Front Lawn with a Beautiful, Eco-Friendly Garden

 Transform Your Front Lawn with a Beautiful, Eco-Friendly Garden

Shaker Heights is a historic Ohio community known for its stately homes, stately trees, and expansive lawns. But on a side street, you’ll find a sight that’s rare in most cities: a rope swing suspended from the branches of an ancient elm tree. Neighborhood kids come from blocks away to enjoy it, surrounded by something equally rare in this manicured neighborhood: a lush garden landscape full of life and environmental value.

Homeowners Dell and Lou Salsa believe in doing the little things that matter for their community or the planet. When the roots of a large elm tree began to lift their asphalt driveway and their narrow front porch began to crumble, they saw an opportunity to create an eco-friendly landscape that would improve their lives and their community. Knowing that our design firm could provide both, they invited us to help.

1. Thoughtful design elements connect the home to the garden, community, and ecosystem

Below the swing, we placed a simple circular carpet of green lawn, an essential symbol of Shaker Heights, but now reduced in size, emphasized in prominence, and seeded with a low-mow mix of slow-growing species that are shade-tolerant and require less mowing, water, and fertilizer than a typical lawn. It is surrounded by mostly native plantings. The redesigned driveway is permeable and gently curves around the elm, reducing the view to the backyard and allowing the tree’s roots to grow unobstructed.

The front sidewalk was also relocated, making the home’s streetscape more inviting. Instead of opening onto the driveway, it now connects the public walkway to a new front porch and sitting area, a semi-private nest where Del and Lou can observe and interact with their neighbors — or choose not to.

2. Mindful stormwater management is a key component

A sustainable landscape design, especially one based on permaculture, always takes rainfall into account. Ecologically conscious designers have followed nature and found ways to prevent water from leaving the site and make the most of it. How much do the plants we’ve chosen need? How can we slow, capture, and effectively use this resource instead of treating it as waste?

As few would suspect, the reinvented “front porch” isn’t just for people; it’s a vital part of our stormwater management system. Rain falls through open rafters onto the bluestone floor, the front edge of which is built to be permeable, allowing water to seep through. Any water that doesn’t soak into the ground below is channeled into a nearby rain garden by a simple drainage system.

3. Mixed plantings provide food, wildlife value, and multi-season interest

The Salsa landscape is designed to benefit both people and the planet. While Shaker Heights has traditionally required that at least 70% of a property be neatly mowed lawn, there’s a growing interest in the sustainability that the Salsa’s aim to promote. They’re thrilled to have one of the most spectacular gardens in the neighborhood. When curious fans visit, they explain how their elegant and colorful permaculture landscape supports nature’s amazing ecosystems.

Plants need to be beautiful; they need to add value and function. Edible plants are enjoyed by families, and shared with neighbors and wildlife. 'Montmorency' sour cherry (Prunus 'Montmorency', Zones 4–7) and apple serviceberry (Amelanchier × grandiflora, Zones 4–9) are suitable sized trees for this small site. Fruiting shrubs include Black Tower™ elderberries (Sambucus nigra 'Eiple 1', Zones 5–8) and honeyberries (Lonicera caerulea subsp. comtsatica, Zones 2–7) and red flowering currants (Ribes sanguineum, Zones 6–9), in addition to highbush blueberries in the rain garden.