Central courtyard forms the main secluded space, capturing northern sun while protecting from the south westerly windows off the ocean. Large sliding doors create visual links through the study and dining spaces from front to rear.

Mid Century Modern front

Cool Designs for Landscapes

Taken near front door looking out. Festuca 'Elijah Blue' in foreground. Agave 'Cornelius' surrounding
Photo of a mid-sized midcentury front yard full sun xeriscape in Orange County with concrete pavers.

Mid Century Modern Gem

Urban Oasis Landscape Design

A bubbling boulder water feature murmurs soothing sounds. Where once this was an inhospitable desert, the garden now it has a multitude of tranquil destinations to enjoy, serenaded by the calls of birds that have made their home there.

Koi Pond

Studio Bracket

Photo of a mid-sized midcentury side yard shaded garden in Los Angeles with a water feature and concrete pavers.

Mid-Century Modern Front Yard - Cedarburg, WI

Ginkgo Leaf Studio

Our client wanted to limit the amount of lawn on her property, so we designed large planting beds to fill the space while adding color, texture, and interest. Westhauser Photography

Woodinville Pivot Site Design

Board & Vellum

Photography by Meghan Montgomery
Design ideas for a mid-sized midcentury front yard partial sun driveway in Seattle.

Mid-Century Modern Makeover

Heffernan Landscape Design

Removed old, tired landscape, and a large, diseased tree was taken down in front, which opened up view to house. We put in a very linear planting to emphasize the low-slung lines of the house. Redo of the landing and sidewalk to a generous size, in Smoky Mountain cleft stone, with a little accent wall to anchor the coach light. Also, repaved the atrium inside, with a bright Arctic Sandblast stone, to bring light to the dark interior.

Living Green Wall and Landscape Remodel - Mid-Century Modern Home Sausalito, CA

Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Detail of the concrete pathway with polished Mexican pebbles, steel edging and modern light fixtures. We designed and installed this dramatic living wall / vertical garden to add a welcoming focal point, and a great way to add living beauty to the large front house wall. The dated walkway was updated with large geometric concrete pavers with polished black pebbles in between, and a new concrete driveway. Water-wise grasses flowering plants and succulents replace the lawn. This updated modern renovation for this mid-century modern home includes a new garage and front entrance door and modern garden light fixtures. Some photos taken 2 months after installation and recently as well. We designed and installed this dramatic living wall / vertical garden to add a welcoming focal point, and a great way to add plant beauty to the large front wall. A variety of succulents, grass-like and cascading plants were designed and planted to provide long cascading "waves" resulting in appealing textures and colors. The dated walkway was updated with large geometric concrete pavers with polished black pebbles in between, and a new concrete driveway. Water-wise grasses flowering plants and succulents replace the lawn. This updated modern renovation for this mid-century modern home includes a new garage and front entrance door and modern garden light fixtures.

Mid Century Modern Renovation

K. Dakin Design Inc.

K. Dakin Design won the 2018 CARE award from the Custom Builder and Remodeler Council of Denver for the reimagination of the landscape around this classic organic-modernist home designed by Charles Haertling. The landscape design is inspired by the original home and it’s materials, especially the distinct, clean lines of the architecture and the natural, stone veneer found on the house and landscape walls. The outlines of garden beds, a small patio and a water feature reiterate the home’s straight walls juxtaposed against rough, irregular stone facades and details. This sensitivity to the architecture is clearly seen in the triangular shapes balanced with curved forms. The clients, a couple with busy lives, wanted a simple landscape with lawn for their dogs to fetch balls. The amenities they desired were a spa, vegetable beds, fire pit, and a water feature. They wanted to soften the tall, site walls with plant material. All the material, such as the discarded, stone veneer and left-over, flagstone paving was recycled into new edging around garden areas, new flagstone paths, and a water feature. The front entry walk was inspired by a walkway at Gunnar Asplund’s cemetary in Sweden. All plant material, aside from the turf, was low water, native or climate appropriate. Photo credit: Michael de Leon

Midcentury Modern 2

HAUS | Architecture For Modern Lifestyles

Private moss garden frames bedroom windows providing privacy and a nice view - Architecture: HAUS | Architecture For Modern Lifestyles - Interior Architecture: HAUS with Design Studio Vriesman, General Contractor: Wrightworks, Landscape Architecture: A2 Design, Photography: HAUS

Palo Alto Eichler

The Garden Route Company

Richard Radford
Design ideas for a mid-sized midcentury front yard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with a garden path and concrete pavers.

Modern Meets Boho

BOXHILL

Photography: Gerardine and Jude Vargas
Design ideas for a mid-sized midcentury front yard full sun xeriscape for fall in Phoenix with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Beaumaris Project – A Holistic Approach Delivers A Healthy Home.

User

Catherine Bailey
This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury courtyard shaded garden for summer in Melbourne with a water feature and decking.

Bird Key Contemporary Ranch (in progress)

BORDEN Landscape Design

Mid-sized midcentury courtyard full sun garden in Tampa with a water feature and concrete pavers for winter.

Mid Century Modern front

Cool Designs for Landscapes

Close up of Agave 'Blue Star' in white rock
Mid-sized midcentury front yard full sun xeriscape in Orange County.

Shangrila - Marin County, CA

BK Interior Design

Hugo guards the entry to the back yard. Guests can either enter the back yard through the gates concealed entrance, or turn right and walk down the paved path to the front door. This space is a main garden feature that displays plant varietals from all over the world.

Mid-Century Sideyard Landscape - Fox Point, WI

Ginkgo Leaf Studio

A concrete walkway connects the new driveway to the vegetable garden on the side of the home. Renn Kuhnen Photography
This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury side yard full sun garden for summer in Milwaukee with a vegetable garden and a wood fence.

Dwell Magazine Article

Parco Studio

Photo of a mid-sized midcentury backyard full sun xeriscape for spring in San Francisco with with pond, decomposed granite and a wood fence.

Mid Century xeriscape

Alford's Landscaping

Mid-sized midcentury front yard full sun xeriscape in Dallas with a garden path and natural stone pavers for spring.

Estelle

Falling Waters Landscape

Brett Hilton: Designed for a young family in Newport's Dover Shores community. The Indoors blend seamlessly with the exterior. A small pool with integrated sun-deck and automatic cover take up about 1/3 of the backyard. BBQ, Fire feature with built-in seating and modest turf area complete the space. Bold Cactus, succulents and sub-tropical foliage create a verdant and cooling effect while using very little water. In the front yard, Large Olives were brought in to obscure the master bedroom which sits 20' from the street. A masonry and white plaster rendered wall create a private entry courtyard dotted with Agaves, Echeverias, grasses and sun-grown Dracaena marginata.

Mid-sized Midcentury Garden Design Ideas

Get Inspired by Midcentury 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 midcentury 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 Midcentury Garden for Your Home

Depending on which style you’re going for, be sure to know what makes a midcentury 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 midcentury 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 midcentury 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.