cor-ten steel plates between concrete and stucco walls
Design ideas for a modern garden in San Francisco with a retaining wall.

Creating Space in Glassell Park

Urban Oasis Landscape Design

We started by levelling the top area into two terraced lawns of low water Kurapia and more than doubling the space on the lower level with retaining walls. We built a striking new pergola with a graphic steel-patterned roof to make a covered seating area. Along with creating shade, the roof casts a movie reel of shade patterns throughout the day. Now there is ample space to kick back and relax, watching the sun spread its glow on the surrounding hillside as it makes its slow journey down the horizon towards sunset. An aerodynamic fan keeps the air pleasantly cool and refreshing. At night the backyard comes alive with an ethereal lighting scheme illuminating the space and making it a place you can enjoy well into the night. It’s the perfect place to end the day.

Modern Address Marker - Fox Point, WI

Ginkgo Leaf Studio

We designed an address marker constructed with cedar and natural stone. Slate chip mulch surrounds the plans and lannon stone boulders.
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern front yard full sun driveway in Milwaukee with a retaining wall, gravel and a wood fence.

A Curved Edge

The Narrow Lane

This is an example of a small country backyard partial sun garden for spring in Boston with a retaining wall, natural stone pavers and a wood fence.

Low Voltage LED's Illuminate Drought Tolerant Planting

Mediterrasian Landscapes

Terraces with drought tolerant plants
Mid-sized mediterranean backyard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with a retaining wall, mulch and a wood fence.

Wood Fences

Dakota Unlimited

This is an example of a large transitional backyard partial sun formal garden in Minneapolis with a retaining wall, natural stone pavers and a wood fence.

Retaining Wall Construction

All One Landscape, Inc.

Newly built retaining wall with new fencing
Photo of a large modern backyard full sun garden in San Francisco with a retaining wall and a wood fence.

Photobook: patios, water features, walls, gates and more!

Landscape East & West

This is an example of a large traditional sloped partial sun formal garden in Portland with mulch and a retaining wall.

After 06

Native Edge Landscape

After this home was completely rebuilt in the established Barton Hills neighborhood, the landscape needed a reboot to match the new modern/contemporary house. To update the style, we replaced the cracked solid driveway with concrete ribbons and gravel that lines up with the garage. We built a retaining to hold back the sloped, problematic front yard. This leveled out a buffer space of plantings near the curb helping to create a welcoming accent for guests. We also introduced a comfortable pathway to transition through the yard into the new courtyard space, balancing out the scale of the house with the landscape.

Retaining Walls

Spartan Landscapes

The brief of this project was very clear and simple. The clients wanted to transform their overgrown and non functional back yard to a usuable and practical space. The location is in Rye, Vic. The solution was to build tiered retaining walls to stabilize the slope and create level and usuable platforms. This proved challanging as the soil mostly contains sand, especially here on the lower end of the peninsula, which made excavating easy however difficult to retain the cut once excavated. Therefore the retaining walls had to be constructed in stages, bottom wall to top wall, back filling and stabilizing the hill side as the next wall got erected. The end result met all expectations of the clients and the back yard was transformed from an unusable slope to a functional and secure space.

Garden Path

Conscious Environments Inc.

A garden pathway w/ concrete stepping pads and blue fescue in between is an interesting walkway to the next patio space.
Design ideas for a large mediterranean backyard full sun xeriscape for summer in Orange County with a retaining wall, concrete pavers and a metal fence.

Gartenmauer

MM Naturstein GmbH

Inspiration for an expansive contemporary side yard garden in Stuttgart with a retaining wall.

Front Yard With Retaining Walls

Big Rock Landscaping

Adding retaining walls to the front yard helps create dimension and flat spaces.
Inspiration for a traditional front yard garden in Salt Lake City with a retaining wall, concrete pavers and a vinyl fence.

Garten Köln

Ferdinand Graf Luckner Fotografie

Foto:graf Luckner Planung: gartenplus, die Gartenarchitekten info@gartenplus.com
Inspiration for a contemporary garden in Cologne with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

Mediterranes Flair in Haus, Hof und Garten

GODELMANN GmbH & Co. KG

Mediterranean garden in Other with a retaining wall, concrete pavers and a stone fence for summer.

Mediterranes Flair in Haus, Hof und Garten

GODELMANN GmbH & Co. KG

Mediterranean garden in Nuremberg with a retaining wall, concrete pavers and a stone fence for summer.

Laurelhurst

Banyon Tree Design Studio

Modern farmhouse gets a new entry to the sunken front door. Custom concrete board-form walls, stone veneer, bluestone inlay, custom floating benches, and wood fence screening all installed in the courtyard space. Existing planters replanted, and a new driveway round out the complete change in the front yard.

Mid Century Modern Gem

Urban Oasis Landscape Design

A concrete paver and Mexican pebble path leads from the dining "room" to the upper level.
Photo of a large midcentury backyard full sun xeriscape for spring in Los Angeles with a retaining wall, concrete pavers and a metal fence.

Garvin

Design Focus International

© www.laurendevon.com
This is an example of a small traditional backyard full sun garden in San Francisco with a retaining wall, natural stone pavers and a wood fence.

Sage Valley Steps & Wall

Twisted Rock Terrascape & Design, Inc.

Our client wanted to do their own project but needed help with designing and the construction of 3 walls and steps down their very sloped side yard as well as a stamped concrete patio. We designed 3 tiers to take care of the slope and built a nice curved step stone walkway to carry down to the patio and sitting area. With that we left the rest of the "easy stuff" to our clients to tackle on their own!!!

All Fence Materials Garden Design Ideas with a Retaining Wall

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.