This small suburban yard was filled by a large swimming pool. The homeowner is extremely sensitive to the sun so she decided to trade out the pool for this intimate garden space. When this client is not traveling, she is hosting visitors, watching friends’ dogs, or hanging out with her grandchildren. Our job was to create an inviting space that is low maintenance, drought tolerant, and kid- and dog-friendly. Using gravel, concrete pavers, and a simple planting plan consisting of Mediterranean-adaptive plants, we created this design to fit the mid-century home. The gravel allows for the absorption of rainwater while providing a space for kids and dog to romp and play. Olive trees help shade and cool the space, providing a cozy area to gather with friends. The minimalist plantings survive on very little irrigation and require little more than an hour or two of puttering in the garden per season to maintain.

This is an example of a mid-sized country backyard garden in Toronto with with rock feature and natural stone pavers.

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional side yard xeriscape in Denver with with rock feature and gravel.

The art work featured on the front corner of the garden is consistently pedestrian- and car-stopping! Accent lighting highlights the faces at night.
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary front yard garden in Other with with rock feature.

Design ideas for a mid-sized country backyard full sun xeriscape for summer in Melbourne with with rock feature and gravel.

Mid-sized country front yard partial sun garden in Boise with with rock feature and natural stone pavers for spring.

Large stones match the retaining walls
This is an example of a mid-sized front yard xeriscape in Salt Lake City with with rock feature and river rock.

Here we improved this yard by adding a dry creek, a few boulders and lots of plants!
Design ideas for a mid-sized front yard full sun xeriscape for summer in Portland with with rock feature and river rock.

Mid-sized modern courtyard partial sun xeriscape in Seattle with with rock feature and concrete pavers for summer.

Completed boulder wall and dry creek make-over.
Inspiration for a mid-sized asian front yard xeriscape in San Francisco with with rock feature and river rock.

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional front yard garden in Denver with with rock feature and river rock.

Front yard design in Naples Reserve with modern tropical plants lined with a Mexican beach pebble border. Included larger bromeliads, bird of paradise with multiple blooms, multiple 14' foxtail palms, an agave, red ti, foxtail ferns and mammy crotons. This design is supposed to look full after plants mature.

Aménagement paysager du devant de ce très beau corps de ferme rénové. Ici la terrasse à l'arrière.
Mid-sized country backyard partial sun garden in Nantes with with rock feature and natural stone pavers for summer.

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional front yard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with with rock feature, river rock and a metal fence.

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.

Complete landscape design overhaul for the entrance of North Lakes community Located in Broward county Florida featuring: False Agave, Green Island Ficus, Viburnum, Red Velvet pants, European Fan Palms, Bismark palms, Coconut Palms, Queen Palms, Caprocks, Texas Sage, Coleus Annual Flowers, Robelenii Palm, Japanese Blueberry tree and Louisiana red Copperleaf plant.

This photo was taken four years after the garden was built with the plants well established and the trees maturing well. In spring the garden is carpeted with fallen cherry blossom creating a magical display.

Gorgeous modern landscape with clean lines and stunning detail.
Photo of a mid-sized modern front yard full sun driveway in Dallas with with rock feature, gravel and a wood fence.

Photo of a mid-sized rooftop full sun xeriscape in Auckland with with rock feature and natural stone pavers.