A Gardener Eliminates the Lawn

This past weekend I attended the annual garden tour in Newburyport, Ma.

I saw a garden that had no grass.

How well I remember the words of the nineteenth century seed companies like James Vick in Rochester who wrote in his 1873 catalog: “No arrangement of beds, or borders of box, or anything else, will look so neat and tasteful as a well kept piece of grass.”

The seed and nursery catalogs considered the lawn an essential part of the home landscape.

This home I saw in Newburyport had both a pea-stone driveway and back yard.  There was no grass  anywhere.

I was amazed when I saw this garden.

Here a homeowner chose a way to eliminate  the lawn which has been so much a part of our gardening for decades.

It certainly made me take notice.

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Congratulations to the winner of the Book Giveaway for my new book America’s Romance withe English Garden. The winner, randomly chosen, was Nancy Krause, who made comment #5 to the post.  Thanks to all of you who participated with your comment.

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