Gotta love this tic-tac-toe design for a side garden that's completely engaging for anyone who happens upon it. This idea can adapt to most any dimension or cultural condition, because you first design the grid, then add the plants. Starting with off-the-shelf concrete or cut-stone pavers from a home improvement center (super affordable), lay out the path. Then alternate crushed rock for easy drainage and ground covers that can tolerate a little bit of foot traffic. Your side garden will finally have a stylish attitude — and you can probably accomplish this in a weekend.

I find this space delightful. The grid instills order to this vignette but avoids the overly static feeling of bilateral symmetry, as there are four grids to the right of the path and only one to the left. The fountain — the dominant mass in this space — sits two grids away from the path but is centered between the seat wall and the loosely clipped boxwood hedge. The checkerboard arrangement of paving and plants is playful and enlivening, while serving as a repeating theme that binds the garden together. In the distance, the massive shrub at the gate is well balanced by an uninterrupted plane of lawn. Also, notice how your perception of this space is dictated by the arrangement of the elements, not the color of the flowers or character of the plants.

plyty ogrod

Placement of stones

I like the 2 tone tiles

patio stones great idea

Alternating concrete, gravel & ground cover blocks

Yard

suelo

carré de ciment

Like the square design for this patio... Good use of the space

garden

Substituting plants for rock - I wonder how they irrigate?

concrete blocks

verry good

pathway

for side yard

Fun idea

Side Arden atchwoek fl

court yard space

building a half-wall to create a room for the butterfly garden

Yes, tic tac toe design!

庭院

everything

LOVE

patio

could add interest to a herb garden near the kitchen

Alee intrare

right side of house by Pope's

Hmmm....this checkerboard is fun.

SIMPLE BUT ELEGANT

Stones

Paving

wakway

paving stones to separate herbs

checkerboard path with gravel and plants

Love the space and patio blocks and fountain

Idea?

Really like pea gravel plus stone pavers

Walkway

Paving

use of pavers, gravel

I like the floor

Love the layout! Looks very simple to replicate. Love the idea of combining plant/flowers with gravel rock and pavers Simplicity and elegance!

Nice

Side garden

garden checkerboard

Concrete square pavers

Side yard at lake house

tic tac toe

Yard

What do you like about this photo? The pattern and mix of concrete and plants

there's that checkboard idea.

checkerboard design

outside

I like the checkerboard idea coming off the deck

Patio flowers brick steps

bàn cờ vua

Patio

Plants

Walkway to fire pit

The groundwork

Possible

squares

Cement pad

Blocks of plants and steps

grid of alternating pavers and crushed rock

the different plantings around the stepping stones

Like how patio pads then garden plots integrated amongst

fascinating outdoor space, down with large square pavers with pea gravel in between...

Side patio

like this

rocks and tiles

From grid hedges to pavers... To orchard

Garden hhi

SouthsidePatio

Checkerboard

Checker board

geometric appearance

Checker board squares alternating with stone and flagstone, plants in some squares

with flagstones

Good use of stone & pavers

cool idea

Patio blocks

garden squares

outdoor

love this idea

Garden

Idées...

plantings between stones

Garden grounds.

brick pattern

Fountain

Practical?

like the squares in the garden

Andrew peters

Les carrés alternés roche, gazon, plantes, c'est joli.

Barkman slabs

Contemporary stone walk

Garden floor

Another alternative to gravel path.

Everything!

Amenagement paysager

Everything

Love this pattern

backyard courtyard

Checkerboard flowers and stepping stones

Tic tac toe pattern

checkerboard path

Easy Beachy. Little White House... What to do with the mini front space

tic-tac-toe walkway design

Landascape

Landscape

Walk way landscaping

One can play with different plants as "fillers", and add interest to the sideyard, distracting from neighbor.

Garden courtyard idea

Path

vir nuwe huis

Planted paving squares in the open, boxwood-edged "room"

Good idea

Green steps and planters

garden

More concrete paver ideas.

awesome

patio

Checkerboard effect with planting

Implantation plantes

Landscape

Garden

Fine design.

What about doing rock n slabs for the walk n slabs n space for host as on the side?

Interesting

Curved stone path, little areas of plantings

Walkway

Garden idea

patio

YUCK

grid

path

landscape design

love this. pavers and softening cutouts of flowers. whole back yard area up to jungle gm?

Chestnut st backyard

Stones with plants in between the checker board

cool idea as extension of our patio

regularity + contained gravel and regular plantings

Yard

gravel pathway

Checker board patio

For my backyard

the squares

Steel edging

slabs & patterns

Karl, what do you think of this idea for the area between the house and the driveway? The grid instills order but avoids feeling of bilateral symmetry, as there are four grids to the right of the path and only one to the left. The checkerboard is playful serving as a repeating theme that binds the garden together. Axe the fountain.

Love the block look

water fountain

can a sprinkler system be run to a bird bath/small fountain?

Uk garden

Back yard garden

Landscaping idea

pavers with flowers interspersed

Love this!

Pathway

Herbs?

Water fountain planting around

Paving planting and gravel in gaps

Pea gravel

Neat

Herb garden side yard

Pastelones

like the pebles and stone comb

expand checkerboard into lawn?

Front yard cement blocks

road

tic tac toe design

stepping stones in back

stepping stone and gravel

Future garden!

stones

Côté de la maison

For front yard

yard

Garden

I know where I'll do this!! low maintenance flower garden

for our house

curvy walkway and alternating cement with gravel

Stones

consider a pathway to the garden area - even incorporate deco fence

checkerboard pattern

gravel, stone, dirt squares

pathway

шахматка1

landscape

pizarra

Nicenoutside

Garden

liked use of stone tiles and open spots for plants so plants stay contained and manageable and would be easy to weed.

1720-22 Land.plans

Combination stone blocks with gravel and plants

pavers and gravel

flowers on floor