This Client needed to redo there driveway but didnt want to change the look of there house. Our team was able to find matching brick to the original house to create this captivation concrete and brick design.

Design ideas for a traditional full sun garden in DC Metro with a vegetable garden and a wood fence.

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional backyard full sun garden for spring in Austin with a retaining wall.

Brent A. Riechers
Inspiration for a small contemporary rooftop full sun garden in Chicago with a vegetable garden.

When I came to this property not only was the landscape a scrappy mess the property also had some very real grading and drainage issues that were jeopardizing the safety of this house. As recent transplants from New Jerseys to Southern California these clients were in awe of all the plants they were seeing in their neighborhood. Living on the water at the Ventura harbor they wanted to be able to take full advantage or the outdoor lifestyle and cool ocean breeze. Being environmentally conscious citizens, these clients were very concerned that their garden was designed with sustainability as a leading factor. As they said in our initial consultation, “Would want or garden be part of the solution not part of the problem.” This property is the last house on the bottom of a gently sloping street. All the water from the neighbor’s houses drain onto this property. When I came into this project the back yard sloped into the house. When it would rain the water would pool up against the house causing water damage. To address the drainage we employed several tactics. Firstly, we had to invert the slope in the back yard so that water would not pool against the house. We created a very minor slope going away from the house so that water drains away but so the patio area feels flat. The back of the back yard had an existing retaining wall made out of shabby looking slump stone. In front of that retaining wall we created a beautiful natural stone retaining wall. This retain wall severs many purposes. One it works as a place to put some of the soil removed from the grading giving this project a smaller carbon foot print (moving soil of a site burns a lot of fossil fuel). The retaining wall also helps obscure the shabby existing retaining wall and allows for planting space above the footing from the existing retaining wall. The soil behind the ne retaining wall is slightly lower than the top of the wall so that when the run on water on from the neighbor’s property flows it is slowed down and absorbed before it has a chance to get near the house. Finally, the wall is at a height designed to serve as overflow seating as these clients intend to have occasional large parties and gatherings. Other efforts made to help keep the house safe and dry are that we used permeable paving. With the hardscape being comprised of flag stone with gravel in-between water has a chance to soak into the ground so it does not flow into spots where it will pool up. The final element to help keep the house dry is the addition of infiltration swales. Infiltration swales are depressions in the landscape that capture rain water. The down spouts on the sides of the houses are connected to pipe that goes under the ground and conveys the water to the swales. In this project it helps move rain water away from the house. In general, these Infiltration swales are a powerful element in creating sustainable landscapes. These swales capture pollutants that accumulate on the roof and in the landscape. Biology in the soil in the swales can break down these pollutants. When run of watered is not captured by soil on a property the dirty water flows into water ways and then the ocean were the biology that breaks down the pollutants is not as prolific. This is particularly important in this project as it drains directly into the harbor. The water that is absorbed in to the swales can replenish aquafers as well as increasing the water available to the plants planted in that area recusing the amount of water that is needed from irrigation. When it came to the planting we went with a California friendly tropical theme. Using lots of succulents and plants with colorful foliage we created vibrant lush landscape that will have year around color. We planted densely (the images in the picture were taken only a month after installation). Taller drought tolerant plants to help regulate the temperature and loss of water from the plants below them. The dense plantings will help keep the garden, the house and even the neighborhood cooler on hot days, will provide spaces for birds to enjoy and will create an illusion of depth in a somewhat narrow space. Today this garden is a space these homeowners can fully enjoy while having the peace of mind that their house is protected from flooding and they are helping the environment.

This modern home, near Cedar Lake, built in 1900, was originally a corner store. A massive conversion transformed the home into a spacious, multi-level residence in the 1990’s. However, the home’s lot was unusually steep and overgrown with vegetation. In addition, there were concerns about soil erosion and water intrusion to the house. The homeowners wanted to resolve these issues and create a much more useable outdoor area for family and pets. Castle, in conjunction with Field Outdoor Spaces, designed and built a large deck area in the back yard of the home, which includes a detached screen porch and a bar & grill area under a cedar pergola. The previous, small deck was demolished and the sliding door replaced with a window. A new glass sliding door was inserted along a perpendicular wall to connect the home’s interior kitchen to the backyard oasis. The screen house doors are made from six custom screen panels, attached to a top mount, soft-close track. Inside the screen porch, a patio heater allows the family to enjoy this space much of the year. Concrete was the material chosen for the outdoor countertops, to ensure it lasts several years in Minnesota’s always-changing climate. Trex decking was used throughout, along with red cedar porch, pergola and privacy lattice detailing. The front entry of the home was also updated to include a large, open porch with access to the newly landscaped yard. Cable railings from Loftus Iron add to the contemporary style of the home, including a gate feature at the top of the front steps to contain the family pets when they’re let out into the yard. Tour this project in person, September 28 – 29, during the 2019 Castle Home Tour!

An organic vegetable garden with an ocean view is luxury in its purest form. Two 15-foot by 4-foot raised planters were made out of redwood, and only the exteriors were stained to ensure no leeching occurs into the food.

If you'd like to start eating better (not just healthier, but tastier too), you will love yard-to-table gardening. Growing your own fresh food steps from the kitchen ensures you'll always have options come dinner time. Best of all, we can provide a helping hand, making an organic garden a reality for even the busiest families.

Two 5' tall fences, spaced 5' apart will deter deer without looking like Fort Knox. Hardware cloth and graduated hog fence panels keeps burrowing rodents and rabbits at bay. See web site for details and plans

Photo of a mid-sized beach style backyard partial sun formal garden for summer in San Francisco with a retaining wall and concrete pavers.

Stone steppers with multi-tiered boulder retaining wall
Photo of a mid-sized traditional backyard partial sun xeriscape in Minneapolis with a retaining wall and mulch.

Robert Gilmore
Design ideas for a large contemporary backyard partial sun garden for summer in Boston with a retaining wall and gravel.

Photo of a large backyard full sun formal garden in DC Metro with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

Design ideas for a large traditional backyard full sun formal garden for summer in Portland Maine with a vegetable garden and mulch.

Raised cedar beds along the Sakonnet River, surrounded by in-ground planting beds, enclosed by a perennial border. A blueberry hedge buffers coastal breezes, while a gravel sitting area offers water views from within the garden. Jeremy Brodeur

W.D. Wells & Associates, Inc. https://www.facebook.com/wdwells.inc Project Entry: The Potager Garden at Stonebridge Mansion 2013 PLNA Awards for Landscape Excellence Winner Category: Theme Garden Award Level: Bronze Project Description: The Potager Garden at Stonebridge Mansion was completed as part ofthe Oxford Arts Alliance 2011Decorator's Showcase. The Garden is a fun and productive garden featuring culinary & medicinal herbs, vegetables, and sustainable gardening concepts. Many sustainable practices can be seen throughout the project such as a compost bin, a rain water harvesting system, and use of many native herbs and vegetables. A Potager is a French term for an ornamental vegetable garden or kitchen garden. We made sure to keep that in mind as we designed the space. By using a number of herbs that have both culinary and medicinal use we are trying to encourage the public to find more sustainable, home grown options for their own food and medicine. The project also features a vertical herbal wall which is a new idea taking shape in the industry. The wall allows you to provide herbs and vegetables with an optimum growing environment while saving an exorbitant amount of space. It gives people with limited space or poor growing conditions, such as people who live in cities an opportunity to grow their own herbs and vegetables. In addition to the herb wall, vegetables such as lettuce, spinach,beans,tomatoes, and many more can be seen throughout the garden. The garden is located adjacent to the kitchen of the residence to further enhance the garden to table idea. We hope that after seeing this fun themed garden people can both enjoy the space,but also try to apply many of the practices we show to their own landscape. We encouraged visitors to stroll through,or sit awhile in our garden, and learn about rain water harvesting, food crops,vertical gardening,and more! Plant List: Botanical Name (Common Name) 16 - Buxus microphylla 'Franklin's Gem' (Franklin's Gem Boxwood) 1 - Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo) 3 - Dicentra eximia (Bleeding Heart) 5 - Hellebourous orienta/is (Lenten Rose) 8 - Vaccinium corymbost"1J (Highbush B;ueberry) 4 - Hellianthus anuus (Sunflower) 15 - Calendula officina/is (Marigold) 30 - Assorted Vegetables 30 - Assorted Herbs Photo Credit: W.D. Wells & Associates, Inc.

Photos by Anthony Chrisafulli
Mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun garden in New York with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers for summer.

Maxwell Monty Photo & Video
Photo of a mid-sized modern side yard full sun garden in Portland with a vegetable garden and gravel.

---Landscape Design and Photography by: Marco Romani, RLA. ---Construction/Installation by: www.thearrowshop.com
Photo of a small traditional backyard partial sun garden in Chicago with a vegetable garden and brick pavers.