Gardens - On Lawns vs Lavender...
- Mar 3
- 3 min read
In the late 1940s, on Long Island, just east of New York City, a new kind of American landscape was being built. It was called "Levittown" - one of a few that would appear in the 40's and 50's, designed originally for returning WWII veterans, with affordable homes, solid construction, picket fences and identical facades.
But along with the mortgages came something else: lawn obligations written into property deeds. The owners needed to agree to maintain their grass to a legally determined standard. Absolute uniformity and conformity was part of the deal. That small rectangle of green grass, wasn’t just landscaping, it was economic strategy. It stabilized property values. It signaled order. It reassured the neighbours.
