Front Garden CL

Notes Smith, a landscape designer and gardening columnist, the front garden is the ``stepchild'' of garden design, all too often overlooked as a no-man's-land between street and front door. And since houses today are situated on smaller and smaller lots, and backyards--if present at all--may be unsuited to horticulture, she argues that a front yard is too precious to waste on the tract of lawn and dreary foundation plantings endemic to suburbs from coast to coast. After a brief survey of American front-yard ``traditions,'' she gives trenchant hands-on advice on designing a front garden, covering such practical matters as siting paths, screening unpleasant views, and whether to employ a landscape architect or garden designer. The chapter ``A Public or Private Front Yard?'' explores how to use man-made structures and plantings to create either type. Nine exemplary gardens across the country are detailed; although some are professionally designed for well-to-do clients, others are, refreshingly, made by the ``get dirty'' gardeners and not beyond the skills or means--of the average homeowner. Clearly written, elegantly produced, this book is sure to melt the winter doldrums and inspire readers to rework their front gardens at the first hint of spring. Photos. Better Homes and Gardens, Rodale Book Club, and Garden Book Club alternate. (Mar . )