Front yard

In North America, front yards, which normally include considerable driveway and parking space, tend to be mostly lawn even when large,[citation needed] but in Europe they are often treated as a flower garden and may be heavily planted.

"[7] Depending on climate, local planning regulations or size, a front yard may feature a lawn or grassed area, a driveway or footpath or both and gardens or a vegetable patch or potted plants.

[9] There was also, by then, a very clear street-view approach to garden design with the house façade and front yard considered in unison; to "view the whole effect from the street".

[12] In the post-war era, suburban Canada gained its own distinctive architectural styles and this extended to front yards and gardens.

Rather than the stark white façades of stately American houses, wealthy Canadians of the 60s and 70s showed a preference for wood, in particular "diagonal cedar panelling".

Enclosed courtyards were surpassed in popularity by the large manicured gardens of French, German and Dutch palaces and stately homes.

[14] As suburbs developed around major European cities, the attitude to privacy, and by extension to front gardens, was decidedly different from that of the British.

In these cases, planter boxes and micro-gardens have become popular as a way of "greening" façades that would otherwise be without plants; elements that make a, "significant contribution to the quality of the environment".

The introduction of the byelaw terraced house, a type of dwelling built to comply with the Public Health Act 1875, raised the standards of accommodation.

[22] The front garden, smaller than the back, was separated from the street by a lower wall than in the Victorian house; some developers planted hedges and provided instructions on their care.

[21] During the Great Depression, local authorities encouraged families to grow produce in their own front gardens, thereby increasing community food supplies.

[26] As residential areas were subdivided and developed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the "suburban ideal" demanded large front yards, "dominated" by the facades of the houses they bounded.

In recent times, sustainability enthusiasts and practitioners have attempted to use their front yards to grow organic produce, in violation of existing codes.

[29] The illegality of growing vegetables in the front yard first received public attention due to the Oak Park incident[30] in 2011.

Since the early 2000s, once-common front yard "accoutrements" (like basketball rings on garages) are becoming less common; many are now prohibited by local government ordinances.