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 Lawns are getting smaller and, in many cases, have been replaced by alternative ground covers and native plants.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.
