There is much attention to landscaping and gardening, but what of the open spaces around our homes? For what purposes do we use those spaces? How can we plan for open space? Hard surface areas consist of walkways, decks and driveways. Lawn areas have many uses. This is where family sports are won and lost. There are football, basketball, softball, horseshoes, bocce, croquet and a host of other games played on lawns.
We will examine the size of the space versus the size that is needed. If you have a large lawn unbroken by lawn furniture, landscaping or other impediments to the use you have in mind, maybe you would like that area to fit in with the rest of the property. It is easy to soften the edges of an expanse with landscaping around the edges. If that landscaping carries over the theme of the rest of the property, it will appear cohesive. Make the plant bed edges curve. Use some of the same plants and shrubs that have been used in other parts of the property. If sports are to be played in the area, you might consider using some tough, hard-to-kill plants because the ball will undoubtedly go into the plants and need to be retrieved. Also, remember that a large expanse of turf draws attention. That turf will need regular maintenance to stay looking like the emerald carpet it is. Large driveways can be incorporated into the landscape with border plantings containing groundcovers that will grow slightly onto the edge of the drive. Add small shrubbery that echoes what is already in use.
It is more likely that you feel the need for a larger space. There are properties that are all gardens except for a path of lawn that meanders between the beds. That is fine if you do not plan on holding a family reunion barbeque or playing touch football with the kids. On properties where open space is at a premium, there are ways to maximize the open space you have without losing your entire landscaping plan. Make the lawn area abut the driveway area. Activity can spill over from one to the other. If you truly want more lawn space, there are now ways to make a grass driveway. A car support framework about six inches tall is applied to the earth in the driveway site. The framework is then filled with soil and planted with grass seed. The framework keeps the constant car traffic from compacting the grass and soil beneath. On the other hand, try extending the lawn into the walkway or driveway with a “shadow” walk technique. Some sort of paving material is installed in the walk or drive in a checkerboard pattern leaving grass in between. There are many different materials for this and the checkerboard squares can be any size you would like. The squares can be concrete, brick, pre-cast pavers or anything of that nature. From a little distance, the driveway and/or walk will appear to be part of the lawn. Another way to maximize space and blend it with the property is to have decks and porches set nearly at ground level with only a step down to the lawn. Keep the edges of the deck as open as possible so that anyone may step off the deck onto the lawn at any point that abuts the lawn. This really makes the deck feel like it is part of the lawn and vice versa.
One way to design a property is to divide it into outdoor “rooms” based on the use of the area. The lawn and hard surfaced areas are usually the largest “rooms” to decorate. If you just carry over some elements from the existing landscape, like repeating the same kind of shrub, you can make a large lawn and the hard surfaces a part of the overall landscape. Or, if you want, you can extend the lawn into the hard surfaces of the walks, driveways and decks. Pick a plan that matches how you use the area and make it your own.
