A view through the garden rooms, a gravel path leads through to the many spaces. The path is lined with cushwa brick outlining the spaces. Terra cotta containers are filled with boxwood and petunia; pachysandra and bugleweed ground cover fill the flanking and center beds. A cast iron bench offers an opportunity to sit and enjoy the space, with the fountain creating a pleasant sound. The wall is graced with two standard form lilacs. Photo Credit: Linda Oyama Bryan

Contra Verde

TLC Gardens

Inspiration for a modern backyard full sun formal garden in Denver with a fire feature and gravel.

Back Yards

Runde's Landscape Contractors, Inc.

Joe Runde
Inspiration for a transitional formal garden in Chicago with a vegetable garden and gravel.

Laurelhurst Modern Garden

Northwest Native Landscapes LLC

Dramatic plant textures, modern hardscaping and sharp angles enhanced this mid-century modern bungalow. Soft plants were chosen to contrast with the sharp angles of the pathways and hard edges of the MCM home, while providing all-season interest. Horizontal privacy screens wrap the front porch and create intimate garden spaces – some visible only from the street and some visible only from inside the home. The front yard is relatively small in size, but full of colorful texture.

Viewing Garden for Zen Pavillion

The Art of Landscape

Jane Luce
Inspiration for a mid-sized asian backyard partial sun formal garden for summer in DC Metro with a garden path and gravel.

Mid Century Modern

Beaudry Garden Design

This is an example of a large traditional backyard partial sun formal garden for spring in San Diego with a container garden and gravel.

Casa Sonoma

Reyes Landscape Construction

Small modern backyard full sun formal garden in San Francisco with gravel for spring.

Atherton, CA / Art Installation

Laurie Ghielmetti

Design ideas for a large contemporary backyard full sun formal garden in San Francisco with gravel.

An Arlington Residence

Scott Brinitzer Design Associates

The garden that we created unifies the property by knitting together five different garden areas into an elegant landscape surrounding the house. Different garden rooms, each with their own character and “mood”, offer places to sit or wander through to enjoy the property. The result is that in a small space you have several different garden experiences all while understanding the context of the larger garden plan.

Vegetable boxes on hill side

Louise Leff Landscape

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional backyard full sun formal garden in San Francisco with a vegetable garden and gravel.

Bighorn Palm Desert luxury home modern entrance landscape design

Whipple Russell Architects

Bighorn Palm Desert luxury home modern entrance landscape design. Photo by William MacCollum.
Design ideas for a large modern front yard full sun formal garden in Los Angeles with with pond, gravel and a wood fence.

Michelle's Garden

The Form Firm Inc.

Enclosed raised garden bed outfitted with pergola and lattice for climbing vegetables. Fenced in to keep out deer and other vegetable hungry critters. Constructed out of Douglas fir and coated with a UV protector to prevent sun bleaching. Irrigation with timers installed for easy watering.

Leucadia Mid Century

DZN Partners

PixelProFoto
This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury backyard partial sun formal garden in San Diego with a container garden and gravel.

Refined English Garden

Scott Byron & Co., Inc.

Boxwood shrubs encircle a featured planter full of blooming summer flowers.
Inspiration for a large traditional partial sun formal garden for summer in Chicago with a container garden and gravel.

Formal Vegetable Garden

Offshoots, Inc.

A beautiful escape in your edible garden. Fruit trees create a privacy screen around a cedar pergola and raised vegetable beds.
Design ideas for a country backyard full sun formal garden for summer in Boston with a vegetable garden and gravel.

Bayside Zen Garden | Bayside, WI

LandCrafters, LLC

The Natsume Basin, or cleansing basin, is an important part of the ceremonial tea garden process. You dip the bamboo ladle or “dipper” (hishaku) into the basin to clean your hands before entering the tea house.

Shadyside

The Outdoor Living Studio

Design ideas for a small contemporary backyard partial sun formal garden for summer in Other with a water feature and gravel.

Ponds

Thomsons Landscaping

Inspiration for a backyard formal garden in Other with with pond and gravel.

Concrete Garden Wall Planter

Eden Garden Design

A concrete garden wall serves as a planter and provides privacy to the interior courtyard from the street. Photographer: Greg Thomas, http://optphotography.com/

Our Work

Mendocino Garden Consultants

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional backyard full sun formal garden in San Francisco with gravel.

Formal Garden Design Ideas with Gravel

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.