Dramatic plant textures, modern hardscaping and sharp angles enhanced this mid-century modern bungalow. Soft plants were chosen to contrast with the sharp angles of the pathways and hard edges of the MCM home, while providing all-season interest. Horizontal privacy screens wrap the front porch and create intimate garden spaces – some visible only from the street and some visible only from inside the home. The front yard is relatively small in size, but full of colorful texture.

Finnish Sauna

Minglewood, LLC

1st Finnish Ripavi Sauna delivered to the US as a pre-fab, self-leveling unit. Crane lowered over the garage and into this cozy, mosaic bluestone courtyard with granite curb to step the grades. Includes an electric heater, outdoor shower, and custom privacy fence/wall combination.

Bed Stuy Zen - Steel, Stone, & Water

The Brooklyn Garden Club Inc.

Backyard border garden terracing and water feature -corten steel & stone
Photo of a small asian front yard partial sun formal garden for winter in New York with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

Finished Designs

Jill Davis Design

Photo by Jill Davis
Design ideas for a small contemporary front yard full sun formal garden for winter in Chicago with a garden path and natural stone pavers.

Low Maintenance Front Yard with Synthetic Grass & Rundle Rocks

SOLKOR | Creating Stunning Outdoor Living Spaces

Photo of a small country front yard full sun xeriscape for winter in Calgary with a garden path and natural stone pavers.

Late afternoon light

Georgia Lindsay Garden Design

Inspiration for a small contemporary courtyard garden for winter in London with decking.

Le Lux

Hudson Place Realty

Property marketed by Hudson Place Realty - Designed for the urban family with a 4 story extension that provides the 4/5 bedrooms so rarely available in Hoboken. With a completely open parlor floor, this exquisite home has a contemporary loft like ambiance, 3 wood burning fireplaces, a designer kitchen featuring a Wolf 48” dual fuel range, Miele dishwasher, Carrera marble island and Pietro natural stone counters. A dedicated family room, guest/children’s rooms and master suite with private sitting area with his and hers closets comprise the upper 2 floors. The garden level is spectacular and ideal for a child’s playroom, in-law suite, media room & large separate office space. The 40’ Zen inspired yard is bordered by a custom built ipe’ privacy fence & features an avant- garde design of alternating natural slate and grass with made to order ipe’ planters and gazing balls. Phillip Jeffries designer wall coverings and custom paint grace the walls throughout the interior whereas the exterior brownstone is flawless and authentic newly forged cast iron railings usher you in to this move-in ready home.

Retro garden

MG Gardens

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.

Pocket Garden

Charles C Hugo Landscape Design

rob karosis
Inspiration for a small traditional backyard shaded garden for winter in Portland Maine with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Hillside Landscape Sanctuary in Northern California

Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

This vast hillside in San Anselmo, Northern California has evolved over the years and is the personal sanctuary of Landscape Designer Eileen Kelly, owner of Dig Your Garden Landscape Design. Succulents have always been one of Eileen's favorites for their dramatic textures and low-water needs. Agave 'Blue Glow' a favorite provides year round interest with other succulents and companion plants such as the variegated Meerlo 'Lavender'. Design and Photos © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design http://www.digyourgarden.com

Back Garden Screening Stage 2

Nouveau Garden Designs

Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard full sun formal garden for winter in Perth with mulch.

Arbors/Pergolas/Fences

Borealis Landscape & Design DBA Skipley Farm

Interior of the gardenFence finished out with my favorite grass and evergreen vine
Inspiration for a small asian front yard partial sun formal garden for winter in Seattle with a garden path and concrete pavers.

Tavormina

ServeScape

Urban Agriculture Inc.
Photo of a small arts and crafts backyard full sun formal garden for winter in Atlanta with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

St. Anne's Road Garden

PLANT Architect Inc.

Three generations of one family live in a semi-detached house on an urban hillcrest that drops off sharply in their backyard. They wanted an enclosed, courtyard-like rear garden that would enable them to use as much of the slope as possible and provide some privacy on a tightly constrained site. Wood structures occupy significantly more area than the planting beds on this small, sloping lot. These structures perform multiple storage functions and create distinct areas – the dining area, the bridge to the shed, the stepped-down ‘secret garden’ at the rear with a Venus Dogwood tree and bench seating, and several planted areas. Vibrantly painted slats accent the natural-finish boards in the cedar fence, ensuring that there is colour in the garden year round. Between the side walkway and the rear entry a half-storey below, a balustrade with angled slats organizes the accent colours into a spectrum. From the interior of the house, the chromatic shift in the slats and the spaces between them create visual effects that change with the viewing point.

Contemporary Landscape

This is an example of a small contemporary side yard partial sun driveway for winter in Melbourne with gravel.

Fabulous Containers, Planters and Urns

Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors

Red Eucalyptus, seeded Eucalyptus, birch poles and dried florals are built around large spruce tips and other mixed greens.
Small traditional backyard partial sun garden in Chicago with a container garden for winter.

Sausalito Front Landscape Remodel With Bluestone Stairs & Patio

Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

The compact front landscape of this Sausaltio home underwent a major transformation. Much of the failing concrete retaining walls were removed to gain more patio space. Ledger stone veneer was installed on existing walls. A new built-in BBQ/grill with full range bluestone for counter tops, patio floor and stairs. I also designed a contemporary, stepped, horizontal redwood fence along both sides of the sloped driveway. Low water plantings including low light succulents were included in this contemporary facelift, to include Echeveria imbricata, Sedum 'Angelina', Agave attenuata. Photos: © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Winter Container Gardens

Specialty Gardens

Paul Kiefer / Specialty Gardens LLC, Grand Haven, MI
Inspiration for a small traditional courtyard full sun garden for winter in Grand Rapids with a container garden and brick pavers.

Fences and Gates

G Brown Design

Photo taken by Michael Wonenberg at G Brown Design
Inspiration for a small contemporary front yard full sun garden for winter in Salt Lake City with a retaining wall and decking.

Arlington Oasis

Melissa MacDonald, Landscape Architect

Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard partial sun xeriscape for winter in Boston with gravel.

Small Garden Design Ideas for Winter

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.