Basalt wall with basalt/gravel steps in the background. Lake Oswego Shade Garden Check out more from this project at http://www.rossnwwatergardens.com/lake-oswego-shade-garden/ We love working in Lake Oswego! By Ben Bowen of Ross NW Watergardens, a Portland landscaping firm.

© Verdance Landscape Design
Photo of a mid-sized eclectic backyard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with gravel.

These clients struggled for years with drainage, erosion and dead grass. We removed some trees for more light, and installed a high end artificial turf. It is very low maintenance, requiring no watering, weeding, mowing or edging.

Bluestone chip gravel drive gently sweeps through the original orchard.
Inspiration for a mid-sized eclectic backyard partial sun garden for spring in New York with a garden path and concrete pavers.

Landscape Designer by Josh Ward Landscape Design Landscape Designer, Josh Ward Landscape Design, was asked to create a landscape design that was low maintenance, in keeping with this old country train station cottage in Spennithorne, tucked deep in the North Yorkshire Dales, whilst incorporating a contemporary core to the overall design. The train station had just received a beautiful high-spec restoration, inside and out. Located on top of a hill, overlooking some of the most spectacular landscapes, with a working local train line running behind the cottage, this garden design project demanded careful and sensitive design to its local environment. Wind, rabbits, chickens, low maintenance, and a holiday cottage with year round visitors were all important considerations too. The landscape design needed to champion the stunning views and not compete with them! The rolling views were outwards, upwards and all-around! Josh wanted to design a comfortable outside space that acted as a sympathetic viewing platform for the amazing views whilst also grounding the house into its landscape. Firstly the dry stone walling was extended, to enclose and divide the garden, whilst underlining and framing the view beyond. A built-in dry stone barbecue was reinvented from an old dry stone flower bed, for those balmy summer days, with lots of serving space and in close proximity to the evening dining area. In front of the sun-room double doors a gap was left in the dry stone wall to allow people to look straight into the field and onwards to the view, whilst lounging inside in comfort in the winter months. Randomly sized Indian sandstone was chosen for the main area in front of the house. The colours and random sizes worked well with the dry stone walls and a warmer tonal dimension to the whole area. To break the paved area, a low square lavender bed was incorporated, which also masked the barbecue area slightly (so as not to interfere with the view) whilst offering scent and movement too. Two further beds were created in the paved area. One along the front corner of the station house and the other on the side of the main platform steps. These grounded and softened these areas beautifully. A final, rectangular, cut-out hedging bed between the paving and gravel parking area was designed to act as a hub and divider for the west end of the garden. The hornbeam hedge was to act as a screen fro the cars and a windbreak also. In time, it will be pruned to mimick the stepped chimney pots when it reaches a suitable size. A breakfast/coffee area behind the hornbeam hedge was a second seating dining area for six people, which offered amazing morning views. The landscape design leading up to the platform included restoring the steps, fencing and installing a lengthy, stepped raised bed, from brick with a sandstone coping. The planting design for this area had to allow for snatched views of the passing steam trains and had to be drought and wind tolerant, whilst offering all year interest. Swathes of large grasses were incorporated so as to mimick the crops in the nearby field, on the opposite side of the garden and to bed the garden into the landscape more. Great winter interest from the miscanthus grasses, especially as the sun sets! The other side of the car-park/turning area became a vast curving winter bed. Both east and west ends of the garden were hedged with hornbeam. The west side of the garden was a stunning place in which to eat, play boule or just sit on the benches on the upper level, staring out at the best view in the garden. Self-binding gravel was used a the surface here, to break up the amount of paving, to keep costs down and mainly to warm the whole space up with its deep golden colour. A handful of cor-ten style steel rings punched holes though the self-binding gravel to act as beds for box balls, a weeping pear and a crab apple. The box balls mirrored the tree shapes in the distance, whilst playing with perspective, whilst offering punctuation, grounding the viewer and softening the wall slightly. The platform was re-paved and the picket fence reinstated. The final touch was adding a shelter belt of English trees such as blackthorn.

Regionally native trees, shrubs and perennials including white and red pine, white spruce, concolor fir, paper birch, amalanchier, maple, mt. laurel, ostrich fern, barren strawberry and celandine poppy provide a diverse and wildlife-rich edge along the property line. Angela Kearney Minglewood Designs

Photo of a mid-sized eclectic partial sun garden in Las Vegas with with outdoor playset.

Celia Popkin
Inspiration for a large eclectic backyard full sun garden in Christchurch with a vegetable garden.

Danetti Palermo corner bench in grey and Palermo coffee table. In this photo the bench is used as two separate units. The back garden was designed to include a round deck and lawn area and is surrounded by a stone path, a further flower patch and a natural green fence. Outdoors cushions by Penelope Hope, new for SS18. In the back two large ash trees are providing shade in the Spring summer. Two younger ash trees were removed to avoid overcrowding or entirely blocking the sun. The shed is painted in Green Smoke (Little Greene) while the bistro set is painted in Cuprinol Garden Shades Berry and Emerald. The outdoors rug is from IKEA. Photo: Jenny Kakoudakis

Barbara Hilty APLD
Photo of a mid-sized eclectic front yard partial sun formal garden for summer in Portland with concrete pavers.

Each of the materials was chosen for a balance of richness and simplicity. The Kebony decking continues the rich color tone set by the oiled Cedar shingle and traditional Japanese Shou Sugi Ban siding on the rear facade of the house. The California Gold Slate for the rear yard patio adds additional texture and depth to the ground plane. The powder-coated metal railings enclose the deck and partition the dog run and bike parking area from the main rear yard. The eclectic plant mix blends California natives with other Mediterranean plants for a variety of color, texture and seasonality.

This natural stone bench provides ample fireside seating. It is built of Siloam stone.
Photo of a small eclectic backyard partial sun xeriscape for fall in Denver with a fire feature and concrete pavers.

Mid-sized eclectic front yard partial sun xeriscape in Los Angeles with with privacy feature, natural stone pavers and a wood fence for spring.

These creative ostrich plant holders are designed to showcase flowers artfully, as the contents of the round basket you include mimic an ostrich's plumes. Available in two sizes, each piece of garden art is handcrafted from the ground up and exhibits its own distinctive characteristics. This handmade item is crafted from recycled material and is suited for both indoor and outdoor use. When used outdoors, a natural patina will develop over time. It is suggested that you treat this sculpture before use outdoors to preserve the material.

A view from the gate from the alley into the garden. By dividing the space into a series of "rooms," the garden seems larger than it is. © Melissa Clark Photography

Land2c On this steep slope the view from the upper deck shows the curves and circles in the new garden and the 180 degree city view. The terrace was recessed into the landscape on one side and extended onto a slope on the other side to maximize the space. The grid trellis holding the garden swing will soon have clematis vines reaching over the top. It will be painted to match the house siding. The stone steps leading down from the terrace lead to an urban orchard and vegetable garden

©ToddHaimanLandscapeDesign2014 Oakleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia
Photo of a mid-sized eclectic rooftop partial sun garden for fall in New York with a container garden and decking.

We turned this pedestrian Leaside backyard upside down! We added a stone patio complete with a firepit and lounge area which is covered by giant umbrella. A custom rough hewn beam pergola was painted black to contrast the custom stainless steel shoes and connector plates and placed over the new dining area and custom buffet. The buffet has a Corten steel decorative panel behind with white plexiglass and lighting for a dramatic dining experience. Horizontal fencing surrounds the backyard and the style carries through to both gates. Natural stone steppingstones and borders add contrast and frame the different sections of the yard. Playful informal plantings give the garden a sense of whimsy. The back porch was created for barbecuing with glass railings to not disturb the view from inside the home and contains a large storage space underneath.

Inspiration for a mid-sized eclectic backyard shaded garden in Phoenix with a water feature.