Summer Gardens & Pool Paradise, Allentown, NJ

Our client's childhood memories of summer fun in her parents' pool and family time on Long Beach Island, NJ is what she wanted to recreate for her own children in the comfort of their backyard. The client's wish list included a pool that was versatile for all ages and activities. We teamed up with Liquidscapes to assist with the pool design process to ensure functionality and quality was achieved. The saltwater pool has a swim lane, sun-shelf, deck jets, built-in seating and a raised spa with an 8' spillway! The pool deck is built with limestone, which remains cool in the hot sun. A custom pavilion cantilevers the deep end of the pool serving as a shady poolside lounge. The wavy garden beds were designed to complement the freeform shape of the pool. The landscape consists of multi-layered magnolias, ilex, and cryptomeria to ensure privacy year round. Fagus, lagerstroemia, and cotinus add in-season privacy, color, and contrast. The large garden beds are filled with lush hydrangeas, perennials, perennial grasses, and ferns. During our presentation for the front of the property, which is the final phase of this project, our client said to us: "Over the years we have dealt with many design and build companies and we're very happy we finally found one that is a pleasure to work with and cares about delivering high quality results.”

Fire Pit with Stone Seating Retaining Wall

SOLKOR | Creating Stunning Outdoor Living Spaces

Design ideas for a mid-sized country sloped partial sun xeriscape for summer in Calgary with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Woodland Fire Pit Patio

a Blade of Grass

Bluestone patio with fieldstone sitting wall and fieldstone fire pit with custom cedar cover. Photo by Pete Cadieux
Photo of a small traditional backyard partial sun garden in Boston with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Moose Lake, Haliburton Cottage

Black Rock Landscapes Inc

Inspiration for an expansive sloped garden in Toronto with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Natural Stone Mountain Landscape

Terry T. King Landscape Architecture

Photo of a small traditional backyard full sun formal garden for spring in Boise with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Patio - Contemporary Gardens Project

VisionScapes

This garden is a perfect example of contemporary city design for a small space. Two custom built hardwood planters provide some height and depth to the narrow front yard. While the tile walkway is set on a stable concrete base ensuring safe passage in and out of the home in both summer and winter. The private back yard maximizes space by using a custom built hardwood table as both an architectural piece that defines the firepit area, and an optional servery for larger dining parties.

Fireplaces

Botanical Concerns LLC

Spanish Oaks hillside. Lower granite patio with firepit.
Large country backyard full sun garden in Austin with a fire feature and natural stone pavers for summer.

Patio and firepit

The Lazy Gardener

At the midpoint of the natural stone stairway. a small patio and fire pit sit directly across from the waterfall and koi pond.
Arts and crafts sloped partial sun garden in New York with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

The Agra | Medina, WA

JayMarc Homes

Stone pavers with fire bowl create an oasis in the backyard.
Large arts and crafts backyard partial sun garden in Seattle with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

The Laurel

Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors

Nothing like a good drone shot to provide a great overview of the project scope and how all the elements come together.
This is an example of a large transitional backyard full sun garden for summer in Chicago with a fire feature, natural stone pavers and a wood fence.

William T Baker Houses

William T Baker

James Lockheart
Photo of a large country backyard full sun outdoor sport court for fall in Indianapolis with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Back yard Dining Room & Kitchen

Landesign of VA, Inc.

This private spot for the hot tub is just up the hill from the patio. The hot tub is located behind the garage attic allowing for the perfect opportunity to build it into a changing room and a place to always have a towel. Enjoy an after dinner dip. It was carved into the hill allowing the hill to provide some privacy as well making you feel part of the surroundings. No one will bother you here. Nancy Dransfield-Photographer

UA Project

Gardens By Monette, LLC

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional backyard shaded garden in Columbus with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Bridge Mill Party Spot! Signature Hole Back Yard.

RPM Landscape And Pavers

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional backyard full sun garden in Atlanta with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Hillside garden

Laura Frost; Home and Garden Designer

This is an example of a large contemporary backyard full sun formal garden in San Francisco with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Sand pit with pandanus tree feature

Instyle Habitats

An established Pandanus tree was planted as a feature tree and a shade solution for the Noosa style sand pit play area
Design ideas for a beach style backyard full sun xeriscape for fall in Sunshine Coast with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Landscape design for xeriscape or hardscape Winter Park Florida 2 years later

Earthwise Horticultural Services

Scott Simpson
This is an example of a mid-sized asian front yard partial sun xeriscape for summer in Orlando with natural stone pavers and a fire feature.

Hebe

Living Gardens Landscape Design

Photo of a garden in Orange County with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Modern Patio

Watercourse Design

Inspiration for a small modern backyard full sun xeriscape for summer in Minneapolis with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

North York - Contemporary Urban Retreat

Jennifer Hayman Design Group

Design ideas for a large contemporary backyard partial sun formal garden in Toronto with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Garden Design Ideas with a Fire Feature and Natural Stone Pavers

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.