All-Native Front Yard

The client wanted to completely re-do their front yard with ecologically-appropriate native plantings. Phase 1—carried out in fall, 2022—entailed replacing the strip of land between the street and the sidewalk, known as a “hellstrip” for the tough conditions plants face there. The plant palette draws inspiration from an old New England field with columnar eastern red cedars emergining from a field of drought-tolerant native perennials and grasses. Phases 2 and 3—installed in spring and fall, 2023, respectively—reimagined the house’s foundation planting and the interior of the front yard. The progresssion from street to house mirrors the progression from field to woodland in natural succession. In contrast to the hellstrip’s meadow planting, the plantings closer to the house feature larger canopy trees and a shade-tolerant understory. The palette also includes a significant non-native element, namely spring-flowering bulbs to add color early in the season and direct-sown annual wildflowers to fill gaps. The installation also included a signifant hardscape element—natural-stone steps with a starburst viewing platform at a high point in the yard. After establishment, this all-native front yard requires no supplemental irrigation.