Small Gem Lawns: More Impact From Less Grass
Instead of letting the lawn sprawl, make it a shapely design element in your yard. You’ll reap benefits both practical and aesthetic
Carol Crotta
September 29, 2014
Houzz Contributor. In all matters home and garden, I live by the mantra Restore, Renovate, Reimagine. The projects that interest me most are the ones that smartly and sustainably turn convention into the unexpected and delightful. I currently contribute articles on home design, restoration, garden, and all things drought-related to the Los Angeles Times in addition to my work for Houzz.com.
Houzz Contributor. In all matters home and garden, I live by the mantra Restore,... More
Backyard lawns often have been the background music in the garden, the understated foil to flower borders, trees and shrubs. Today, however, people are rethinking the notion of the sprawling, wall-to-wall, nondescript lawn. Not only can large lawns be wasteful environmentally in terms of water and the other resources needed to maintain them, but they also can be wasteful visually.
The key to today’s smart lawn is to design it as a specific visual element that interacts with, and counterbalances, other elements in the yard, such as hardscaping and planting beds. Used in this way, the lawn gains importance, becoming sculptural as well as practical.
As the following examples demonstrate, working with geometry and something of an artist’s eye can help focus a yard, marking areas for play or entertaining, or for just the pleasurable contemplation of a cool, peaceful patch of green. A sculptural lawn can be created from any number of turfgrasses, including types native to a particular region that may require less care. If done thoughtfully, and even with a bit of whimsy, limiting the backyard lawn increases its impact rather than diminishes its value.
The key to today’s smart lawn is to design it as a specific visual element that interacts with, and counterbalances, other elements in the yard, such as hardscaping and planting beds. Used in this way, the lawn gains importance, becoming sculptural as well as practical.
As the following examples demonstrate, working with geometry and something of an artist’s eye can help focus a yard, marking areas for play or entertaining, or for just the pleasurable contemplation of a cool, peaceful patch of green. A sculptural lawn can be created from any number of turfgrasses, including types native to a particular region that may require less care. If done thoughtfully, and even with a bit of whimsy, limiting the backyard lawn increases its impact rather than diminishes its value.
This round lawn, set into a bed as another planting element, is eye catching and seemingly meant to be contemplated from a bench set outside its perimeter. The shape of a lawn like this can been kept precise with an edger and maintained with a regular mower, depending on the type of grass used.
The round lawn can also become a stage for play, as here, and a place to gather around a round fire pit that functions as a circle within a circle.
This geometric lawn is part of a green tapestry that includes geometrically planted beds.
In cases where the look of lawn is desired but not the upkeep, artificial turf can be a good substitute.
The angled geometry of this lawn tracks the angles of the patio and elevated planter, bringing to the cool white walls and walkway a bright spot of green that is echoed by the plants.
The angled geometry of this lawn tracks the angles of the patio and elevated planter, bringing to the cool white walls and walkway a bright spot of green that is echoed by the plants.
Not everyone has the space for a dramatic checkerboard lawn, but its impact is substantial — it’s a showstopper. In this garden the alternating lawn and paving stones are set at the same height, making mowing simple.
A chessboard lawn, here furnished with a giant chess piece, can be used to transition one area of the garden to another.
Playing with lawn geometry can lead to striking effects. Here solid expanses of lawn are broken up by areas of pavers “grouted” with lawn.
Patio Pavers Go Green in Between
Patio Pavers Go Green in Between
The visual impact of the lawn grows as it becomes an equal design element with hardscaping, trees, shrubs and rocks.
These playful lawn circles, set against wood-chip mulch, are artsy eye candy that bring life to what otherwise might have been a humdrum expanse of lawn.
Lawn can be living sculpture. A concentric-circles effect like this is achieved by setting the mower at different cutting heights.
Simply dividing large squares of lawn with pavers gives a large lawn area more visual power.
Even the smallest lawn can be powerful. Here the homeowner has created raised grass “pavers” where you might expect stone or concrete.
The lawn’s visually cooling effect can be seen in this yard, where a deep green river of grass courses through a stony bed.
More:
5 Great Grasses for a New Lawn
Strike a Balance: Stuff vs. Space in the Garden
Tell us: What do you think of these lawn designs? Share pictures of your own small lawn in the Comments section below.
More:
5 Great Grasses for a New Lawn
Strike a Balance: Stuff vs. Space in the Garden
Tell us: What do you think of these lawn designs? Share pictures of your own small lawn in the Comments section below.
We believe that the transition of a house into a home is a sense of history and a piece of the future. It tells... Read More
Related Products
Our philosophy at Kitchen Kraft is to make home remodeling convenient. We are your one-stop shop for kitchen... Read More
Related Stories
Landscape Design
What Will We Want in Our Landscapes in 2024?
Discover seven trends that landscape designers predict homeowners will be bringing into their outdoor spaces this year
Full Story
Spring Gardening
8 Tips to Get Your Early-Spring Garden Ready for the Season
Find out how to salvage plants, when to cut back damaged branches, when to mulch and more
Full Story
Winter Gardening
How to Prune Your Fruit Trees in Winter
Garden chores may slow down this season, but pruning your fruit trees now means healthier plants that will produce more
Full Story
Winter Gardening
Get a Head Start on Planning Your Garden Even if It’s Snowing
Reviewing what you grew last year now will pay off when it’s time to head outside
Full Story
Landscape Design
Pros Share Their Top Plant Picks for a Low-Maintenance Yard
Landscape pros weigh in on the plants they’d use — and ones they’d avoid — to create an easy-care garden
Full Story
Landscape Design
10 Tips for Planting a Beautiful, Low-Maintenance Landscape
Landscape pros share their advice for planning a garden that’s easy to care for
Full Story
Gardening Guides
12 Gardening Ideas You Can Count as Resolutions
See how to set up your outdoor areas for more enjoyment next year and make them a bit more earth-friendly in the process
Full Story
Holidays
Last-Minute Ideas for Attractive Winter Container Designs
Create a welcoming holiday entryway with ideas from these 9 looks
Full Story
Winter Gardening
8 Tips for Keeping Your Houseplants Healthy in Winter
Reduce watering, stop fertilizing, move them into the light and more
Full Story
Fall Gardening
7 Reasons Not to Clean Up Your Fall Garden
Before you pluck and rake, consider wildlife, the health of your plants and your own right to relax
Full Story
The front yard is divided into separate zones — a stone patio, a raised deck and a seating area around a fire pit — giving each area the feel of a destination. When McCrae started her yard renovation four years ago, the patio against the house was existing, but the deck and fire pit areas were an overgrown hodgepodge.