Tour 5 Dreamy Earth-Friendly Landscapes
See how designers have created havens for pollinators, used native plants and fashioned hardworking, resilient gardens
The landscape designers and architects of the following outdoor spaces have created more than just beautiful and inspiring designs. They have crafted outdoor environments that welcome local wildlife, reduce reliance on natural resources and celebrate the plants native to their region. Take a mini virtual vacation around the country with these gardens from coast to coast. Then tell us which one is your favorite.
The homeowners approached Omni Ecosystems with a clear vision of what they wanted for their living roof. “They wanted to tap into regional and native plants, and wanted to feel a connection with where they lived,” says Nick Petty, who served as Omni’s project manager for this space.
“It’s a gem,” Petty adds. “It’s the smallness that sticks with people. It’s all about the details.” His favorite detail, he says, is the way the decking “floats” so that the new rooftop sauna appears to be on an island of sorts. The floating boardwalk also helps keep the garden intact by eliminating foot traffic on it.
Read more about this sauna and rooftop meadow
“It’s a gem,” Petty adds. “It’s the smallness that sticks with people. It’s all about the details.” His favorite detail, he says, is the way the decking “floats” so that the new rooftop sauna appears to be on an island of sorts. The floating boardwalk also helps keep the garden intact by eliminating foot traffic on it.
Read more about this sauna and rooftop meadow
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2. Rugged Riverfront Garden
Location: Milwaukie, Oregon, a suburb south of Portland
Designers: Glenn Nardelli and Mikiel Deguara of Pistils Landscape Design + Build; Anita Van Asperdt and Catherine Davis of LandCurrent
This home in the Pacific Northwest is nestled between a river and a forest, with the landscape design pulling inspiration from both. The entrance to the home features a series of rain gardens on either side of the front walk filled with moisture-loving plants, such as sedges, rushes, camas, and irises. “The rain gardens are swales, amended with very porous soil and river rock to accept the large amount of stormwater that flows down from the hillside above,” landscape designer Glenn Nardelli says.
Location: Milwaukie, Oregon, a suburb south of Portland
Designers: Glenn Nardelli and Mikiel Deguara of Pistils Landscape Design + Build; Anita Van Asperdt and Catherine Davis of LandCurrent
This home in the Pacific Northwest is nestled between a river and a forest, with the landscape design pulling inspiration from both. The entrance to the home features a series of rain gardens on either side of the front walk filled with moisture-loving plants, such as sedges, rushes, camas, and irises. “The rain gardens are swales, amended with very porous soil and river rock to accept the large amount of stormwater that flows down from the hillside above,” landscape designer Glenn Nardelli says.
The landscape steeply slopes from the house down to the Willamette River. A series of retaining walls made with local basalt and crushed-rock paths gently leads the homeowners through the yard. Pollinator-supporting salvias, coneflower (Echinacea sp.) and milkweed (Asclepias sp.), along with autumn moor grass (Sesleria autumnalis), planted next to the walls and in the sloped spaces between them help to reduce erosion.
The sloped yard ends at the river. The designers left this area untouched, save for a few native species planted along the bank for erosion control.
Read more about this waterfront yard
Read more about this waterfront yard
3. Waterfront Dune Garden
Location: Coloma, Michigan (St. Joseph-Benton Harbor metro area)
Designer: Anna Brooks; her company, Arcadia Gardens, also installed the project
This home sits on a natural sand dune, part of a sand dune complex that is more than 200,000 acres. The designer and homeowners made preserving the dune’s natural landscape as much as possible a priority. Their strategy was to create more formally designed spaces and plantings closer to the house. Farther away, closer to the woods bordering the dune, the design loosens up and bleeds more into the natural landscape.
Location: Coloma, Michigan (St. Joseph-Benton Harbor metro area)
Designer: Anna Brooks; her company, Arcadia Gardens, also installed the project
This home sits on a natural sand dune, part of a sand dune complex that is more than 200,000 acres. The designer and homeowners made preserving the dune’s natural landscape as much as possible a priority. Their strategy was to create more formally designed spaces and plantings closer to the house. Farther away, closer to the woods bordering the dune, the design loosens up and bleeds more into the natural landscape.
The garden starts at the front door, with grasses and perennials framing a winding path made of large Sierra flagstone. Specimen boulders are placed as points of interest along the path, inviting visitors to stop and look around. The paths also lead to natural walking trails farther out in the yard.
Landscape designer Anna Brooks looked at the surrounding landscape, as well as other natural landscapes, for inspiration. “The clients were very inspired by the mountainous Southwestern region of the U.S., and asked for a landscape that recalled that region for them with rocks, sand, grasses and scrub brush,” Brooks says. They requested a palette of mostly native, edible and wildlife-friendly plants.
Existing plants mingle with the new plantings. “Considering the fragile nature of the site, existing pockets of vegetation were to remain and be preserved,” Brooks says. The plants on the property are planted in natural drifts, rather than evenly spaced, as they appear in nature.
Landscape designer Anna Brooks looked at the surrounding landscape, as well as other natural landscapes, for inspiration. “The clients were very inspired by the mountainous Southwestern region of the U.S., and asked for a landscape that recalled that region for them with rocks, sand, grasses and scrub brush,” Brooks says. They requested a palette of mostly native, edible and wildlife-friendly plants.
Existing plants mingle with the new plantings. “Considering the fragile nature of the site, existing pockets of vegetation were to remain and be preserved,” Brooks says. The plants on the property are planted in natural drifts, rather than evenly spaced, as they appear in nature.
The plants also serve an important purpose in helping to preserve the dune, as their roots help hold the sand and soil in place. “One particular challenge is that the wind blows the sand around,” Brooks says. “Buffering the edges of the planted areas and the hardscape with dune grass helped stabilize the sand.” Additionally, the designer used plants with deep roots and spreading rhizomes to increase slope stabilization.
This zoomed-out view of the landscape from a peninsula in the middle of the pond shows how the home fits into the larger context. You can see how the design stands out in the landscape, with the terracing and Cor-Ten walls, but also blends in with the natural beauty of the site.
See more of this coastal garden
This zoomed-out view of the landscape from a peninsula in the middle of the pond shows how the home fits into the larger context. You can see how the design stands out in the landscape, with the terracing and Cor-Ten walls, but also blends in with the natural beauty of the site.
See more of this coastal garden
4. Woodland Garden That Reduces Runoff
Location: Bethesda, Maryland
Designers: Amy Gardner and Brittany Williams of Gardner Architects (architecture); Holt Jordan of Jordan Honeyman Landscape Architecture (landscape architecture)
General contractor: Alan Kanner of Added Dimensions
As part of a larger master plan for this woodland property, Gardner Architects sited and designed a storage shed that takes its architectural cues from the main house. When deciding where the shed would go, the architects worked with an arborist to make sure none of the existing mature trees would be damaged during construction.
Jordan Honeyman Landscape Architecture developed the property’s master plan, which included managing the woodland, designing a native garden, draining stormwater and creating habitat for local wildlife. The team worked to reduce the significant water runoff the yard experienced due to its slope and the region’s rainy climate. “We tried to slow down any water and let it absorb into the plantings that we planted between the shed and the house,” landscape architect Holt Jordan says. The team added French drains and dry wells, which help to reduce erosion and return the water to the soil on-site.
Location: Bethesda, Maryland
Designers: Amy Gardner and Brittany Williams of Gardner Architects (architecture); Holt Jordan of Jordan Honeyman Landscape Architecture (landscape architecture)
General contractor: Alan Kanner of Added Dimensions
As part of a larger master plan for this woodland property, Gardner Architects sited and designed a storage shed that takes its architectural cues from the main house. When deciding where the shed would go, the architects worked with an arborist to make sure none of the existing mature trees would be damaged during construction.
Jordan Honeyman Landscape Architecture developed the property’s master plan, which included managing the woodland, designing a native garden, draining stormwater and creating habitat for local wildlife. The team worked to reduce the significant water runoff the yard experienced due to its slope and the region’s rainy climate. “We tried to slow down any water and let it absorb into the plantings that we planted between the shed and the house,” landscape architect Holt Jordan says. The team added French drains and dry wells, which help to reduce erosion and return the water to the soil on-site.
Jordan planted the area surrounding the shed with mostly native plants that would thrive in the shady, wet garden and make the space more inviting for wildlife. Plants include redbuds (Cercis spp.), dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata), Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), native hydrangeas, native deciduous azaleas (Rhododendron spp.), viburnum, Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), spicebush (Lindera benzoin), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), sumac and serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.).
Additionally, the team removed existing invasive plants that had taken over the forest, including Tatarian honeysuckle, barberries, Chinese wisteria, English ivy and pachysandra, and continues to remove them. “Site maintenance is also a component of a natural habitat,” Jordan says. “We have left tree snags on-site to attract insects and the birds attracted to them. Not clearing the underbrush and leaf litter provides environments for a multitude of insects to overwinter.”
From their home, the homeowners get to enjoy watching the many squirrels, deer and foxes that visit the garden. They’ve also seen woodpeckers, eastern towhees, tufted titmouses, white-breasted nuthatches, Carolina chickadees, Carolina wrens, cedar waxwings, blue jays, Swainson’s thrushes and American robins.
Read more about this woodland and garden shed
Additionally, the team removed existing invasive plants that had taken over the forest, including Tatarian honeysuckle, barberries, Chinese wisteria, English ivy and pachysandra, and continues to remove them. “Site maintenance is also a component of a natural habitat,” Jordan says. “We have left tree snags on-site to attract insects and the birds attracted to them. Not clearing the underbrush and leaf litter provides environments for a multitude of insects to overwinter.”
From their home, the homeowners get to enjoy watching the many squirrels, deer and foxes that visit the garden. They’ve also seen woodpeckers, eastern towhees, tufted titmouses, white-breasted nuthatches, Carolina chickadees, Carolina wrens, cedar waxwings, blue jays, Swainson’s thrushes and American robins.
Read more about this woodland and garden shed
5. Cool-Tone, Drought-Tolerant Garden
Location: Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles
Designer: Joshua Link of Ecotone Studios (landscape architecture)
In Southern California, landscape architect Joshua Link transformed a deteriorating lawn, brick and concrete yard into a contemporary low-water oasis filled almost entirely with native plants.
A key goal of the design was to manage as much stormwater on-site as possible, returning it to the ground and recharging the local aquifer instead of directing it to storm drains to be treated off-site. With the permeable gravel paving, water can drain directly into the soil.
In place of downspouts, Link used rain chains to direct water from the roof into metal frames filled with local granite stones that connect to a series of perforated underground pipes. These pipes end at a series of dry wells that drain the water on-site. “I look at drainage and how rain is managed as an opportunity to create a beautiful temporary water feature,” Link says.
Location: Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles
Designer: Joshua Link of Ecotone Studios (landscape architecture)
In Southern California, landscape architect Joshua Link transformed a deteriorating lawn, brick and concrete yard into a contemporary low-water oasis filled almost entirely with native plants.
A key goal of the design was to manage as much stormwater on-site as possible, returning it to the ground and recharging the local aquifer instead of directing it to storm drains to be treated off-site. With the permeable gravel paving, water can drain directly into the soil.
In place of downspouts, Link used rain chains to direct water from the roof into metal frames filled with local granite stones that connect to a series of perforated underground pipes. These pipes end at a series of dry wells that drain the water on-site. “I look at drainage and how rain is managed as an opportunity to create a beautiful temporary water feature,” Link says.
The garden almost exclusively features native plants, with Link turning to the natural landscapes close the yard for inspiration. “This is a strategy that I’ve found helps the project feel grounded, and it celebrates our natural history by supporting local wildlife that depend on these plants for food and shelter,” he says.
More than cutting water use and draining pretty much all of its water on-site, this garden has become a haven for wildlife. “The homeowners are hearing more birds, seeing more butterflies [and] smelling fragrances that they’ve only experienced while hiking in our local hills,” Link says.
Read more about this yard
Your turn: What earth-friendly features have you incorporated into your garden? Share photos in the Comments.
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Read more about this yard
Your turn: What earth-friendly features have you incorporated into your garden? Share photos in the Comments.
More on Houzz
12 Sustainable Gardening Ideas From Landscape Design Pros
Read more landscape design guides
Find a pro for your home project
Shop for outdoor products
Location: Nokomis neighborhood of Minneapolis
Designers: SALA Architects (architecture), Omni Ecosystems/Rooftop Green Works (rooftop garden design)
When two homeowners decided to replace their home’s deteriorating garage, one of their top priorities was to transform the roof of the new garage into a native wildflower meadow and rooftop sauna. SALA Architects worked with Omni Ecosystems/Rooftop Green Works, whose team seeded the roof with grasses and wildflowers native to the landscape of Minnesota.
The meadow welcomes beneficial bugs of all types, including bees that live in a rooftop hive.