Often, less is more. Take this landscape design composed of climbing roses, hydrangeas, and lilies surrounding a bluestone terrace. This small, suburban garden feels both expansive and intimate. Japanese forest grass softens the edge of the terrace and adds just enough of a modern look to make the garden’s owners, urban transplants, happy. “My husband and I were looking for an outdoor space that had a secret-garden feeling,” says homeowner Anne Lillis-Ruth. “We’ve had fun adding furniture, antique planters, and a stone fountain to [landscape designer] Robert Welsch’s beautiful landscape. The white and green plantings provide the perfect backdrop to my collection of colorful table linens, glassware, and china. We love our garden!” Dean Fisher loved it, too. “The setting is so lovely and relaxed. It evokes the south of France, with its intimate scale and the integration of house and patio through the use of the vines and other plantings.”

G A R D E N - Pacific Northwest

Lore Patterson

Island Garden Designed by : Bliss Garden Design
Design ideas for a modern shaded formal garden in Seattle.

Los Altos Hills

April Philips Design Works

The Spa, spa deck, water feature and greenwall.
Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard full sun garden in San Francisco with a vertical garden and decking.

Find the right local pro for your project

Find top design and renovation professionals on Houzz

A Country Place

Milieu Landscaping

Traditional garden in Chicago with natural stone pavers.

Bayside Project

C.O.S Design

Our latest project combines a modern resort style with contemporary hard structures that deal with the sites steep topography. Incorporating the pool as part of the retaining has helped create a stunning landscape to live within. Steve Taylor

Mountain Cottage

Greenleaf Services, Inc.

Photo of a large traditional sloped partial sun garden in Other.

Rustic Creekside Backyard - Cedarburg, WI

Ginkgo Leaf Studio

Stone steppers lead to an irregular lannon stone fire pit area in this creekside backyard in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Westhauser Photography
Photo of a small country backyard partial sun garden for summer in Milwaukee with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Contemporary Landscape

Janice Parker Landscape Architects

A stepping stone path with grass joints lead to the lower fire pit circle. Photo credit: Neil Landino
Mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun garden in New York with a fire feature and gravel for summer.

Haslemere Garden

Rebecca Smith Garden Design

A mown path through bluebells and trees lures on a sunny day.
Design ideas for a large traditional backyard partial sun garden in Dorset with a garden path and natural stone pavers.

Hill Place House, Nashville Tennessee

C Kevin Coffey Dwellings | Design

Photo by Leslie Brown Landscape Architecture by Duke Design Group
This is an example of a garden in Nashville.

Mid Century Modern Gem

Urban Oasis Landscape Design

The uneven back yard was graded into ¬upper and lower levels with an industrial style, concrete wall. Linear pavers lead the garden stroller from place to place alongside a rain garden filled with swaying grasses that spans the side yard and culminates at a gracefully arching pomegranate tree, A bubbling boulder water feature murmurs soothing sounds. A large steel and willow-roof pergola creates a shady space to dine in and chaise lounges and chairs bask in the surrounding shade. The transformation was completed with a bold and biodiverse selection of low water, climate appropriate plants that make the space come alive. branches laden with impossibly red blossoms and fruit.

Raised Garden Bed with Trellis

River City Landscaping,Inc

rick abalos
This is an example of a traditional backyard full sun garden in Sacramento with a vegetable garden.

Santa Cruz Sustainable

K & D Landscaping, Inc.

Residential home in Santa Cruz, CA This stunning front and backyard project was so much fun! The plethora of K&D's scope of work included: smooth finished concrete walls, multiple styles of horizontal redwood fencing, smooth finished concrete stepping stones, bands, steps & pathways, paver patio & driveway, artificial turf, TimberTech stairs & decks, TimberTech custom bench with storage, shower wall with bike washing station, custom concrete fountain, poured-in-place fire pit, pour-in-place half circle bench with sloped back rest, metal pergola, low voltage lighting, planting and irrigation! (*Adorable cat not included)

Contemporary Fountain w/ Cobble

Conscious Environments Inc.

This fountain is a great addition to a front yard entry. Clean and simple with a subtle water noise for visual and auditory interest. The fountain is surrounded by boxwood hedges, Mexican Beach cobble, and white precast concrete.

Front + Backyard Design (Colorado)

Tilly | Landscape Design

This customer was looking to add privacy, use less water, include raised bed garden and fire pit...making it all more their style which was a blend between modern and farmhouse.

Privacy Fence installed

The Garden District

The Valero Family wanted a new area where they could have foliage growing and covering an area that faced the neighbors for more privacy and also to enhance the look of their backyard. Privacy fence, new landscaping , palm trees and beach pebbles were installed in this area,

Canton Landscape Project

Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping

Photo by Cory Mann
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional front yard partial sun garden for summer in Detroit with a retaining wall and mulch.

Zurich residence/Chula Vista

Promise Path Landscaping Inc

Mangaris wooden deck with Concrete finish with Top cast light etch. Water feature surrounded by succulents and low voltage lights. Concrete fire pit and vertical succulents wall. Photography by Zack Benson

Oak Tree Setting With Hillside Views, Landscape Renovation, Northern California

Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

APLD 2021 Silver Award Winning Landscape Design. Galvanized troughs used for vegetables in the side yard. An expansive back yard landscape with several mature oak trees and a stunning Golden Locust tree has been transformed into a welcoming outdoor retreat. The renovations include a wraparound deck, an expansive travertine natural stone patio, stairways and pathways along with concrete retaining walls and column accents with dramatic planters. The pathways meander throughout the landscape... some with travertine stepping stones and gravel and those below the majestic oaks left natural with fallen leaves. Raised vegetable beds and fruit trees occupy some of the sunniest areas of the landscape. A variety of low-water and low-maintenance plants for both sunny and shady areas include several succulents, grasses, CA natives and other site-appropriate Mediterranean plants complimented by a variety of boulders. Dramatic white pots provide architectural accents, filled with succulents and citrus trees. Design, Photos, Drawings © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

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.

Potomac Kitchen Garden and Outdoor Living Area

Landscape Projects, Inc.

Large boulder steps facilitate circulation in the back yard, with drift roses and hakone grass plalying off each other. The kitchen garden area is to the right. Designed by H. Paul Davis Landscape Architects. ©Melissa Clark Photography. All rights reserved.