Don’t Let Front Yard Drive You Nuts--Landscape Expert

Question: Following extensive remodeling of our house, we hired a landscape architect to redesign the landscaping. Aside from everything taking forever due to lack of money to go faster, we found that the kids in the neighborhood found our front lawn to be an attractive nuisance. They destroyed our original plantings of ground cover and we’ve made substitutions. What should we do to prepare for the warmer weather when the kids will be out of school all day?

Answer: I asked Santa Monica-based landscape architect George DeVault for advice on this knotty problem and he advises that there are many ways to have attractive landscaping and preserve your privacy--and sanity.

If the front of the house is too tempting, perhaps an attractive fence or wall can deter intruders, he suggests. One of his clients didn’t want to put in a fence, so she planted foliage that was just too spiky to play in. The foliage solved the problem. If you have a fairly good expanse of concrete, the temptation for children in the neighborhood to use it is always present. A gate might be the answer.

“Put whatever plants you want wherever you want to protect your privacy,” he said. “You’ll have to redo the landscape plan every five years or so anyway.” DeVault recommended that you discuss your particular problems with your landscape architect. The architect should be able to design an attractive plan that can survive the ravages of the neighborhood kids, he said.

IN THE MAIL: Ella Watson of Alhambra has a suggested solution to the San Gabriel Valley resident seeking privacy (Dear Dale, Jan. 13). “At first we put cafe curtains across the bottom half of the window, but when the Levolor one-inch aluminum blinds were first sold, we installed a blind on that window. When the blind is completely open, one can push up the lower half to close that part of the blind. No doubt the same can be done for the upper part, if necessary, and leave the bottom part open. These are the horizontal blinds. We now have the privacy we desire. The window can be opened but dust collects on the blind, so we air the house by opening our front screen door or turn on the blower.”

Thanks, Ella. Any more ideas?

Dale Baldwin will answer remodeling questions of general interest on this page. Send your questions to Home Improvement, Real Estate Department, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Baldwin cannot answer questions individually. Snapshots of successful do-it-yourself projects may be submitted but cannot be returned.