This is an example of a contemporary garden in Toronto with decking.

Garden allee path with copper pipe trellis Photo by: Jeffrey Edward Tryon of PDC
Design ideas for a small contemporary courtyard shaded formal garden for summer in Philadelphia with gravel.

Chevy Chase

Behr Construction Company

Koi pond
Design ideas for a contemporary garden in Los Angeles with decking.

2012 Sunset Idea House Breezehouse - Landscape

Habitat Design

Habitat Design did the plant design and landscape styling for the 2012 Sunset Idea House in Healdsburg, CA. We also provided interior accents from our online store as well!

Green Wall

Amelia B. Lima & Associates, INC.

A 4o feet long green wall creates a living colorful mural on a side yard. Amelia B. Lima
This is an example of a contemporary side yard garden in San Diego with gravel.

Custom 6ft Deco Mesh Fencing

Western Pacific Fence

Design ideas for a contemporary garden in Seattle.

Houston Patio With Built-in Big Green Egg "Nest"

InnovationLand

This covered patio and outdoor kitchen by Outdoor Homescapes of Houston features a Big Green Egg kamado style grill and its "nest" built into a natural stone island along with an RCS grill and double burner. The countertops are granite and the floor is concrete pavers. www.outdoorhomescapes.com

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.

Chiswick Garden

Tom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard garden in London.

Custom Metal Fencing

Great Lakes Metal Fabrication

Custom wrought iron fencing, wavy contemporary metal panels, steel privacy screen for neighbors, decorative metal fencing design.

To read more about this project, click here or start at the Great Lakes Metal Fabrication metal railing page

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.

Houghton Residence

Jovak Landscape & Design Ltd.

Call of the Wild Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard garden in Vancouver with with raised garden bed.

E17 Secluded Family Garden

Sarah Kay Garden Design

Japanese Anemones and Miscanthus provide semi transparent screens to the rest of the garden
Mid-sized contemporary backyard partial sun garden in London with with raised garden bed and natural stone pavers for summer.

Los Altos, CA - Lundy Ln.

M. Designs Architects

An After look of this contemporary style home where the exterior has been completely transformed and made new,
Photo of a large contemporary backyard partial sun garden in San Francisco with decking.

Southfields Garden

Tom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun garden for summer in London with natural stone pavers.

2 Bedroom Holland Park Flat

Ray Dowling Photography

Raymond Dowling
Contemporary backyard garden in London.

Past Landscape Projects

Alpine Construction and Design Ltd.

This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun garden in Calgary with a water feature and gravel.

Lose the Front Lawn - Modern Water-Side Landscape Remodel - Novato, CA

Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Lawn replaced with colorful plants such as Orange Sedge, Phormiium, Bulbine frutescens 'Hallmark', and Rubus ground cover, along with and contemporary pavers that create a welcoming front entrance in Bel Marin Keys, Novato. The landscape design transformed the tired, water thirsty-lawn into a contemporary setting with dramatic concrete pavers leading to the home's entrance. And a new driveway design featuring large concrete slabs and small black pebbles set in a permeable resin in between. A variety of low-water plants for sun and part shade complete this project front yard transformation. Installed in February 2014. The back areas of this transformation is featured in a separate project: Modern Water-Side Landscape Remodel .

Contemporary Landscape

Design ideas for a large contemporary front yard partial sun formal garden for summer in San Francisco with a garden path and concrete pavers.

Contemporary Eichler Backyard

Land Studio C

Inspiration for a contemporary garden in San Francisco with a vertical garden.

Contemporary Brown Garden Design Ideas

Get Inspired by Contemporary 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 contemporary 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 Contemporary Garden for Your Home

Depending on which style you’re going for, be sure to know what makes a contemporary 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 contemporary 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 contemporary 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.