Photo of an expansive country backyard full sun garden for summer in Denver with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Seattle Cozy Patio

SCJ Studio Landscape Architecture

In Seattle's Fremont neighborhood SCJ Studio designed a new landscape to surround and set off a contemporary home by Coates Design Architects. The narrow spaces around the tall home needed structure and organization, and a thoughtful approach to layout and space programming. A concrete patio was installed with a Paloform Bento gas fire feature surrounded by lush, northwest planting. A horizontal board cedar fence provides privacy from the street and creates the cozy feeling of an outdoor room among the trees. LED low-voltage lighting by Kichler Lighting adds night-time warmth . Photography by: Miranda Estes Photography

Grow zone wider view from patio - built

Metamorphic Design

Raised planter boxes arranged to maximize light and micro climate conditions
Photo of a large country backyard full sun formal garden in Vancouver with a vegetable garden and gravel.

Call it a very small garden paradise

SF Landscape Architecture

Ph. Mattia Aquila
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary backyard garden in Other with a garden path and concrete pavers.

Backyard

Coastal Signature Homes

Tom Jenkins Photography
Photo of a large beach style backyard garden for fall in Charleston with a fire feature.

Full Home Remodel

Pearl Remodeling

Gas fire place and modern sitting area
Photo of a large modern backyard full sun formal garden for summer in Los Angeles with a fire feature and concrete pavers.

Japanese Garden: pea stone walk and gardens, different area.

Andrew Zema's Landscaping, Inc.

Mid-sized traditional backyard formal garden in Boston with a water feature and gravel.

Valley Club Mid-Century

DD Ford Construction

Jim Bartsch Photography
Inspiration for a large midcentury backyard full sun garden in Santa Barbara with a garden path and concrete pavers.

Stepping Stone Sideyard

Plan-it Earth Design

Stepping stones lead you to...
Design ideas for a small traditional backyard partial sun garden for spring in Portland with a garden path and natural stone pavers.

English Jewel Box

Mariani Landscape

Balance, scale, and proportion are the foundations of this landscape, the perfect accompaniment to the historic home. Garden rooms surround the house, in a palette of deep greens, blues and white with enchanting views from every window. A dramatic rear terrace complete with a furnished outdoor kitchen, and dining and living spaces. The dimensional bluestone matches the bluestone cap of the seat wall, made of New England fieldstone. Photo Credit: Linda Oyama Bryan

Outdoor Structures

Elise Landscapes & Nursery, LLC

Large traditional backyard formal garden in New York with natural stone pavers and a garden path.

West Coast English Retreat

Tierra Madre Fine Gardens

Design ideas for a small contemporary backyard partial sun garden in Other with gravel.

Rustic Creekside Backyard - Cedarburg, WI

Ginkgo Leaf Studio

Stone steppers lead to an irregular lannon stone fire pit area in this creekside backyard in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Westhauser Photography
Photo of a small country backyard partial sun garden for summer in Milwaukee with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Ni-water Composition

Outdoor Craftsmen

Design ideas for a mid-sized country backyard formal garden in Denver with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Potrero Hill Lookout

Seed Studio Landscape Design

photo by Seed Studio, editing by TR PhotoStudio
Inspiration for a small modern backyard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with gravel and a fire feature.

Japanese Tea House

Miriam's River House Designs, LLC

Photo shows Japanese Tea House west side. The gravel path contains a Japanese dry river bed and an Inukshuk sculpture, metaphysically designed. The surrounding garden is the inner Roji garden and contains a Roji stepping stone path designed with a metaphysical pattern. pattern. Photo credits:Dan Drobnick

Salem Townhouse

Sudbury Design Group

In the heart of the McIntyre Historic District, a Registered National Historic Landmark of Salem, you'll find an extraordinary array of fine residential period homes. Hidden behind many of these homes are lovely private garden spaces. The recreation of this space began with the removal of a large wooden deck and staircase. In doing so, we visually extended and opened up the yard for an opportunity to create three distinct garden rooms. A graceful fieldstone and bluestone staircase leads you from the home onto a bluestone terrace large enough for entertaining. Two additional garden spaces provide intimate and quiet seating areas integrated in the herbaceous borders and plantings. Photography: Anthony Crisafulli

Urban Retreat

Southview Design

The client wanted patio space for a chair so she could relax in the sun when the mood struck. The only spot in the yard with any sun is near the fence gate. A full-range New York Bluestone patio was added using 30” x 30” slabs. These slabs are dry-set so leveling was a challenge.

Cor-Ten Cattails Sculptural Fence

Archer & Buchanan Architecture, Ltd.

Photographer: Tom Crane Made of 300, 10-foot steel blades set upright 8 inches apart, the award winning Cor-Ten Cattails Sculptural fence was designed for a home in Berwyn, Pennsylvania as a yard sculpture that also keeps deer out. Made of COR-TEN, a steel alloy that eliminates the need for painting and maintains a rich, dark rust color without corroding, the fence stanchions were cut with a plasma cutter from sheets of the alloy. Each blade stands 8 feet above grade, set in concrete 3 feet below, weighs 80-90 pounds and is 5/8 inch thick. The profile of the blades is an irregular trapezoid with no horizontal connections or supports. Only the gate has two horizontal bars, and each leaf weighs 1200 pounds.

Green Oaks Atherton

Dennis Mayer - Photographer

Dennis Mayer Photographer
Photo of a mediterranean side yard garden in San Francisco with with privacy feature.

Backyard and Side Yard Garden Design Ideas

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.