Garden concepts
Design ideas for a mid-sized country backyard full sun driveway for summer in Brest with a retaining wall and gravel.

Gin Residence

Creative Zen, Inc. Landscape Designer & Contractor

Smooth Santa Barbara Stucco retaining wall. Redwood Deck. Drip irrigation.
Photo of a modern backyard partial sun xeriscape in Los Angeles with a retaining wall and decking.

Bollinger Residence

Finishing Touches Landscaping

Brad Lois
Mid-sized traditional backyard full sun garden in Milwaukee with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

Creative Outdoor Stairs Options using Allan Block Retaining Walls

Allan Block Retaining Wall and Patio Wall Systems

Allan Block products can be used to create many types of applications including stairs. These projects were built in Pennsylvania and Maryland using products from Nitterhouse Concrete. They offer great colors and textures to compliment any outdoor landscaping the customer has requested. Beautiful stair application with terraced walls and flowing pathway to a large patio. Photos provided by Allan Block Corporation

Modern Backyard Landscaping

Techo-Bloc

This backyard landscaping project consist of multiple of our modern collections! Modern grey retaining wall: The smooth look of the Raffinato collection brings modern elegance to your tailored spaces. This contemporary double-sided retaining wall is offered in an array of modern colours. Discover the Raffinato retaining wall: https://www.techo-bloc.com/shop/walls/raffinato-smooth/ Modern grey stone steps: The sleek, polished look of the Raffinato stone step is a more elegant and refined alternative to modern and very linear concrete steps. Offered in three modern colors, these stone steps are a welcomed addition to your next outdoor step project! Discover our Raffinato stone steps here: https://www.techo-bloc.com/shop/steps/raffinato-step/ Modern grey floor pavers: A modern paver available in over 50 scale and color combinations, Industria is a popular choice amongst architects designing urban spaces. This paver's de-icing salt resistance and 100mm height makes it a reliable option for industrial, commercial and institutional applications. Discover the Industria paver here: https://www.techo-bloc.com/shop/pavers/industria-smooth-paver/

Overhill Project - Roland Park

European Landscapes & Design

Traditional front yard full sun garden in Baltimore with a retaining wall and brick pavers.

Loma Mariposa

Trillium Enterprises, INC.

Hand-stacked rock wall encloses this terrace.
Design ideas for a mid-sized mediterranean courtyard full sun driveway in Santa Barbara with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

Riverside Extended Driveway

Bleu Stone Pavers

Driveway done in ORCO Antique Cobble in a blend of Tuscany and Chateau
Design ideas for a large traditional front yard partial sun driveway in Orange County with a retaining wall and brick pavers.

Boulder Retaining Walls

NS Landscapes

Boulder retaining wall.
Transitional backyard garden in Minneapolis with a retaining wall.

Wappingers Falls Poolscape

Randazzo's Landscaping Inc.

This is an example of a small traditional backyard full sun formal garden for summer in New York with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

Salem Custom Natural Thin Stone Veneer Retaining Wall

Quarry Mill

Interested in making your home one of a kind? This project is made with custom Salem natural thin veneer from the Quarry Mill.
Photo of a traditional sloped garden in Other with a retaining wall.

Work

Inside Out

Photo of a mid-sized modern backyard xeriscape in Orange County with a retaining wall.

Rustic Style Wall

katie_shoemaker23

Rustic Style Wall using Techo-Bloc's Borealis wall.
Mid-sized country front yard garden in Other with a retaining wall.

Sunset

Sweet Smiling Landscapes

Located on a steep hill above downtown Ventura, this modern Spanish house features panoramic views of town with the ocean and Channel Islands beyond. While the views are amazing from a large front deck, the steep slope presented some constraints on the landscape design. Although the property is about a third-of-an-acre, the only useable and open garden space is a small (about 500 square feet) area to the West of the house. The house sits at the back of the property, and another steep hill on the neighboring property behind is held back by a tall retaining wall, leaving just enough room for a narrow, hardscaped patio in the back yard. Bright plantings along the back of the property delineate the home from the neighboring property, and we chose plantings to help stabilize the soil and further develop the Spanish garden look while creating a lush, inviting feel. Additionally, we added 52 pieces of pottery to soften and add interest to the back garden and patio areas. Succulents, herbs, and California natives fill the pottery along with bright, sweet-smelling, tropical-looking, and climate-appropriate plants. Slope stabilization was paramount for the front hill. Beyond that, finding plants that would thrive on the steep slope was the next obstacle. Finally, the aesthetics could be addressed, and we worked to find plants that meshed with the architecture—blending plants with white and orange to play off the red-tiled roofs and white-plastered walls that are emblematic of the Spanish style of this house as well as the predominate style of the neighborhood. The flattish area to the West was designed with the idea of creating a contemporary take on the parterre garden. Reminiscent of Mediterranean gardens, this vegetable and herb garden substitutes formal hedges with formal Corten steel planters to honor the modern Spanish architecture of the house. The citrus, herbs, and vegetables serve the foodie clients well.

County Blend Stone Retaining Wall

English Stone

Fondulac and Bluestone Blend Retainer Wall by English Stone.
Photo of a mid-sized arts and crafts front yard garden in Minneapolis with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

North Mesa Front Yard Living

Shearon Design Collective

Front yard transformation with new hardscape, seating walls, paver walkways, new plants, ;landscape lighting, driveway extension, updated brick to painted brick, and new synthetic turf.

Modern Marvel

Alderwood Landscape Architecture and Construction

This inviting landscape is the ideal backyard paradise. It provides plenty of seating for entertaining, along with a custom fireplace, hot tub, and full kitchen. Hardscaping around the elements offer visual interest and year-round beauty.

Suffield Retaining Wall and Stairs

Western Reserve Hardscapes

Inspiration for a mid-sized country front yard garden in Cleveland with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

Concrete Stair + Railing

Regenesis Ecological Design

A shaded concrete entry staircase leads to the guest cottage from the main outdoor living area, surfaced with permeable pavers. Gabion retaining walls form terraced planting beds on either side of the sand finished concrete steps. A rusted steel fence supports a powder coated hand rail on the left.

Forest Hill Village Formal Design

Infinite Possibilities Landscape & Design

Repeating the use of Indiana Stone throughout supports the minimalism and elegance
Mid-sized traditional front yard formal garden in Toronto with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

Beige Garden Design Ideas with a Retaining Wall

Get Inspired by Gardens on Houzz

A lot of the time when you get home from a long day at work, all you want to do is wind down. Where better to do this than in your very own garden at home? If you do it right, a great garden design can send you right into holiday mode. But where to start? There’s so many styles to choose from when it comes to garden design. Whether you want to create a tropical, modern, contemporary, beach style or country garden - or something else entirely - the large garden image gallery on Houzz has got you covered. Get inspired and collect your ideas to narrow down your desired garden style and features.

How to Create a Garden for Your Home

Depending on which style you’re going for, be sure to know what makes a garden and if it’s appropriate for your climate. You may want to consider adding a deck or other landscaping features, but the plants you choose will mostly dictate your style and what kind of ongoing maintenance is required. Don’t worry if your backyard isn’t very spacious - there are many plants that can thrive even in a small space and allow you to turn your space into a little paradise of your own, regardless of size.

Decide which plants to use

The greenery you choose is critical to your look. For example, if you’re trying to create a tropical garden palm trees and bamboo are your go-to options. Other popular options are golden cane palm trees and fern for ground cover. From there you can add some colour with bright flowers like frangipani, hibiscus or bromeliads. All these are actually quite hardy plants, so once established, your tropical garden is actually quite easy to maintain. Use this structure and apply it to your style. Research which plants you need to set your base for a garden and go from there.

Add some decor

If the plants don’t quite do it for you yet, or if you want to add some extra wow-factor, consider adding some extra features. Even if you can’t accommodate a swimming pool, hot tub or pond, you could look at smaller water features. Simple rocks can also have a great effect, while statues and gnomes will add some extra character. Don’t forget to add some furniture so you have a nice place to sit and enjoy your garden!

Need some help?

Once you know what you want your garden to look like, it may be hard to make it a reality on your own. If that is the case for you, consider consulting a professional to help you with your garden design. Every photo you find on Houzz will lead you to the local pro that did the job, so you won’t have a problem picking the perfect person to help! Whether you need a gardener in Brisbane, a landscape architect in Melbourne or a fireplace installer in Sydney, you can be sure to find one on Houzz.