McCreary: Reaching back for garden design ideas

Most of us have completely forgotten what is was like before suburbia spread across the map, when most Americans lived in either rural areas or bustling urban centers where front and back yards were far different than what we know today. Changes in home landscapes have become so fully integrated into our lives that it’s hard to conceive of things being very different.

Historians trace the evolution of the modern home landscape back to the sweeping changes detailed in the work of landscape architect Thomas Church, a Californian who envisioned outdoor spaces where Americans could spend more time at leisure. His broad influence began with the publication of his 1955 book, “Gardens Are for People,” which focused on comfortable settings outside our homes and elements of design that promote their function while reducing maintenance.

“The new kind of garden is still supposed to be looked at,” he wrote. “But that is no longer its only function. It is designed primarily for living, as an adjunct to the functions of the house. How well it provides for the many types of living that can be carried on outdoors is the new standard by which we judge a garden.”

The kidney-shaped swimming pool, expansive deck, backyard barbecue, fences, built-in seating, retaining walls, raised beds — all these are key elements in a Church design. While lawns featured prominently in many of his landscapes, so too did broad terraces where only a few native trees, shrubs, stones and containerized plants surrounded a home. He liked to feature various types of paving, solid surfaces for play areas, for holding tables and chairs, for socializing in groups, and keeping dirt and mud away from entries.

Somehow, it seems, as we’ve moved forward, we’ve put more emphasis on the lawn than on Church’s use of hard surfaces. It may be time to look back and make greater use of them as we once again reconfigure our landscapes.

Ease of maintenance

Church’s designs always incorporated features that minimized upkeep. Paved edgings, for example, separated planting beds from lawns and provided a surface for the mower to roll on. The hard surface ensured clean lines and when they were broad enough became walkways or children’s play areas.

He didn’t approve of planting thick shrubbery along the foundation, which complicated upkeep and obscured a home’s exterior. He believed such plantings detracted from the entry, which should be welcoming and clearly visible with plenty of paving.

“People want their gardens to provide many pleasures, conveniences, and comforts; none but dyed-in-the-wool gardeners want them to be any work. There is, of course, no such thing as a 100 percent maintenance-free garden, and if there were you would soon tire of it, for it would cease to be a garden. Most people mean they want the space so organized that they may know the delights of gardening in what little time they have; that they will not become a slave to a scheme that never looks its best no matter how much time they labor at it. Large areas should be under permanent control (lawns, groundcovers, paving). Most of the planting should be in permanent and slower-growing materials.”

If he were writing in California today, I suspect that Church would omit lawns from his list of permanent features.

Keeping it simple

Without an expanse of lawn, what then are we using as large, permanent features? A great many home gardeners seem to be intent on packing in as many plants as will fit in the front yard. But Church would take a different approach.

“Peace and ease are the dominant characteristics of the new garden — peace and beauty for the eye and ease of maintenance for the owner. Fewer and simpler lines are being used in the garden, and fewer and simpler materials. All is calculated to give complete restfulness to the eye. If the eye sees too many things, it is confused and the sense of peace is obliterated.”

If the idea of restfulness to the eye seems too abstract, it may clear up a bit if you take a long look at your landscape. Is your gaze directed to specific points or is it blocked or confused by a jumble of unconnected elements? Do one or two special features attract immediate attention — a dominant plant or two, a mass of the same species, a bench, a dry creek?

These questions may seem peripheral to most of our gardening efforts, but homeowners who are ripping out lawns and replacing them with a multitude of plants may encounter pitfalls along the way when exuberance overtakes sensible plant selection.

We may be approaching the end of an era when the greensward dominates as it did in many Thomas Church designs, but so many other ingredients in his plans continue to take on significant meaning.

Rosemary McCreary, a Sonoma County gardener, gardening teacher and author, writes the weekly Homegrown column for The Press Democrat. Write to her at P.O. Box 910, Santa Rosa, 95402; or send fax to 664-9476.