William Carson Joyce
Photo of a mid-sized and australian native country backyard full sun garden for summer in San Diego with a vegetable garden and gravel.

Spring welcoming front entrance of perennials, Salvias, Nepetas, Geraniums...
Photo of a mid-sized beach style front yard full sun garden in New York with gravel and a garden path.

M J McCabe
This is an example of a mid-sized beach style front yard full sun formal garden for summer in Bridgeport with a garden path and gravel.

A Memorial-area art collector residing in a chic modern home wanted his house to be more visible from the street. His yard was full of trees, and he asked us to consider removing them and developing a more modern landscape design that would fully complement the exterior of his home. He was a personal friend of ours as well, and he understood that our policy is to preserve as many trees as possible whenever we undertake a project. However, we decided to make an exception in his case for two reasons. For one thing, he was a very close friend to many people in our company. Secondly, large trees simply would not work with a landscape reflective of the modern architecture that his house featured. The house had been built as story structure that was formed around a blend of unique curves and angles very reminiscent of the geometric patterns common in modern sculpture and art. The windows had been built deliberately large, so that visitors driving up to the house could have a lighted glimpse into the interior, where many sculptures and works of modern art were showcased. The entire residence, in fact, was meant to showcase the eclectic diversity of his artistic tastes, and provide a glimpse at the elegant contents within the home. He asked us to create more modern look to the landscape that would complement the residence with patterns in vegetation, ornamentation, and a new lighted water fountain that would act like a mirror-image of the home. He also wanted us to sculpt the features we created in such a way as to center the eye of the viewer and draw it up and over the landscape to focus on the house itself. The challenge was to develop a truly sophisticated modern landscaping design that would compliment, but in no way overpower the façade of the home. In order to do this, we had to focus very carefully on the geometric appearance of the planting areas first. Since the vegetation would be surrounding a very large, circular stone drive, we took advantage of the contours and created a sense of flowing perspective. We were then very careful to plant vegetation that could be maintained at a very low growth height. This was to prevent vegetation from behaving like the previous trees which had blocked the view of the house. Small hedges, ferns, and flowers were planted in winding rows that followed the course of the circular stone driveway that surrounded the fountain. We then centered this new modern landscape plan with a very sophisticated contemporary fountain. We chose a circular shape for the fountain both to center the eye and to work as a compliment to the curved elements in the home’s exterior design. We selected black granite as the building material, partly because granite speaks to the monumental, and partly because it is a very common material for modern architecture and outdoor contemporary sculpture. We placed the fountain in the very center of the driveway as well, which had the effect of making the entire landscape appear to converge toward the middle of the home’s façade. To add a sense of eclectic refinement to the fountain, we then polished the granite so that anyone driving or walking up to the fountain would see a reflection of the home in the base. To maintain consistency of the circular shape, we radius cut all of the coping around the fountain was all radius cut from polished limestone. The lighter color of the limestone created an archetypal contrast of light and darkness, further contributing to the modern theme of the landscape design, and providing a surface for illumination so the fountain would remain an established keynote on the landscape during the night.

Antique granite cobble path leading from peastone driveway to wood deck.
Inspiration for a mid-sized country front yard partial sun garden in Boston with gravel.

Dry Creek, with Bridges, Boulders, Natural Landscape elements as erosion solutions.
Photo of a mid-sized traditional backyard partial sun formal garden in St Louis with a retaining wall and gravel.

Landscape Architect: Howard Cohen Photography by: Ron Blunt
Mid-sized traditional backyard garden in DC Metro with gravel and a wood fence.

This house was designed around a small courtyard. Photos by Casey Woods
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary courtyard partial sun formal garden in Austin with a water feature and gravel.

Designed by Stephanie Curtis, Landscape Architect. Installed by Curtis Horticulture, Inc.
This is an example of a mid-sized mediterranean backyard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with gravel.

An Eichler remodel with a steep hillside garden. This project pushed the limits of creating flat space where there was none! The angular architecture of the garden is balanced with bold and textural free form plantings. Color, texture and juxtaposed angles.

Landscape contracting by Avid Landscape. Carpentry by Contemporary Homestead. Photograph by Meghan Montgomery.
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional backyard full sun garden in Seattle with a fire feature and gravel.

Dry creek bed with ledger stone, pebbles, trailing sedums and ornamental grasses.
Inspiration for a mid-sized mediterranean backyard partial sun xeriscape for spring in San Luis Obispo with a garden path and gravel.

wa design
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard partial sun formal garden for spring in San Francisco with a vegetable garden and gravel.

modern farmhouse vegetable garden
Design ideas for a mid-sized country backyard full sun garden for summer in San Francisco with a garden path, gravel and a wood fence.

Mid-sized modern side yard full sun xeriscape in Other with a garden path, gravel and a wood fence for fall.

Outdoor gathering place; this firepit has been carved out of the native forest of WNC and enhanced in a natural way using native, boulders, stone steppers and plantings. Just a short walk from the formal patio and covered porches, this custom residence includes an abundance or outdoor living areas to enjoy.

Nice and clean window well area utilizing pressure treated wood as opposed to ugly metal.
This is an example of a mid-sized and desert look traditional front yard xeriscape in Calgary with gravel.

Stair way using Landscape Ties and WAC step lights
Photo of a mid-sized modern backyard full sun formal garden in San Francisco with with path and gravel.

Design ideas for a mid-sized asian backyard partial sun driveway for summer in Other with a garden path and gravel.