The Ecological Landscape Alliance is sponsoring a Brookline Village Walking Garden Tour with Landscape Designer Carol Spitzer on Saturday, July 11, from 5 – 7. There is an exciting new trend in ecological landscape design that goes by many names: lawn-free, no-mow, or lawn-alternative gardens. The incentives are many: lower maintenance, water conservation, reduced fertilizer/chemical use, increased biodiversity/habitat, and the greatest incentive – the stunning diversity of gardens! Landscape designer Carol Spitzer has been designing lawn-free gardens for many years and invites you to join her on a unique walking tour in Brookline Village. On this tour, we will walk through three different front yards where the existing lawns were removed and replaced with shrubs, perennials, groundcovers, and walkways. In all three projects, there were existing trees and plants that were incorporated into the new landscape.
Each lawn-free project is different and comes with its own unique set of challenges. One of Carol’s projects included side-by-side condos whose owners had differing opinions about plant materials. A second project required a more welcoming landing and front steps, as well as a new walking path to the driveway. In addition to these three gardens designed by Carol, we will walk down an adjacent street, to view several other examples of lawn-free front yards.
Lawn-free gardens require a fraction of the maintenance time of traditional lawns; provide a rich palette of color; introduce contrasting textures and fragrance; and increase curb appeal. Join us to explore lawn-alternative gardens and consider the rich tapestry that awaits in your own yard makeover. $30 fee. Register at http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/lush-lovely-and-lawn-less-gardens/#sthash.J1eAw7ox.dpuf. Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive an ELA member discount by using code garden-club at checkout.
