Introduction:
Wherever you go in America, the houses and landscapes look so
familiar. In the last half-century or so, houses were mass-produced,
and front-yard landscapes were simplified to little more than a
lawn, a few evergreen shrubs, and perhaps a specimen tree or two so
that they could be installed quickly and affordably.
Although this long-standing lawn-and-foundation-shrub model may
have been good for developers, it has done little to enhance the
residential landscape. Instead, it has resulted in a homogenous
landscape in which it is difficult to tell one home from the next,
and where families spend less time than ever before in their own
front yards. It has also had serious environmental consequences.
Lawns, though they certainly have their benefits as open spaces or
as play areas, have greatly reduced the natural habitat for far too
many species of plants and animals. They have also been forced on
regions that cannot naturally support them due to seasonal patterns
of rainfall or other environmental constraints.
When lawns were first introduced, yard maintenance was based on
an organic model of farming and gardening. Compost and marsh sludge
were applied seasonally to lawns; weeds were tolerated or pulled by
hand; sheep took care of mowing; and rainfall supplied all the water
needed. Since then, however, we've raised the standards for lawns --
putting up with fewer weeds and requiring a more manicured
appearance. As a result, we've developed a strong dependence on
chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, and frequent
irrigation has begun to strain many local water sources. Rainwater
runoff is riddled with these chemicals and has become a major source
of pollution in our waterways.
New Trends in Landscape Design
Fortunately, times are changing. Individual homeowners, entire
neighborhoods, and even many developers have begun to realize the
personal and environmental benefits, as well as cost-effectiveness,
of designing more suitable front-yard landscapes. Lawns are getting
smaller and, in many cases, have been replaced by alternative ground
covers and native plants. Homeowners are also beginning to use their
front yards again and are finding creative and socially acceptable
ways to distinguish their homes from those of their neighbors while
still fitting them into the surrounding landscape. In many cities,
front-yard gardens are now almost commonplace.
There are also new types of residential communities being
developed. Narrow, tree-lined streets keep these neighborhoods
cooler, and natural drainage swales reduce the amount of water
carried away in storm drains and make that water more readily
available to plants. A network of pathways and shared green spaces
support neighborhood activities--everything from potluck dinners to
baseball games. Front porches and courtyards serve as outdoor rooms
for reading, dining, and visiting with neighbors. It is a pleasure
to wander through these neighborhoods--to see the diversity of
plantings, discover homes with personality, and see children playing
games and people sitting on their porches.
It only takes one person to make a difference. I've seen it in
the landscaping projects I've been involved with, and in the dozens
of neighborhoods across the country that we visited while creating
this book. As soon as one homeowner updates a front yard, others
follow suit.
In this book, I hope you'll find some new ways to think about
front yards, as well as practical, hands-on advice for dealing with
everything from foundation plantings and parking spaces to designing
spaces for family activities. May it spark your imagination so that
you can start a new revolution to reclaim the front yards in your
neighborhood.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
1. Getting Started
Take Stock of Your
Situation
Make the Most of Your
Space
Take Cues from Your
Architecture
Designing a Master Plan
Budgets, Schedules, and
Priorities
2. Entries
Stoops and Landings
Porches
Courtyards
3. Paths and Steps
Main Paths
Secondary Paths
Sidewalks
Steps and Handicap Ramps
4. Driveways and
Parking
Driveways
Parking Bays, Pull-Offs,
and Parking Courts
Street Entries
5. Property
Boundaries
Fences
Walls
Hedges
Periphery Plantings
6. Foundation
Plantings
Architectural Cues
Bed Layout
Three-Dimensional
Plantings
Plant Selection
7. Ground Covers
Lawns
Alternative Ground
Covers
Nonliving Ground Covers
8. Plantings
Beds and Borders
Container Gardens
Cottage Gardens
Woodland Groves
9. Lighting
Lighting Paths, Steps,
and Driveways
Lighting Entries and
Activity Areas
Accent Lighting
Credits
Soft-cover, 9-1/4 x 10-7/8 in., 192 pages, with
color
photos and drawings
Published 2002
ISBN: 978-1-56158-519-9
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