Where the American settler had wilderness at his or her doorstep, the contemporary American has created the lawn, a buffer of pseudo-nature between the public and private domain. Tending this landscape ornament has grown into an American pastime and supports a multi-million-dollar industry. Its surrounding green turf defines the American home from those in most other nations. These lawns joined together create what some critics refer to as the "American Savannah," covering 25 million acres, an area slightly larger than Pennsylvania.

Despite its kitsch embellishments (such as pink flamingos and lawn orbs), the American lawn grows out of a serious tradition in landscape architecture. Andrew Jackson Downing and others who imported garden design and planning from Europe in the mid-1800s determined the green "setting" around homes to be majestic, utilitarian, and unique. The planting of grass defined the leisure household of the upper classes...