Front Yard Gardens: Growing More Than Grass

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University. She is the author of several books, including The
Mountain Is Moving: Japanese Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret
Laurence: The Long Journey Home.

Who needs grass, asks the author of this handsome coffee-table book,
when small front yards could be a riot of flowers with a winding path
leading to the front door? Lawns need constant care and expensive
products. Flowers, on the other hand, need neither pesticides nor
herbicides, and “sing with the sounds of birds and insects.” Andrew
Leyerle’s spectacular photographs will convince almost anyone who
picks up this book of the importance and beauty of such gardens. Even in
winter, they maintain their interest thanks to rocks, grasses, and
perhaps a small evergreen or a handmade chair.

Primeau’s detailed advice is practical as well as aesthetic. (Take,
for example, the following: “Sharp-edged gravels are often the
cheapest, but are hard to walk on, especially the bigger sizes. Rounded
pea gravels are more friendly, especially the smaller-gauged
choices.”) Her wide-ranging text explores the history of the lawn and
its popularity; provides step-by-step instructions for remodeling;
includes advice for overcoming obstacles such as slopes, driveways, and
lampposts; and covers every conceivable situation from cottage to city,
formal or natural. Primeau even includes secret gardens that were common
on the grounds of old European villas and monasteries. Most of these
were walled or surrounded by impenetrable hedges. Suggestions include a
cheerful Buddha statue set beside a dry-stream path made from beautiful
stones.

Leyerle’s gorgeous photos are the icing on this horticultural cake.
Without them, the text would be remain useful but be infinitely poorer.
Leyerle’s photographs have appeared in many books and magazines.
Primeau, a well-known garden expert and the founding editor of Canadian
Gardening, frequently lectures on garden design and also hosts her own
television program. She and Leyerle make a great team.