Not for this community the sprawling green lawns, pristine swimming pools or manicured gardens that are the hallmark of most estate developments. Instead, homeowners transplant some of the sugar maple and black cherry trees that crowd neighbouring properties, use hardy, slow-growing, cottage-type grasses that rarely need watering or mowing, and invest in native perennials such as daylilies, Siberian iris and Allegheny monkey flower.

Three-quarters of each lot is left in its natural state, including plenty of trees, and becomes home to herds of deer and families of foxes, skunks and raccoons. Natural red sand, instead of the usual construction-grade grey sand, is used as infill and once by a huge turtle as a place to lay her eggs.

Glenn McInnes, whose company Glengables Villages Ltd. is developing the community, says he wants to preserve the natural evolution that has been taking place on the site for decades.

"Originally it was a forest, then farmland after the First World War. Then, of course, as happened a lot after the Second World War, people didn't return to the farm and it started to grow over. There are people who remember when there used to be cows here and remember seeing the cows drinking from a natural spring."

Mr. McInnes also wanted to preserve a natural feeling in what is actually a carefully planned community. In Glengables, no house sits parallel to the road, and the homes are meticulously sited for maximum sunlight in winter, shade in summer, view and privacy.

"They look random, but they're not," says Mr. McInnes. "I wanted to bring the same approach to the subdivision -- where it seemed natural and it fits in (with the natural surroundings) -- but you have to plan to do that. It doesn't just happen."

Trees are marked before construction starts so that as many as possible will be preserved, even those quite close to the house. The grey construction sand favoured by builders can be used against houses for drainage, but not anywhere else because nothing will grow in it. Red sand, which supports trees and grass, is substituted.

To help homeowners landscape their lots in harmony with nature, Mr. McInnes has written some guidelines, with help from two horticulturalists and architect Richard Limmert who designed many of the homes at Glengables.

The guidelines cover the wild areas of the property (which must comprise one-half to two-thirds of the lot).

The guidelines also cover the more "manicured" area around the house, as well as the transition area between the house and the wild area.

While the guidelines aren't binding, Mr. McInnes says all home buyers have agreed to abide by them.

"The people who are buying from us are people who want to maintain the integrity of what exists.

"This kind of development attracts people interested in that sort of thing. As they build it attracts other people like that, so you get a momentum, and that becomes the spirit and style of the place."

Here are some of Glengables Village's natural landscaping guidelines:

Wild areas

- Practise "gentle management." Thin dense stands of shrubs or trees to improve vistas and speed the growth of more desirable plants by letting in more light. Clear around a choice tamarack or maple to let it develop a more balanced shape and give it a more prominent place in the landscape.

- Let part of the land become forest by leaving tree seedlings, or keep a meadow open by removing young plants.

- Apply herbicides directly to the bark, don't spray, to reduce injury to perennial plants.

Transition areas

- Match native plants of cultivated varieties known to flourish locally to the soil conditions that best meet their needs. Plant them in random patterns that echo the existing landscape.

- Existing trees lend impact. Shrubs are best in groups of six, eight or 10 with two or three types in each group as they occur in nature. Shrub islands with irregular edges make a gradual, unobtrusive transition to wild areas.

- Grass remains an ideal ground cover, but not the usual close-mown Kentucky bluegrass with its constant need for watering and fertilizer. A good mix is creeping fescue mixed with Dutch white clover. For showier display, there is a mix of 85-per-cent sheep fescue and 15-per-cent wildflower blend.

- Random-looking plantings of flowering bulbs can embellish grasslands near the living area. Narcissi and daffodils are ideal, since wildlife don't uproot them. It's best to plant large quantities of each kind you choose.

Living area

- Leave room for walkways, a patio, and a play or utility area. There can be a small lawn mowed to nine centimetres. You can use a mix of creeping red fescue and Kentucky bluegrass or one of the new low-growing perennial rye grasses such as Citation II or Pinnacle.

- For colour, there are beds of low-maintenance perennials, which can also spread over to ditches. Ditches can also be planted with a grass/wildflower mix or perennial vines.

- Trees offer privacy or screen the road, and act as a windscreen in winter and a source of shade in summer, while shrubs help segregate areas of different uses.

- A grass or grass-and-wildflower mix should go over the septic system.

- Limit mosquitoes by allowing for good air circulation around the house and by putting up bird or bat houses.

Suggested plant list

- Trees: Red, silver and sugar maples, pyramid silver maple, American white ash, pin oak

- Shrubs: Serviceberry (Saskatoon berry), redwig and yellow-wig dogwood, pussywillow, chokecherry, Canada plum, wild plum, bayberry, pasture rose

- Narcissi: Thalia, Hawera, Carlton, DutchMaster, Roseworthy, Lemonglow

- Perennials for house: Daylilies, New England aster, bearded and Siberian iris, Henryi lily, Helen's flower, evening primrose

- Vines for ditches: Bittersweet, Engelman's ivy, clematis