Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional front yard full sun formal garden in Kansas City with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

California Spanish Colonial motor court entry and gated driveway with sport court was designed in 2007. We pay meticulous attention to details during construction. The main courtyard entry allows guests to be let off at the front door and the cars valeted for parties. The grass insets soften and warm the homes grand entrance. American Gas lamps adorn the columns and front entry. The paving is natural cobble banding with Santa Barbara stone curbing. The motor court pads and driveway are sand finished colored concrete. The grand staircase to the main front door is cut limestone paving. Mature Olive trees frame the entrance and a two sided weeping wall water feature adds a focal point from inside the courtyard, as well as, from the street view. Two full grown California Live Oaks were craned in to frame each corner of the house. The main driveway to the garages has double Custom Wood gates with a side pedestrian entrance, all connected to the security system and cameras. The safe gated driveway also doubles as a bike/trike area for the children and is adjacent to the half-court Sport Court and in-ground trampoline for family fun. Photos by: Ken Palmer

This is an example of a large contemporary front yard partial sun formal garden for summer in San Francisco with natural stone pavers and a water feature.

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional front yard garden in Toronto with a water feature.

Disappearing or Pond-less Waterfalls allow you to enjoy the look and sound of moving water without the maintenance of a pond. A waterfall is undoubtedly the most beautiful and coveted feature in a landscape. The Pond-less Waterfall has made many Texans who were previously unable to relax to the sweet sounds of falling water very happy. It's a great alternative for those who are just trying to 'get their feet wet' or looking to fit a little piece of paradise into their own backyard. If your Texas Landscape lacks the space or if you have safety concerns about a pond, then a Pond-less Waterfall is perfect for you.

Rock waterfall and pond in the front entrance driveway to this home in Florida. This is a Japanese influenced garden. The rocks for the waterfall are black volcanic rock from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. The rock waterfalls were designed and installed by Waterfalls Fountains & Gardens Inc. And the planting design is by Akiko Iwata.

A Memorial-area art collector residing in a chic modern home wanted his house to be more visible from the street. His yard was full of trees, and he asked us to consider removing them and developing a more modern landscape design that would fully complement the exterior of his home. He was a personal friend of ours as well, and he understood that our policy is to preserve as many trees as possible whenever we undertake a project. However, we decided to make an exception in his case for two reasons. For one thing, he was a very close friend to many people in our company. Secondly, large trees simply would not work with a landscape reflective of the modern architecture that his house featured. The house had been built as story structure that was formed around a blend of unique curves and angles very reminiscent of the geometric patterns common in modern sculpture and art. The windows had been built deliberately large, so that visitors driving up to the house could have a lighted glimpse into the interior, where many sculptures and works of modern art were showcased. The entire residence, in fact, was meant to showcase the eclectic diversity of his artistic tastes, and provide a glimpse at the elegant contents within the home. He asked us to create more modern look to the landscape that would complement the residence with patterns in vegetation, ornamentation, and a new lighted water fountain that would act like a mirror-image of the home. He also wanted us to sculpt the features we created in such a way as to center the eye of the viewer and draw it up and over the landscape to focus on the house itself. The challenge was to develop a truly sophisticated modern landscaping design that would compliment, but in no way overpower the façade of the home. In order to do this, we had to focus very carefully on the geometric appearance of the planting areas first. Since the vegetation would be surrounding a very large, circular stone drive, we took advantage of the contours and created a sense of flowing perspective. We were then very careful to plant vegetation that could be maintained at a very low growth height. This was to prevent vegetation from behaving like the previous trees which had blocked the view of the house. Small hedges, ferns, and flowers were planted in winding rows that followed the course of the circular stone driveway that surrounded the fountain. We then centered this new modern landscape plan with a very sophisticated contemporary fountain. We chose a circular shape for the fountain both to center the eye and to work as a compliment to the curved elements in the home’s exterior design. We selected black granite as the building material, partly because granite speaks to the monumental, and partly because it is a very common material for modern architecture and outdoor contemporary sculpture. We placed the fountain in the very center of the driveway as well, which had the effect of making the entire landscape appear to converge toward the middle of the home’s façade. To add a sense of eclectic refinement to the fountain, we then polished the granite so that anyone driving or walking up to the fountain would see a reflection of the home in the base. To maintain consistency of the circular shape, we radius cut all of the coping around the fountain was all radius cut from polished limestone. The lighter color of the limestone created an archetypal contrast of light and darkness, further contributing to the modern theme of the landscape design, and providing a surface for illumination so the fountain would remain an established keynote on the landscape during the night.

Inspiration for a large asian front yard partial sun formal garden in Phoenix with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

ORGANIC AND NATURAL DESIGN A well thought out and organized naturalistic style garden design and landscaping compliment the natural terrain of the land and enhance the general theme of the home. In this project, we use natural granite boulders for the fountain accent art and for creating a very natural but dramatic look of the circular driveway island landscaping. We curved boxwood hedge around the existing driveway and soften the garden with hydrangeas, dogwoods, and groundcovers.

Custom 3-urn water feature, incorporated into front landscape design. Walkway is Bristol Valley Bavarian Blend.
Inspiration for a large front yard garden in Chicago with a water feature and brick pavers.

Large traditional front yard full sun formal garden in Philadelphia with a water feature and natural stone pavers for spring.

Lori Dennis Interior Design Erika Bierman Photography
Inspiration for an expansive transitional front yard full sun garden in Los Angeles with a water feature.

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional front yard full sun formal garden for summer in Houston with a water feature and brick pavers.

Water Container, Pea stone Pathway, English Garden
Small transitional front yard full sun xeriscape in New York with a water feature and gravel for summer.

Work in progress - Day 3. Placing rock so swiftly so well comes with years of experience (30). Similar efforts not for the dilettante.
This is an example of a small modern front yard partial sun garden in New York with a water feature.

Rock garden waterfall and pond in Manalapan, Florida by Waterfalls Fountains & Gardens Inc.
This is an example of a mid-sized asian front yard garden in Miami with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Inspiration for a large country front yard garden in Denver with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

This is an example of a mid-sized modern front yard partial sun garden for summer in Sydney with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Peta North
Inspiration for a small contemporary front yard garden in Perth with a water feature and decking.