By
Tom Schmidt
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Photographs by
Ercika Goodman
The famous Falling Water house in Pennsylvania by architect Frank Lloyd Wright is more than awe inspiring. It is the ultimate example of landscape architecture, totally integrating the house with its surroundings, going so far as extending the rocks and creek on the property into the house. His works throughout the desert in the Southwestern United States are also excellent examples of integrating nature, using elements of the desert as both inspiration and building materials.

But Wright was a world-famous architect with unlimited talent and resources. What about those of us with smaller yards, limited budgets and less fertile imaginations? How do we blend our home with our yard?

The word yard is an ancient Anglo Saxon word meaning "enclosure." But according to authors Elvin McDonald and Jean Breskend in their book Backyard Design: Making the Most of the Space Around Your House, the concept of the North American yard originated in nineteenth-century America when Andrew Jackson Downing wrote of treating the house and yard as one design concept, with "the Victorian porch as a transition between indoors and out."

It wasn't until after the Second World War that most North Americans took to the outdoors en masse and began practising some form of "yardening": seeking pleasure in their yards through a variety of activities which included gardening, sports, swimming, cooking, entertaining, or just plain relaxing in the privacy and beauty of the natural environment.

The use of the yard as living space originated in California from the ideas of Thomas Church, a landscape architect, whose practical approach to landscape design emphasized the difference between gardens and yards and the personal nature of each. His main emphasis was how each family's yard could be designed to use outdoor living space to the maximum. He believed that any yard, regardless of size, could be designed and used to its fullest according to individual needs and tastes.

Terie Langen's yard in the Wolseley area is a perfect example of Church's idea.

While the warmer months are here, Langen's yard is her office, home, entertaining space and dining room. A lush garden even provides food.

It's a one-of-a-kind artistic creation full of spirit and personality, offering quiet privacy and a beautiful, natural setting in the middle of a large city.

Langen's Wolseley-area property is typical of her neighbourhood: older houses, well-treed, small lots (30 X 92 feet), and fenced yards, bordered at the back by garages and back lanes. Yet every inch is a reflection of herself.

"It's a question of bonding with nature, of shutting the world out. I look at my garden as an outdoor room."

Langen works as a real estate agent in and around the area, making the backyard an extension of her house; she actually uses it as an office in summer. It's been a four-year labour of love since she moved here in 1994, and she's been developing it ever since. "I don't consider a garden a finished product. From year to year I do a lot of moving things around. It's a question of keeping things interesting."

QUESTIONS BEFORE DIGGING
There are probably as many landscape designs as there are people. It's a good idea to ask yourself a few questions before digging into a totally new yard or renovating an existing mature yard: Who is the yard for? What do you want to use it for? How much time and money are you willing to spend creating and maintaining it? What features are most important to you? Will your design fit the character of your house? What does your family want? Plan your priorities. Do you want the yard for recreation, entertaining, growing food, as a personal nature sanctuary, or all those things combined?

Langen wanted a natural space where she could spend lots of time during Winnipeg's short, hot summers. Her yard is a place where she can be alone, entertain frequent visitors, or work. It's a peaceful, natural retreat filled with a diverse mix of objects, plants, and even urban wildlife. It's her spiritual dwelling. Working and living in her yard "is therapy; it's love. It grounds me. If I didn't have this I'd probably be very wired."