With the need to keep the chemicals in the water system and the task of routine maintenance (where are all the cuts?), grass has earned a reputation as a four-letter word. But for all the debate about the iconic green matter of the United States, a lawn is still in the most yards, and is often in fact, part of what they consider as "Garden". As a designer, I often ask to include lawn in a plan of the garden as a place for children to play (another reason to avoid harsh chemical regimes to keep it green and lush). My approach is that if you have a lawn, use it as an element of dynamic jardin-diseno and not as the main feature - or a way to fill the extra space. Less it is more, and if you design your small carpet of lawn carefully, it can be a very effective component. It is also one of the lowest cost in your Toolbox for the landscape design.
When the grass is used as filling between gardens, which is often, it makes no sense to the global composition of your garden. This garden, beds dotted with poorly defined way scattered seemingly at random, not made good use of the plants or the space. A lawn filled so often you end up struggling to survive in shaded areas where conditions are stacked against prosper, because grass usually does best in Sun and well-drained soils.
Photography by Linda Oyama Bryan and Hoerr Schaudt
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