In the first suburban project,234 residents of a third-tier Twin Cities suburb rated video imaging simulation of seven alternative treatments of home landscape on five dimeasion : attractiveness,care,neatness,naturalness,and apparent need for maintenance.
The seven alternative treatments of home landscape demonstrated a rang of six increasingly ecological rich landscape designed within vernacular expectation : the first treatment was entirely conventional,and the succeeding five framed gardens of indigenous plant communities with cues to human intention.
The seventh alternative showed the conventional landscape grown to weeds,untended.
While suburban residents generally preferred the immediately recognizable,conventional landscape treatment to all others,they rated the treatment in which half of the mown lawn had been replaced with a garden of plants indigenous to the oak savanna almost equally attractive.
The weedy lawn was rated far less attractive than all other treatments,including the ecologically rich design.