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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Primeau, founding editor of Canadian Gardening magazine, posits that a perfect lawn may not always be a good thing, arguing that well-manicured lawns are high-maintenance, chemical-dependent water guzzlers; she would be happy to see them all replaced by the flower gardens so often relegated to the back yards of urban and suburban houses. Starting with the luxuriant display of flowers, foliage plants, and shrubs in her own front yard in Toronto, she discusses more than 70 front yard gardens, most of them in Canada but some in Texas, Arizona, California and Wisconsin. She divides these front yard gardens into eight types-cottage, small city, opulent, minimalist, fusion (some grass allowed), natural, neighborhood and secret-and shows in text and photographs how they were designed, how they reflect the personalities of their owners, and what plants were used. There can be obstacles to such gardens in cities and suburbs-neighbors' objections, local regulations, overhead and underground wires, bad drainage, and hard surfaces-and she describes how many people have overcome these problems. Unfortunately, Primeau doesn't include among the many splendid photographs in the book any that show how one of these colorful gardens would stand out in the context of a block where all the other houses are fronted with carpets of grass. But this is a small matter. The book is handsome, informative and amusingly written, and it should serve as an inspiration to those who are tired of old-fashioned lawns. 240 color photographs. Garden Book Club and Country Home & Garden Book Club selection.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Alternatives to the traditional lawn effectively cut down on water usage and may also play host to beneficial insects and birds. Once the desire to do away with grass takes root, readers can turn to Primeau for help in rejuvenating a front yard so that flowers, foliage textures, and hardscaping come together in inviting swaths to both beautify and benefit the environment. Options presented range from cottage style to a minimalist approach stressing restrained designs. Even fusion plans are included, showing landscapes where small areas of grass combine with beds, borders, or expansive plantings. Primeau's Canadian point of view proposes plant lists spanning the mild realm of Vancouver, cold-winter regions of Winnipeg and Toronto, along with a smattering of gardens from Texas, Arizona, and Wisconsin. Useful as a source book, this volume presents photographs and text that suggest potential ideas to increase curb appeal through the transformation of front yards and parkways. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
This was a wild exaggeration, of course, but we got the point. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
This was a wild exaggeration, of course, but we got the point. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Love This Book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Front Yard Gardens: Growing More Than Grass (Paperback)
If you're thinking about putting in a front yard garden, buy this book! For years I considered getting rid of the grass in my front yard. This book inspired me to finally do it! I wondered how my neighbors would respond given that almost everyone in my area has grass in the front yard. I needn't have worried -- all summer people stopped to admire the garden. I was amazed at how many said they too are considering replacing grass with a garden. A side benefit is the time I've saved. I chose low maintenance plants and once the garden was planted, maintaining it took much less time than cutting the grass every week. Even if you don't want a front yard garden, this book is a winner. It's filled with beautiful pictures and is a great read. I've given it to a number of friends and, without exception, they too have really enjoyed it.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
real yards, real houses, real people,
By Lisa Jadwin "jadwin59" (Rochester, NY, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Front Yard Gardens: Growing More Than Grass (Paperback)
So many gardening books focus on the high-end gardens of a few wealthy people. This book is practical, whimsical, and full of photographs and stories about real front-yard gardens. The owners have to contend with problems like streetlights, copycat neighbors, variances, etc., and many of them are redesigning and planting on a budget. This focus makes the book truly inspiring as well as useful. A great investment in getting rid of your boring lawn!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful...colorful...lovely stories. Worth double the price!,
By
This review is from: Front Yard Gardens: Growing More Than Grass (Paperback)
A late "bloomer" in the gardening world (at almost 63 years of age), I've read lots of books on the subject, mostly to educate myself on the somewhat complex botanical terminology and also to not appear too "green" when in the presence of avid gardeners.Through Amazon, I came across Liz Primeau's "Front Yard Gardens: Growing More Than Grass", a book I can sum up in one word...WOW! I read it cover to cover and enjoyed every single story and especially the beautiful photography, page after page. At the beginning of the book, the author shows before and after pictures of her own front lawn turned garden, which creates an instant author-reader connection. Cottage gardens, small city gardens, opulent gardens, minimalist gardens, secret gardens...all are explained in tiny details, with recommended plants for each. Also listed are the names of plants, trees, etc. shown in every photograph, along with their latin name. A few garden plans are shown. I highly recommend this book even if you're not considering turning your front lawn into a garden. You'll get tons of ideas that you can use elsewhere on your property...not to mention the visual treat that you'll want to go back to often!
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