The tranquility of the bog garden
Design ideas for an expansive country backyard partial sun garden for summer in Berkshire with a garden path and decking.

Contemporary succulent garden
This is an example of a small contemporary front yard partial sun driveway in Orange County with concrete pavers.

The landscape of this home honors the formality of Spanish Colonial / Santa Barbara Style early homes in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix. By re-grading the lot and allowing for terraced opportunities, we featured a variety of hardscape stone, brick, and decorative tiles that reinforce the eclectic Spanish Colonial feel. Cantera and La Negra volcanic stone, brick, natural field stone, and handcrafted Spanish decorative tiles are used to establish interest throughout the property. A front courtyard patio includes a hand painted tile fountain and sitting area near the outdoor fire place. This patio features formal Boxwood hedges, Hibiscus, and a rose garden set in pea gravel. The living room of the home opens to an outdoor living area which is raised three feet above the pool. This allowed for opportunity to feature handcrafted Spanish tiles and raised planters. The side courtyard, with stepping stones and Dichondra grass, surrounds a focal Crape Myrtle tree. One focal point of the back patio is a 24-foot hand-hammered wrought iron trellis, anchored with a stone wall water feature. We added a pizza oven and barbecue, bistro lights, and hanging flower baskets to complete the intimate outdoor dining space. Project Details: Landscape Architect: Greey|Pickett Architect: Higgins Architects Landscape Contractor: Premier Environments Photography: Sam Rosenbaum

Vertical garden. Build 8 flower boxes, hanging on the existing cedar fence
This is an example of a small contemporary garden in Montreal.

a lush dining area
Small midcentury backyard partial sun garden in Seattle with a water feature.

Massive addition and renovation adding a pond, waterfall, bridges, a chapel, boulder work, gardens and 5,000 SF log/stone addition to an existing home. The addition has a large theater, wine room, bar, new master suite, huge great room with lodge-size fireplace, sitting room and outdoor covered/heated patio with outdoor kitchen. Photo by Kimberly Gavin.

Ben Robert - Blooming Photography
Photo of a small contemporary backyard garden in London.

A couple by the name of Claire and Dan Boyles commissioned Exterior Worlds to develop their back yard along the lines of a French Country garden design. They had recently designed and built a French Colonial style house. Claire had been very involved in the architectural design, and she communicated extensively her expectations for the landscape. The aesthetic we ultimately created for them was not a traditional French country garden per se, but instead was a variation on the symmetry, color, and sense of formality associated with this design. The most notable feature that we added to the estate was a custom swimming pool installed just to the rear of the home. It emphasized linearity, complimentary right angles, and it featured a luxury spa and pool fountain. We built the coping around the pool out of limestone, and we used concrete pavers to build the custom pool patio. We then added French pottery in various locations around the patio to balance the stonework against the look and structure of the home. We added a formal garden parallel to the pool to reflect its linear movement. Like most French country gardens, this design is bordered by sheered bushes and emphasizes straight lines, angles, and symmetry. One very interesting thing about this garden is that it is consist entirely of various shades of green, which lends itself well to the sense of a French estate. The garden is bordered by a taupe colored cedar fence that compliments the color of the stonework. Just around the corner from the back entrance to the house, there lies a double-door entrance to the master bedroom. This was an ideal place to build a small patio for the Boyles to use as a private seating area in the early mornings and evenings. We deviated slightly from strict linearity and symmetry by adding pavers that ran out like steps from the patio into the grass. We then planted boxwood hedges around the patio, which are common in French country garden design and combine an Old World sensibility with a morning garden setting. We then completed this portion of the project by adding rosemary and mondo grass as ground cover to the space between the patio, the corner of the house, and the back wall that frames the yard. This design is derivative of those found in morning gardens, and it provides the Boyles with a place where they can step directly from their bedroom into a private outdoor space and enjoy the early mornings and evenings. We further develop the sense of a morning garden seating area; we deviated slightly from the strict linear forms of the rest of the landscape by adding pavers that ran like steps from the patio and out into the grass. We also planted rosemary and mondo grass as ground cover to the space between the patio, the corner of the house, and the back wall that borders this portion of the yard. We then landscaped the front of the home with a continuing symmetry reminiscent of French country garden design. We wanted to establish a sense of grand entrance to the home, so we built a stone walkway that ran all the way from the sidewalk and then fanned out parallel to the covered porch that centers on the front door and large front windows of the house. To further develop the sense of a French country estate, we planted a small parterre garden that can be seen and enjoyed from the left side of the porch. On the other side of house, we built the Boyles a circular motorcourt around a large oak tree surrounded by lush San Augustine grass. We had to employ special tree preservation techniques to build above the root zone of the tree. The motorcourt was then treated with a concrete-acid finish that compliments the brick in the home. For the parking area, we used limestone gravel chips. French country garden design is traditionally viewed as a very formal style intended to fill a significant portion of a yard or landscape. The genius of the Boyles project lay not in strict adherence to tradition, but rather in adapting its basic principles to the architecture of the home and the geometry of the surrounding landscape. For more the 20 years Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's fine neighborhoods.

Jeffrey Edward Tryon
Photo of a small contemporary courtyard shaded formal garden for summer in Philadelphia with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Small asian courtyard garden in Hamilton with a water feature and gravel.

Low light reflecting off the house.
Inspiration for a small contemporary garden in Surrey.

The open plan area at the rear of the property is undoubtedly the heart of the home. Here, an extension by Charlotte Heather Interiors has resulted in a very long room that encompasses the kitchen, dining and sitting areas. Natural light was a prerequisite for the clients so Charlotte cleverly incorporated roof lights along the space to maximise the light and diffuse it beautifully throughout the day. ‘Early in the morning, the light comes down into the kitchen area where the clients enjoy a coffee, then towards the afternoon the light extends towards the sitting area where they like to read,’ reveals Charlotte. Vast rear bi-folding doors contribute to the space being bathed in light and allow for impressive inside outside use. Entertaining is key to the kitchen and dining area. Warm whites and putty shades envelop the kitchen, which is punctuated by the deep blue of the decorative extractor fan and also the island designed specifically for guests to sit while the client cooks. Brass details sing out and link to the brassware in the master bathroom. Reinforcing the presence of exquisite craftsmanship, a Carl Hansen dining table and chairs in rich walnut injects warmth into the space. A bespoke Tollgard leaf artwork was specially commissioned for the space and brings together the dominant colours in the house. The relaxed sitting area is a perfect example of a space specifically designed to reflect the clients’ needs. The clients are avid readers and bespoke cabinetry houses their vast collection of books. The sofa in the clients’ favourite shade of teal and a dainty white boucle chair are perfect for curling up and reading, while also escalating the softness and femininity in the space. Beyond the bifold doors, the pergola extends the living space further and is designed to provide natural shading and privacy. The space is designed for stylish alfresco entertaining with its chic Carl Hansen furniture. Luxury sheepskins and an outdoor fireplace help combat inclement temperatures. The perfect finishing touch is the wisteria and jasmine that were specially selected to drape over the pergola because they remind the clients of home and also because they echo beautiful blossom.

View towards the house, corten steel edging and custom made fence in soft sage colour.
Photo of a small contemporary backyard partial sun garden for spring in London with with flowerbed and brick pavers.

This small, north-east facing garden, measuring around 100 m2, was in need of a complete transformation to bring it into line with the owner's interior style and the desire for an outdoor room experience. A series of bi-folding doors led out to a relatively small patio and raised lawn area. The objective was to create a design that would maximise the space, making it feel much larger and provide usable areas that the owners could enjoy throughout the day as the sun moves around the garden. An asymmetrical design with different focal points and material contrasts was deployed to achieve the impression of a larger, yet still harmonious, space. The overall garden style was Japanese-inspired with pared back hard landscaping materials and plants with interesting foliage and texture, such as Acers, Prunus serrula cherry tree, cloud pruned Ilex crenata, clumping bamboo and Japanese grasses featuring throughout the garden's wide borders. A new lower terrace was extended across the full width of the garden to allow the space to be fully used for morning coffee and afternoon dining. Porcelain tiles with an aged wood effect were used to clad a new retaining wall and step risers, with limestone-effect porcelain tiles used for the lower terrace. New steps were designed to create an attractive transition from the lower to the upper level where the previous lawn was completely removed in favour of a second terrace using the same low-maintenance wood effect porcelain tiles. A raised bed constructed in black timber sleepers was installed to deal with ground level changes at the upper level, while at the lower level another raised bed provides an attractive retaining edge backfilled with bamboo. New fencing was installed and painted black, a nod to the Japanese shou sugi ban method of charring wood to maintain it. Finally, a combination of carefully chosen outdoor furniture, garden statuary and bespoke planters complete the look. Discrete garden lighting set into the steps, retaining wall and house walls create a soft ambient lighting in which to sit and enjoy the garden after dark.

Upper rear terrace is framed by a low stone wall. Borders set into the paving soften the hard landscaping.
Small traditional side yard garden in Dorset.

Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard partial sun garden in Other with with flowerbed and natural stone pavers.

New landscape remodel, include concrete, lighting, outdoor living space and drought resistant planting.
Design ideas for an expansive contemporary backyard full sun xeriscape for spring in San Francisco with a fire feature, decomposed granite and a wood fence.

This is an example of a small contemporary backyard garden in London with a fire feature, river rock and a wood fence.

A bluestone stepper path connects the front and rear spaces. Two large spheres are nested into the landscape bed as an homage to mid-century design. Intimate seating and a gas fire pit are visible in the background.