Modern Driveway and Front Yard Danville, CA

Paver driveway, drought tolerant planting, black mulch. Paver color and style selected to compliment paint and roof color.
Photo of a mid-sized modern front yard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with mulch.

Seating area with large built-in bench seating and boulder fire pit

June Scott Design

Rock outcroppings make a striking background for new lounge areas in this compact Los Angeles hillside garden. Working with the attributes of the site, we added native plants to drape over the stone, and converted hollowed stone planters into a firepit and water feature. New built-in seating and a cozy hammock complete the relaxing space, and dramatic lighting makes it come alive at night. Photo by Martin Cox Photography.

The Lodge, Fulham Cemetery (Grand Designs)

Harry Holding Studio

Planting in the back garden for an innovative property in Fulham Cemetery - the house featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs in January 2021. The design had to enhance the relationship with the bold, contemporary architecture and open up a dialogue with the wild green space beyond its boundaries. Seen here in summer, the planting is a base of evergreen textures punctuated with long flowering perennials.

The Modern Scandinavian

Fawn Renae Designs

My clients knew their house didn't match their modern Scandinavian style. Located in South Charlotte in an older, well-established community, Sara and Ash had big dreams for their home. During our virtual consultation, I learned a lot about this couple and their style. Ash is a woodworker and business owner; Sara is a realtor so they needed help pulling a vision together to combine their styles. We looked over their Pinterest boards where I began to envision their mid-century, meets modern, meets Scandinavian, meets Japanese garden, meets Monterey style. I told you I love making each exterior unique to each homeowner! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The backyard was top priority for this family of 4 with a big wish-list. Sara and Ash were looking for a she-shed for Sara’s Peleton workouts, a fire pit area to hangout, and a fun and functional space that was golden doodle-friendly. They also envisioned a custom tree house that Ash would create for their 3-year-old, and an artificial soccer field to burn some energy off. I gave them a vision for the back sunroom area that would be converted into the woodworking shop for Ash to spend time perfecting his craft. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This landscape is very low-maintenance with the rock details, evergreens, and ornamental grasses. My favorite feature is the pops of black river rock that contrasts with the white rock

The Prairie At Post Estate

CAVINESS LANDSCAPE DESIGN, INC.

This Caviness project for a modern farmhouse design in a community-based neighborhood called The Prairie At Post in Oklahoma. This complete outdoor design includes a large swimming pool with waterfalls, an underground slide, stream bed, glass tiled spa and sun shelf, native Oklahoma flagstone for patios, pathways and hand-cut stone retaining walls, lush mature landscaping and landscape lighting, a prairie grass embedded pathway design, embedded trampoline, all which overlook the farm pond and Oklahoma sky. This project was designed and installed by Caviness Landscape Design, Inc., a small locally-owned family boutique landscape design firm located in Arcadia, Oklahoma. We handle most all aspects of the design and construction in-house to control the quality and integrity of each project. Film by Affordable Aerial Photo & Video

Backyard Wildflower Prairie

Springer Environmental Services

This quiet backyard escape uses native wildflowers and grasses to create a beautiful, low-impact landscape. The native Florida plants require no chemical input and no irrigation; the flowers and grass seeds attract and support birds, butterflies, and other wildlife.

Berkeley Slope Transformed

Sarah Herman Landscape Design

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary front yard partial sun xeriscape for summer in San Francisco with decking and a wood fence.

Meditative Healing Garden- Laurel Canyon

Ketti Kupper Conscious Life Design

Build out of the Meditation Hut next to the spa deck and gravel filled steps that lead into a recessed fire pit area. Photo by Ketti Kupper.
Design ideas for a small asian backyard partial sun xeriscape in Los Angeles with decking.

El Cerrito house

Bay Stone Landscaping

Gareth Walters
Photo of a large midcentury backyard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with a retaining wall and gravel.

Sculpture House Oakland

Dodie Shoemaker

California living indoor outdoor modern yard
Photo of a small modern backyard full sun xeriscape for summer in San Francisco with a water feature and concrete pavers.

Xeric Front Yard Garden

Online Landscape Designs

This xeric landscape design is based on a desire for a front yard that is not only water wise, but colorful, interesting, and bird and bee friendly. I was able to use some water saving ideas for the garden while working around the homeowner’s beautiful and mature silver maple tree. We started by removing all of the thirsty turf and installing a drip irrigation system that efficiently waters each plant individually at its roots. I then designed a water wise front yard garden with bermed areas for contour, moss rock boulders for year round visual interest, pathways for navigating the garden, evergreen plants for winter greenery, and shrubs and perennials that bloom from early spring to late fall for as much color as possible through three seasons. The homeowners wanted a very detailed plant design, so I created two versions of the design, one with a plant key and the other with plant labels. The plant pallet features xeric shrubs and perennials that attract pollinators such as bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Many of the shrubs provide berries, not only for the birds, but also for the homeowners to enjoy. There are perennial herbs, medicinal plants and Colorado natives in the landscape design as well. This variety of plants transformed the front yard into a space that is water wise and functional as well as beautiful.

Eco Modern

Eco Landscape Design & Build

Innis Casey Photography
Design ideas for a large modern backyard shaded xeriscape in Los Angeles with a fire feature and gravel.

West Coast Craftsman

Susan Friedman Landscape Architecture

As night falls, lighting highlights this entry structure in a Craftsman style that blends perfectly with the architecture of the home while welcoming guests to enter the property in a relaxing shaded space. Rustic materials of natural stone cladding, stained cedar wood and classic gate elements tie everything together.

Our Portfolio

Environmental Landscape Solutions

Design ideas for a small traditional side yard full sun xeriscape in Sacramento.

Contemporary Landscape Design for a Narrow Back Yard in Napa, CA

Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Napa, CA residence, adjacent to a steep rock hillside. My design solutions included a contemporary redwood horizontal fence to help screen the view of the hillside along with arbors for vines that help to break up the long narrow space. I designed a triangular-shaped pergola with decorative panels from "Parasoleil" that serves as an artful focal point while providing interesting shade patterns that casts its delightful shadow along fence and patio and bench below, changing its position as the sun moves throughout the day. The landscape design includes angular planting beds, concrete pavers surrounded by gravel and a small lower-water lawn for the family to enjoy. The photos show the just planted low-water plants, vines and olive trees and again after a couple of months. Drawings, Design and Photos © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

July back yard and pool

Lighthouse Outdoor Lighting of Indianapolis

This project features many different materials in the landscape. Most notable was the boardwalk under the deck and the timber framed deck and patio cover. Accent lighting was added around the property to highlight trees, shrubs, fountains and walkways to add visual interest and extend the usability of the outdoor space long into the night for parties and gatherings.

Curved Retaining Walls View From Upper Patio

The Sculpted Earth

Terraced Retaining Wall of AllenBlock Europa Series with low voltage landscape lighting and new plantings.
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional backyard partial sun xeriscape for summer in Seattle with a retaining wall and concrete pavers.

Patios/Retaining Walls

Timberland Outdoor Services

Stone steppers with multi-tiered boulder retaining wall
Photo of a mid-sized traditional backyard partial sun xeriscape in Minneapolis with a retaining wall and mulch.

Iron Security Fences & Gates

J & J FENCE

Mid-sized industrial front yard partial sun xeriscape in Los Angeles with mulch and a metal fence for summer.

Fowler Project

Banyan Tree Landscape Construction LLC

Rock garden featuring Applegate river rocks bordered by Rogue river 3/4" round rock. Landscape steel edging separates between rock garden and bark mulch.

Black Xeriscape Design Ideas

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.