Design ideas for an expansive beach style backyard full sun formal garden for summer in Orange County with with privacy feature, concrete pavers and a stone fence.

Landscape Design. A smooth cedar entry gate and fence opens above a dimensional full color range bluestone path. The cross-lapped lattice fence topper repeats the shadow pattern created as downlight casts through the pergola’s rafters and purlins.

APLD 2021 Silver Award Winning Landscape Design. Painted galvanized troughs used for vegetables in the side yard. An expansive back yard landscape with several mature oak trees and a stunning Golden Locust tree has been transformed into a welcoming outdoor retreat. The renovations include a wraparound deck, an expansive travertine natural stone patio, stairways and pathways along with concrete retaining walls and column accents with dramatic planters. The pathways meander throughout the landscape... some with travertine stepping stones and gravel and those below the majestic oaks left natural with fallen leaves. Raised vegetable beds and fruit trees occupy some of the sunniest areas of the landscape. A variety of low-water and low-maintenance plants for both sunny and shady areas include several succulents, grasses, CA natives and other site-appropriate Mediterranean plants complimented by a variety of boulders. Dramatic white pots provide architectural accents, filled with succulents and citrus trees. Design, Photos, Drawings © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Marion Brenner Photography
This is an example of a large modern backyard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with a garden path.

Fall arrangement of kale, mums, peppers, pansies, and plumbago. Hannah Goering Photography
Photo of a large traditional backyard full sun garden for fall in Chicago with a container garden and natural stone pavers.

Granite Steps and Softscapes
Photo of a mid-sized country backyard full sun garden for summer in Manchester with natural stone pavers.

The problem this Memorial-Houston homeowner faced was that her sumptuous contemporary home, an austere series of interconnected cubes of various sizes constructed from white stucco, black steel and glass, did not have the proper landscaping frame. It was out of scale. Imagine Robert Motherwell's "Black on White" painting without the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston's generous expanse of white walls surrounding it. It would still be magnificent but somehow...off. Intuitively, the homeowner realized this issue and started interviewing landscape designers. After talking to about 15 different designers, she finally went with one, only to be disappointed with the results. From the across-the-street neighbor, she was then introduced to Exterior Worlds and she hired us to correct the newly-created problems and more fully realize her hopes for the grounds. "It's not unusual for us to come in and deal with a mess. Sometimes a homeowner gets overwhelmed with managing everything. Other times it is like this project where the design misses the mark. Regardless, it is really important to listen for what a prospect or client means and not just what they say," says Jeff Halper, owner of Exterior Worlds. Since the sheer size of the house is so dominating, Exterior Worlds' overall job was to bring the garden up to scale to match the house. Likewise, it was important to stretch the house into the landscape, thereby softening some of its severity. The concept we devised entailed creating an interplay between the landscape and the house by astute placement of the black-and-white colors of the house into the yard using different materials and textures. Strategic plantings of greenery increased the interest, density, height and function of the design. First we installed a pathway of crushed white marble around the perimeter of the house, the white of the path in homage to the house’s white facade. At various intervals, 3/8-inch steel-plated metal strips, painted black to echo the bones of the house, were embedded and crisscrossed in the pathway to turn it into a loose maze. Along this metal bunting, we planted succulents whose other-worldly shapes and mild coloration juxtaposed nicely against the hard-edged steel. These plantings included Gulf Coast muhly, a native grass that produces a pink-purple plume when it blooms in the fall. A side benefit to the use of these plants is that they are low maintenance and hardy in Houston’s summertime heat. Next we brought in trees for scale. Without them, the impressive architecture becomes imposing. We placed them along the front at either corner of the house. For the left side, we found a multi-trunk live oak in a field, transported it to the property and placed it in a custom-made square of the crushed marble at a slight distance from the house. On the right side where the house makes a 90-degree alcove, we planted a mature mesquite tree. To finish off the front entry, we fashioned the black steel into large squares and planted grass to create islands of green, or giant lawn stepping pads. We echoed this look in the back off the master suite by turning concrete pads of black-stained concrete into stepping pads. We kept the foundational plantings of Japanese yews which add green, earthy mass, something the stark architecture needs for further balance. We contoured Japanese boxwoods into small spheres to enhance the play between shapes and textures. In the large, white planters at the front entrance, we repeated the plantings of succulents and Gulf Coast muhly to reinforce symmetry. Then we built an additional planter in the back out of the black metal, filled it with the crushed white marble and planted a Texas vitex, another hardy choice that adds a touch of color with its purple blooms. To finish off the landscaping, we needed to address the ravine behind the house. We built a retaining wall to contain erosion. Aesthetically, we crafted it so that the wall has a sharp upper edge, a modern motif right where the landscape meets the land.

Modern redesign for a Harlem Brownstone
Photo of a mid-sized modern backyard garden in New York with a wood fence.

Expansive modern backyard full sun garden in Las Vegas.

A wild, native spirit radiates out from within the structured lines and angles of the hardscape - softened by a lush and biodiverse selection of California native plants in a velvety palette of soft silvery grays, greens, and purples with the occasional pop of yellow and orange. Newly planted native Engelmann Oak and feathery Caesalpinia Sierra Sun trees are grounded by weighty golden boulders. White Cloud muhly grass whispers to the ceanothus and flannel bush, while verbena ‘De la Mina’ nestles amongst the buckwheat and artemisia, perfumed by the earthy smell of the endemic ‘Aroma’ Sage. Birds, butterflies, and other pollinators have found their way to this sumptuous wildlife habitat that we’ve created, and their presence brings a delightful song and serenity to the garden.

Tropical backyard pool, patios and landscaping in South Florida. Natural rock waterfalls cascade into this modern tropical backyard design.
This is an example of a large tropical backyard garden in Miami.

Yorkstone patio surrounded by colourful planting with stylish lounge seating and sunshade in garden with 2 patios, pretty shed, lawn and glorious borders

3D Landscape Designs from Custom Outdoor Creations LLC
Design ideas for a large tropical backyard full sun formal garden in Miami with a garden path and brick pavers.

Ein besonderes Highlight ist die halbrunde Natursteinmauer die die Feuerstelle mit Quellstein einrahmt. Doch Hochbeete versorgen die Familie mit Gemüse und Kräutern, die Terrasse lädt zum verweilen ein.

Ein besonderes Highlight ist die halbrunde Natursteinmauer die die Feuerstelle mit Quellstein einrahmt. Doch Hochbeete versorgen die Familie mit Gemüse und Kräutern, die Terrasse lädt zum verweilen ein.

This is an example of a contemporary backyard full sun garden in DC Metro with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

Scott Sandler
This is an example of a large backyard xeriscape in Phoenix with gravel.

Design ideas for a large modern backyard partial sun xeriscape in San Diego with a garden path and concrete pavers.

With a lengthy list of ideas about how to transform their backyard, the clients were excited to see what we could do. Existing features on site needed to be updated and in-cooperated within the design. The view from each angle of the property was already outstanding and we didn't want the design to feel out of place. We had to make the grade changes work to our advantage, each separate space had to have a purpose. The client wanted to use the property for charity events, so a large flat turf area was constructed at the back of the property, perfect for setting up tables, chairs and a stage if needed. It also created the perfect look out point into the back of the property, dropping off into a ravine. A lot of focus throughout the project was the plant selection. With a large amount of garden beds, we wanted to maintain a clean and formal look, while still offering seasonal interest. We did this by edging the beds with boxwoods, adding white hydrangeas throughout the beds for constant colour, and subtle pops of purple and yellow. This along with the already breathtaking natural backdrop of the space, is more than enough to make this project stand out. Photographer: Jason Hartog Photography