Small asian courtyard garden in Hamilton with a water feature and gravel.

A couple by the name of Claire and Dan Boyles commissioned Exterior Worlds to develop their back yard along the lines of a French Country garden design. They had recently designed and built a French Colonial style house. Claire had been very involved in the architectural design, and she communicated extensively her expectations for the landscape. The aesthetic we ultimately created for them was not a traditional French country garden per se, but instead was a variation on the symmetry, color, and sense of formality associated with this design. The most notable feature that we added to the estate was a custom swimming pool installed just to the rear of the home. It emphasized linearity, complimentary right angles, and it featured a luxury spa and pool fountain. We built the coping around the pool out of limestone, and we used concrete pavers to build the custom pool patio. We then added French pottery in various locations around the patio to balance the stonework against the look and structure of the home. We added a formal garden parallel to the pool to reflect its linear movement. Like most French country gardens, this design is bordered by sheered bushes and emphasizes straight lines, angles, and symmetry. One very interesting thing about this garden is that it is consist entirely of various shades of green, which lends itself well to the sense of a French estate. The garden is bordered by a taupe colored cedar fence that compliments the color of the stonework. Just around the corner from the back entrance to the house, there lies a double-door entrance to the master bedroom. This was an ideal place to build a small patio for the Boyles to use as a private seating area in the early mornings and evenings. We deviated slightly from strict linearity and symmetry by adding pavers that ran out like steps from the patio into the grass. We then planted boxwood hedges around the patio, which are common in French country garden design and combine an Old World sensibility with a morning garden setting. We then completed this portion of the project by adding rosemary and mondo grass as ground cover to the space between the patio, the corner of the house, and the back wall that frames the yard. This design is derivative of those found in morning gardens, and it provides the Boyles with a place where they can step directly from their bedroom into a private outdoor space and enjoy the early mornings and evenings. We further develop the sense of a morning garden seating area; we deviated slightly from the strict linear forms of the rest of the landscape by adding pavers that ran like steps from the patio and out into the grass. We also planted rosemary and mondo grass as ground cover to the space between the patio, the corner of the house, and the back wall that borders this portion of the yard. We then landscaped the front of the home with a continuing symmetry reminiscent of French country garden design. We wanted to establish a sense of grand entrance to the home, so we built a stone walkway that ran all the way from the sidewalk and then fanned out parallel to the covered porch that centers on the front door and large front windows of the house. To further develop the sense of a French country estate, we planted a small parterre garden that can be seen and enjoyed from the left side of the porch. On the other side of house, we built the Boyles a circular motorcourt around a large oak tree surrounded by lush San Augustine grass. We had to employ special tree preservation techniques to build above the root zone of the tree. The motorcourt was then treated with a concrete-acid finish that compliments the brick in the home. For the parking area, we used limestone gravel chips. French country garden design is traditionally viewed as a very formal style intended to fill a significant portion of a yard or landscape. The genius of the Boyles project lay not in strict adherence to tradition, but rather in adapting its basic principles to the architecture of the home and the geometry of the surrounding landscape. For more the 20 years Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's fine neighborhoods.

Colorful succulents with Verbena de la Mina, a California native plant
Small mediterranean front yard partial sun xeriscape in San Diego with gravel.

Wattlebird Eco was commissioned to furnish and style this rustic outdoor space for a family with two young children. The brief was to make it more habitable and functional for relaxing together as a family. With the client’s input, we chose to utilise existing outdoor wicker chairs that had weathered beautifully, and updating them with new cushions upholstered in quality outdoor fabric with green credentials. Locally sourced timber logs were brought in as stools and side tables and their flourishing little veggie cart was brought closer to the scene to get the kids more involved with harvesting their own leafy greens. A locally made hammock chair swings in the breeze inviting some quiet reading when time permits!

The goal of this landscape design and build project was to create a simple patio using peastone with a granite cobble edging. The patio sits adjacent to the residence and is bordered by lawn, vegetable garden beds, and a cairn rock water feature. Designed and built by Skyline Landscapes, LLC.

This is an example of a small contemporary backyard full sun garden for summer in New York with gravel.

Photo of a small contemporary backyard full sun garden for spring in Philadelphia with a garden path and gravel.

This is an example of a small transitional courtyard formal garden in Other with a garden path and gravel.

Design ideas for a small contemporary backyard partial sun formal garden for summer in Other with a water feature and gravel.

Landscape design and photography by Melanie Rekola
Inspiration for a small side yard full sun garden in Toronto with a vegetable garden and gravel.

This is an example of a small and desert look contemporary courtyard full sun garden for summer in Los Angeles with gravel.

Small yard concersion from grass to a more meditative theme for client. We incorporated succulents, aloe, elephant food, desert lavender . we also removed the dirst from the back wall planter in order to tarback wall to protect the wall from water staining. Deana M. Chiavola

When the neighbor expanded, the small, open courtyard became an extension of the neighbor's driveway. Southern Landscape designed and built a custom privacy trellis to shield the neighbor while creating an intimate retreat off the master bedroom. ,Asian jasmine climbs the trellis, while dianella, foxtail, and little gem magnolia highlight the custom water feature, all of which contributes to the quiet oasis.

This garden was in almost complete shade all day and the soil was permanantly damp. This allowed us to create a small, shallow wildlife pond and surround it with moisture loving plants.

Jo Fenton
Design ideas for a small traditional courtyard shaded formal garden for spring in London with a garden path and gravel.

Taking inspiration from his Industrial Design & Technology degree studies and a real passion for 19th and early 20th century industrial architecture on brownfield sites, Tristen brought Brownfield Beauty to life. Perceived as a centrepiece of a large external courtyard of a redeveloped industrial building converted into luxury apartments, Brownfield Beauty is a place for residents to meet, socialise and relax. In Tristen’s design the industrial and rustic – four large Venetian blind style screens, reclaimed brick seats and tumble down brick walls – contrast dramatically with a relaxed planting theme and mock ‘rill’ feature emitting relaxing running water sounds. The screens, along with large ornamental trees, provide a sense of safety and seclusion too for residents. A relaxed planting theme consists of grasses and ferns to create bold statements and structure throughout the year and the colour palette is mainly pastel and muted shades to harmonise with the tones of the garden’s industrial materials, with some dashes of colour to draw the eye with plants such as Digitalis, Echinacea and Kniphofia. As a communal area, a key feature is that planting is architectural and features structural evergreen plants ensuring areas of interest all year.

This vegetable garden of 3 cedar raised beds was part of an over all drought tolerant garden.
This is an example of a small traditional backyard full sun garden for summer in Los Angeles with a vegetable garden and gravel.

Photography by Studio H Landscape Architecture. Post processing by Isabella Li.
This is an example of a small contemporary side yard partial sun xeriscape in Orange County with a garden path and gravel.

photo by Seed Studio, editing by TR PhotoStudio
This is an example of a small modern backyard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with gravel and a fire feature.