Inspiration for a contemporary partial sun garden in Melbourne.

Manly Beach

Blayd Landscapes

Inspiration for a modern partial sun garden in Sydney with gravel and a wood fence.

Kentfield Contemporary Garden

Avant Garden

English style entry planting photo by Galen Fultz
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary front yard partial sun garden for summer in San Francisco with natural stone pavers and with flowerbed.

Less Is More.....Unless It's A Bore

Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors

The bluestone entry and poured-in-place concrete create strength of line in the front while the plantings softly transition to the back patio space.
Photo of an expansive midcentury side yard partial sun garden for summer in Chicago with natural stone pavers and a garden path.

Custom Steel Garden Beds

Pistils Landscape Design + Build

Rusted steel garden beds.
Inspiration for a large mediterranean backyard partial sun garden in Portland with a vegetable garden and gravel.

Big Perennial Color Brings Life to Mid-Town Fort Collins

Deep Seeded Landscape and Design, Inc.

A suburban home in mid-town Fort Collins gained a lot of curb appeal with colorful perennials and a small water feature. These perennials are low maintenance and drought tolerant and with a small amount of turf, this landscape is very water conservation friendly. The large quantity of perennials used in this landscape creates a big impact in a small space.

LaurelRock Company: Family Retreat

LaurelRock

Karen Bussolini
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional backyard partial sun garden in New York with natural stone pavers.

Marrying Elegant Design & Sustainability

Julie Moir Messervy Design Studio (JMMDS)

Featured in Feb/Mar 2013 issue of Organic Gardening Magazine, this Boston-area courtyard functions as an entryway, parking space, driveway turnaround, and outdoor room. New York bluestone planks set into a sea of pea gravel can bear the weight of vehicles while allowing rainwater to permeate the ground, preventing run-off. Curving 7-foot-high green walls of shade-loving native plants create privacy and beauty, while native birch trees (Betula papyrifera) in the entry planters provide a handsome complement to the four-story Silver LEED-certified house by Wolf Architects, Inc. Landscape Architect: Julie Moir Messervy Design Studio Landscape contractor: Robert Hanss, Inc. Green wall: g_space Photographed by Susan Teare for Organic Gardening Magazine.

Raised Gardens and Dry Rivers

BE Landscape Design

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern front yard full sun xeriscape for spring in Los Angeles with a garden path.

Small town garden no lawn

Amanda Shipman

Amanda Shipman
Small country backyard full sun garden in Hertfordshire with a garden path and brick pavers for summer.

Southfields Garden

Tom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping

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

Gates & Fences

Monarch Gardens, Inc.

Inspiration for a large transitional backyard full sun formal garden in San Francisco with a vegetable garden and gravel.

West University

Exterior Worlds Landscaping & Design

Carl Mayfield
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional partial sun driveway in Houston with natural stone pavers.

Rancho Santa Fe Edible Garden

Jackie and the Beanstalk

Raised beds and gate surrounded by Joseph's Coat climbing rose in this beautiful garden
Photo of a large mediterranean backyard full sun garden in San Diego with a vegetable garden and decomposed granite.

Gamble Garden Spring Tour 2014: Webster

Hoi Ning Wong

Hoi Ning Wong
This is an example of a traditional full sun formal garden in San Francisco.

Highgate Garden

London Garden Designer

The clients of this Highgate Garden contacted London Garden Designer in Dec 2011, after seeing some of my work in House and Garden Magazine. They had recently moved into the house and were keen to have the garden ready for summer. The brief was fairly open, although one specific request was for a Garden Lodge to be used as a Gym and art room. This was something that would require planning permission so I set this in motion whilst I got on with designing the rest of the garden. The ground floor of the house opened out onto a deck that was one metre from the lawn level, and felt quite exposed to the surrounding neighbours. The garden also sloped across its width by about 1.5 m, so I needed to incorporate this into the design.

Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

Casa Smith Designs, LLC

This veggie bed is accessible from every angle and easy on the back - everything grows right in front of you...no bending over required. Photo Credit: Mark Pinkerton

Frame For A Garden

Garden Structures & More

P.S. In the photos at the beginning of this tour you will not see this fountain it was added later.
This is an example of a small asian side yard partial sun formal garden for summer in Minneapolis with a water feature and gravel.

Meditation Garden

Ross Land Studio

An unused area of lawn has been repurposed as a meditation garden. The meandering path of limestone step stones weaves through a birch grove. The matrix planting of carex grasses is interspersed with flowering natives throughout the season. Fall is spectacular with the blooming of aromatic asters.

Floating Bench garden

Living Colour Gardens

This is an example of a small contemporary backyard full sun garden for summer in London with natural stone pavers and a container garden.

Full Sun, Partial Sun Garden Design Ideas

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.