Gardening Your Front Yard is an active, inspiring resource that shows you how to treat your front yard like a backyard without sacrificing beauty, from choosing the right plants to building front patios and walkways
Gardening Your Front Yard: Projects and Ideas for Big and Small Spaces by Tara Nolan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
FTC disclosure: I would like to thank Quart Publishing Group- Cool Springs Press for providing me with an advance reader copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.
I love looking through gardening magazines and this book was like a lovely indulgence for me!
There were step-by-step project ideas and designs that I will look forward to creating for my garden. The instructions were clear and thorough.
I enjoyed the many ideas that were presented. It was more of a diary-style, experience-based look at front yards rather than a strict how to, which I appreciated. I was also left with wanting just a bit more.
With that said I hope to see a part 2 follow up. Perhaps it was the teaser (according to my interpretation) I found myself becoming fixated on. I would have loved to have read more about the author’s own adventures in gardening from a design perspective. Which I’m sure is the case for all of our gardens though, as projects are always under completion, but I would relish in seeing before and afters, and the rationale behind them.
I would love to see an extension about what would differentiate the front from the back a little more. It did touch on curb appeal and being mindful of HOA observances which was excellent. I would enjoy a bit more detail on layering and mimicking nature within the confines of integrating non-native plant life as well as working with different woods, metals, stones, and plastics… and more information about design principles, color options, matching or not matching housing structure, how to convey mood, etc… which are typically so important when showcasing the front yard because everyone sees it and there is less creative control when you want to be whimsical but not have it looking like an every day yardsale which I could totally see myself doing. I thought the hedge piece was the most complete at illustrating the how to concepts I was looking for as they relate to choosing a design for privacy, height, and aesthetic goals. I’d like to see more of that in the way it was presented.
All the photos and ideas were beautiful and inspiring nonetheless! And it was thoughtful to include shoutouts to wonderful resources. It introduced me to new concepts such as thriller, filler, and spiller.
This was a unique book with a lot to offer as putting edibles in the front yard is a rare find in and of itself! I am looking forward to implementing some of the designs and making some of the projects contained in this book. It would be a great resource guide for any gardener or a great house-warming gift and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
