Hi, I’m Sara Bendrick, and I’ve spent most of my life with dirt under my fingernails.
I grew up in San Diego, the kind of kid who was happiest outside, fascinated by plants, by how things grow, by the way a space could feel completely different depending on what you put in it. I didn’t have a name for it back then. It turned out the thing I loved was landscape architecture.
I found that out almost by accident, poking around the horticulture department at Cuyamaca College. From there I went on to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and earned my degree in Landscape Architecture. The rest I learned the way most people in this trade do on job sites. I worked as a forewoman on maintenance crews, interned with CALTRANS, and cut my teeth at a design-build firm before deciding, in 2012, to go out on my own.
That leap became Sarita Landscape Designs, based here in Southern California, and I’ve been designing and building residential yards under that name for over twelve years now. Somewhere along the way I earned my C-27 landscape contractor’s license (#1006161), won a couple of design awards I’m proud of, and to my own surprise ended up on television.
If you’ve seen I Hate My Yard, Build It Like Bendrick, or Lawn & Order, that was me and my crew taking on some seriously rough yards always with the homeowners pitching in, and always with one eye on the budget. I wrote a book, Big Impact Landscaping, for that same reason: to show that you don’t need a fortune to transform the space in front of your house. These days I also partner with Stihl to share practical, hands-on advice with homeowners who’d rather do it themselves.
Here’s what I care about, underneath all of it. I believe a yard should be a place you look forward to coming home to, not a chore, not a little pang of guilt every time you pull into the driveway. I believe most yards have far more potential than their owners ever realize. And I believe in landscaping that’s a little kinder to the planet. I have a real soft spot for low-water, no-lawn front yards, because the choices we make in one yard add up across a whole street, and then a whole region.
Which brings me to why this site exists.
Over the years, the same questions kept finding me from clients, from homeowners who stopped me after a talk, from people in the comments under my videos. How do I landscape a small front yard? What on earth do I do with this slope? Can I really get rid of the grass? How do I make my entrance feel more welcoming without spending a fortune?
Front Yard Landscape Ideas is my answer to all of it, gathered in one place. It’s a growing library of honest, tested front yard advice, written for real homeowners working with real yards and real budgets. No fluff, no copied-and-pasted filler, no pretending every project needs a contractor and five figures. Just the kind of practical guidance I’d give a neighbor leaning over the fence.
So whatever you’re working with a tiny yard or a sprawling one, deep shade or blazing sun, a shoestring budget or a tired yard that’s begging for a refresh there’s a starting point here for you. The guides are grouped by yard type, by features and plants, by style and goal, and by budget, with step-by-step plans to tie everything together.
Start wherever your yard is today. Then take it one weekend at a time.
I’m really glad you’re here. If you’ve got a question I haven’t answered yet, reach out, I’d love to hear what you’re working on.
— Sara
For the record
- Licensed C-27 design-build landscape contractor (#1006161)
- Founder, Sarita Landscape Designs Southern California, est. 2012
- B.S. in Landscape Architecture, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
- Author, Big Impact Landscaping: 28 DIY Projects You Can Do on a Budget to Beautify and Add Value to Your Home
- Television host: I Hate My Yard, Build It Like Bendrick, Lawn & Order
- Brand partner, Stihl