Inspiration for a small contemporary front yard shaded garden for summer in DC Metro with natural stone pavers.

Private garden
Small mediterranean front yard garden in Miami with brick pavers.

This garden house was designed by owner and architect, Shirat Mavligit. The wooden section of outer wall is actually the outer section of a central volume that creates an enlarged open space bisecting the home interior. The windows create a view corridor within the home that allows visitors to see all the way through to the back yard. Occupants of the home looking out through these windows feel as if they are sitting in the middle of a garden. This architectural theme of volume and line of site is so powerful that it became the inspiration for the modern landscape design we developed in the front, back, and side yards of the property. We began by addressing the issue of too much open space in the front yard. It has no surrounding fence, and it faces a very busy street in Houston’s Rice Village Area. After careful study of the home façade, our team determined that the best way to set aside a large portion of private space in front of the home was to construct a landscape berm. This land art form adds a sense of dimension and psychological boundary to the scene. It is built of core 10 steel and stands 16 inches tall. This is just high enough for guests to sit on, and it provides an ideal sunbathing area for summer days. The sweeping contour of the berm offsets the rigid linearity of the home with a softer architectural detail. Its linear progression gives the modern landscape design a dynamic sense of movement. Moving to the back yard, we reinforced the home’s central volume and view corridor by laying a rectilinear line of gravel parallel to an equivalent section of grass. Near the corner of the house, we created a series of gravel stepping pads that lead guests from the gravel run, through the grass, and into a vegetable garden. The heavy use of gravel does several things. It communicates a sense of control by containing the vitality of the lawn within an inorganic, mathematically precise space. This feeling of contained life force is common in modern landscape design. This also adds the functional advantage of a low-maintenance space where only minimal lawn care is needed. Gravel also has its own unique aesthetic appeal. Its dark color compliments both the grass and the house, providing an ideal lead-in to the space of the vegetable garden. This same rectilinear geometry was applied to the side yard, but the materials were reversed to add dramatic effect. Here, the field is gravel, and the stepping pads are made from grass. Heavy gauge steel planters were set into the gravel to house separate plantings of Zoysia. The pads run from the library to the kitchen, allowing visitors to travel between the two as if they are walking on a floor decorated with grass. The lawn in all three yards is planted with Zoysia grass. This species of grass is frequently used in modern landscape design because it requires only moderate amounts of water to retain its exceptionally fine texture. When mowed, it presents a clean, well-manicured lawn that compliments the conservatism of the home.

Coastal Entry Garden
This is an example of a small beach style front yard full sun xeriscape in New York with with path and river rock.

Emma Almendarez
Photo of a small mediterranean front yard partial sun xeriscape for summer in San Diego with mulch.

Photo of a small beach style front yard garden in Detroit.

Vegepods and a climbing trellis planted with cucumbers and Passion fruit provide a place for a vegetable garden.
Small eclectic front yard full sun xeriscape in Los Angeles with natural stone pavers and a stone fence for spring.

Red jar fountain with stones, seating, decomposed granite and California native plantings.
Photo of a small arts and crafts front yard full sun xeriscape for spring in Los Angeles with decomposed granite.

Inspiration for a small eclectic front yard partial sun garden for spring in San Francisco with with a gate and natural stone pavers.

This is an example of a small contemporary front yard partial sun garden for summer in Frankfurt with concrete pavers.

Rather than covering up the cream brick of this 1950's house, the client wanted to celebrate it with a garden of strong forms, and bright contrasting colours. Drought tolerant and low maintenance. Here we have Aloe 'Topaz' again, the hero of the winter garden.

Photo by Ketti Kupper
Inspiration for a small and desert look contemporary front yard full sun xeriscape in Los Angeles.

Old lawn was transformed into a drought-resistant garden offering ever-changing colors and textures. Turf removal rebate from the local water agency helped offset the cost. A new stucco wall with iron gates were built to create an enclosed porch/courtyard to give homeowners a much-needed buffer between their home and the hustle and bustle of a big city . Recycled bricks grace the new wide walkway and enclosed porch.

Photo Cred. Dustin Ortiz
Inspiration for a small tropical front yard partial sun driveway for spring in San Diego with a garden path and concrete pavers.

This is an example of a small mediterranean front yard partial sun xeriscape in San Francisco with mulch.

Dark Delight New Zealand Flax were left in place from the previous garden, underplanted with Pork and Beans Sedum ground cover, which will develop blushes of red and brown in the summer. A few California poppy seeds blew in during the installation. They're welcome for now, but could overtake other plants in time. photo by Billy Goodnick

Water features are wonderful way to add the elements of both sound and movement to your outdoor space. A bubbling water feature is a low maintenance option that works well in small spaces.

Kingdom Landscape
Inspiration for a small front yard full sun formal garden for spring in Other with a garden path and natural stone pavers.

Emma Almendarez
Photo of a small mediterranean front yard partial sun xeriscape for summer in San Diego with mulch.