Mexican feather grass, Yellow kangaroo paw, Phormium 'Evening glow'
Design ideas for a contemporary backyard gravel landscaping in San Diego.

From the opposite perspective looking from the street, the Phormiums and Deer Grass show the same texture but at a different scale with the green and gold of the grass offset by the bronze blades of the Phormiums.

Phormium with grasses and succulents - Sedum Angelina, Phormium 'Sundowner', Fescue grasses.
Photo of a mediterranean drought-tolerant and full sun hillside stone landscaping in San Francisco for fall.

Design ideas for a contemporary drought-tolerant backyard landscaping in San Francisco.

Design ideas for a traditional landscaping in San Diego.

The hillside garden responds to movement of the wind, flow of the water and warmth of the sun with an artful integration of storm water management practices. Rhythmic landforms and a grassy swale slow stormwater flow, allowing it to percolate into the ground and divert it away from the house. The meandering path and sitting area nestle in a warm pallet of colors maximizing the use of the side property and views of the San Francisco Bay. Low maintenance and drought & deer tolerant planting provide a gracious transition between the built environment and the adjoining openlands. Michele Lee Wilson Photography

A colorful, drought-tolerant plant combination with year-round appeal. This bed includes Stachys - Lamb's Ears, known as Big Ears, Cerastium - Snow in Summer, Penstemon heterophyllus, Lavender, Coleonema - Breath of Heaven, Phormium - New Zealand flax. Positioned along a flagstone and decomposed granite pathway in San Anselmo CA. Designa and Photo: Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Photo of a mediterranean landscaping in San Francisco.

Design ideas for a modern landscaping in San Francisco.

Inspiration for a contemporary landscaping in San Diego.

Steve Lambert
Mid-sized elegant backyard stone patio photo in San Francisco with a fire pit and no cover

This tired, unused San Francisco backyard was transformed into a modern, low-maintenance landscape with site-appropriate plantings enhanced by raised planting beds and a lead-free artificial lawn to replace the existing water-thirsty lawn. I created two separate "rooms" to break up the long narrow yard, and specified full range blue stone for the two small patio areas, connected by a curved pattern of rectangular pavers of the same natural stone. The raised concrete rectangular planting beds were incorporated to bring more movement and interest to the landscape along with gravel bed accents alongside. Some of the existing concrete remained, and was stained with a color to compliment the natural stone. These photos were taken over a three year period. Photos: © Landscape Designer, Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design.

A tapestry of color and texture that includes Stachys ' Big Ears, Snow-in-Summer, Penstemon 'Margarita BOP', Breath of Heaven and New Zealand Flax. Landscape Design and Photo: © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design, Colorful plant combinations and groupings along a decomposed pathway in a San Anselmo garden in northern California. Phormiums, native Penstemon, Snow in Summer, Lambs Ears and other colorful plants create a beautiful low-water tapestry of plant groupings at the home's front entrance. Photo and Design: © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Photography: © ShadesOfGreen
This is an example of a contemporary retaining wall landscape in San Francisco.

Diane Hayford
This is an example of a contemporary landscaping in San Francisco.

Inspiration for a contemporary landscaping in San Diego.

Fall, edible container garden Le jardinet
Inspiration for a landscaping in Seattle.

Inspiration for a modern landscaping in Los Angeles.

Clients' driftwood incorporated into garden. Calliestemon 'Little John' and The Guardsman phormium. Jan Nelson
Design ideas for a small craftsman full sun front yard stone landscaping in Other.