t fret! You can still create an enchanting garden by using miniature succulents in pots.
This simple DIY project starts with building a set of stairs that act as a tiered platform for your flower pots to sit on. The tiered shelves allow you to have multiple rows of pots without the ones in the front blocking the view of those in the back. Once you have your shelves in place you can start arranging your pots filled with succulent plants in a way that is aesthetically pleasing to you.
It’s a good idea to use colors that complement each other to make the design feel purposeful. Here, they’ve stuck to clay-colored pots with accents of blue throughout. Improve visual interest by spacing out plants that have similar colors or growth forms.
13. Use Unusual Objects as Planters
Planters come in a wide array of styles, colors, and patterns that you can use to add an extra element of design to your front yard garden or backyard patio space. When choosing a plant container, make sure it matches the overall style and theme of your outdoor space to help create a cohesive design.
This shallow stone planter is ideal for succulents since they don’t have deep root systems. It would work well if you have a rustic, boho, or even eclectic design style. They’ve mixed Sedum and Sempervivum plants which showcase the diversity of succulent shapes and colors magnificently.
When it comes to mixing succulents together in planters, there are a few things you’ll need to consider. Expert Deborah L. Brown from the University of Minnesota Extension says “Choose plants that are compatible in growth rate so that one or two plants do not outgrow the rest. Even more important, the plants must have similar water requirements.”
This rustic wooden planter would pair well with a farmhouse, rustic, modern, Scandinavian, or even coastal design theme. The neutral color of the Sedum and Sempervivum plants it contains allows it to complement a wide variety of design styles seamlessly.
You can even consider mixing in some succulent-filled planters with your holiday decor! For example, these miniature skull-shaped porcelain planters would make great additions to your Halloween decorations. The striped Haworthia succulents remind me of a mohawk the way they’re growing from the tops of these unique planters. What a fun idea!
14. Make a Head Planter Centerpiece
This head shaped planter with Haworthia coarctata growing like hair from the top is quite the work of art! This would be fitting for a front yard garden that has a bit more of a whimsical or eclectic vibe. It’s literally a living statue you can add as a focal point in the garden and is sure to garner envy from your neighbors.
15. Create Garden Sculptures
Outdoor sculptures can really elevate the design of your front yard garden. For instance, this bicycle planter has flower shaped spokes which help tie it into the garden. To further incorporate it into the design, they’ve added flower pots with succulents to the front and rear baskets and on top of the seat. The addition of this sculpture turns this garden into a one of a kind landscape.
16. Build a Vertical Succulent Garden
When it comes to ideas for small spaces, vertical gardens are the cream of the crop. They take up virtually no square footage and can turn a plain wall into a work of art. This succulent wall idea is super affordable since the planter is simply a recycled wooden pallet!
To make the optimal succulent arrangement, make sure you space out plants with similar colors and growth forms. Notice in this example how the pops of color make your eyes move around to look at the entire mosaic of succulents.
17. Upcycle Household Items
Recycling in the garden is a great way to help the environment while saving some money. Using household items as planters is an easy way to reuse old, worn-out items. A Master Gardener with Pennsylvania State University Extension says “Nonconventional planters are interesting and fun. I have seen shoes, teacups, bicycle baskets, wheelbarrows, tires, and birdcages used as containers.”
If you have something bigger in mind, take a look at this recycled kayak that’s been turned into a planter. It showcases a mix of flowers and succulents to create a charming waterside hangout spot. They’ve even painted the kayak with flowers which will keep the theme going after the flowers fade in winter. Adding rocks around the succulents here will help with drainage since they are placed along the edge of the water.
18. Mix in Succulents with Your Outdoor Decor
Since many succulents don’t need much soil or room to grow, you can easily incorporate them into your front yard decor. Take a look at this recycled mantel which is being used as shelving outside on a backyard patio. The mantel has been decorated with a variety of knick-knacks interspersed with succulent plants. While many of the succulents have been planted in small pots, a bird cage and vintage box on either end have been filled to the brim with succulents. I love that they also added a few ceramic cacti to the mix to drive home the idea of plants being part of the decor here.
If you have pets, this is considered to be a dog safe succulent garden idea. Since many succulents are poisonous to pets, it’s best to keep them out of reach to prevent accidental ingestion.
19. Make a Fairy Garden
When it comes to succulent outdoor ideas, this recycled bird bath is one of the most creative ideas I’ve seen. It has been turned into a beautiful round planter for growing succulents with its large diameter and shallow depth. The mix of green, purple, and yellow varieties is eye-catching against the white rocks and painted gray planter.
This upcycled bird bath would also be a great succulent fairy garden idea. You could easily fill it with small rosette succulents and some miniature houses to create an idyllic fairy garden scene. Fairy gardens are the perfect addition to a whimsical flower garden in your backyard.
20. Create a DIY Dish Garden
Recycled dishes can easily be converted into succulent planters. Whether you have old dishes you no longer use or go to the thrift store to purchase some cheap bowls, you can save yourself a ton of money using dishes as flower pots. Just make sure you drill a few holes in the bottom to allow excess water to drain from your newly converted planters.
This succulent dish garden idea can be a cool and funky addition to your front or backyard. To make a true dish garden, you need to plant multiple plants in the same shallow dish. Succulents are marvelous plants to use for dish gardens because they don’t need much space to thrive, allowing you to plant several in a small area.
