Thursday, February 18, 2010

How We (Should) Landscape - Outline

How We Landscape

Lawn – after the house is built, the property is seeded or sodded
Accesorized with beds – Foundation, Corners, Island

Terrible because
-Lacks Functionality
-Lacks Aesthetic Cohesiveness
-Lacks Environmental Responsibility
----Exhaust, noise, fuel use, time use to mow
----Potentially invasive plants
----No habitat

Why Lawn? Conformity, yes: presumes lawn exists to conform to
Why Lawn? Visual Calm - relief from clutter
----Instincitvely seen as safe, therefore relaxing

How to achieve Visual Calm without turf grass?
Masses of any single plant
Naturally occurs: Overstory of forest, colonies, wind spread seed

Old way: Default is lawn, beds designed (accessories)
New way: Default is native prairie & woodland, lawn shape is designed as accent
Future goal: Lawn replaced by mass of native prairie or woodland plants

Function
-Living Spaces
-Circulation: Moving between drive, house, & living spaces
-Enclosing the property and the living spaces
-Screening and distracting

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