design: Carrie Preston (Studio TOOP) and Jasper Helmantel (Cruydt Hoeck), 2011 location: Appeltern, NL status: built in 2012 by Appeltern Model Garden Complex photos: Jolanthe Lalkens, October 2012 Designed as assignment from both the Dutch gardening magazine Groei & Bloei and the television and radio nature program Vara's Vroege Vogels, this garden serves as a model of how homeowners can incorporate lots of plant life and wildlife into the design but without sacrificing practicality or aesthetics. The garden is deliberately contemporary in its style to emphasize that nature-rich gardens need not look a certain way - insects and birds don't care if the lines are straight or curved. At the same time the garden makes use of affordable, simple, no-nonsense materials. The 40x60 cm paving stones are one of the most common and affordable paving options in the Netherlands, available en masse for free on the Internet. Conceptually we imagined a garden completely paved with the tiles (as to many gardens are) and what would happen if took out some of these stones, used them to build benches and structure and added plants where the tiles had been. In the construction of the benches we include other materials such as bamboo sticks and insulation bricks that create habitat for insects such as solitary bees. The plant palette is based on a selection of native and host plants in combination with the 26 plants plan set up by Groei & Boei -- a list of plants aimed at making the use of more plants in gardens accessible and less intimidating. The choice for the number 26 corresponds with the number of letters in the alphabet in line with the famous Dutch garden designer Mien Ruy's comment that if we only need 26 letters to create a whole language, we should be able to combine and mix 26 plants to express far more than we think.

Mikhail Stepanov

Photo of a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.

This is an example of a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.

Inspiration for a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.

Photo of a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.

This is an example of a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.

Design ideas for a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.

Photo of a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.

Green Lacewing eggs are seen here, on a thin filament to keep away predators. Green lacewings are a beneficial insect. The larvae will eat aphids, mealybugs, and more; while the adult feeds on nectar and pollen.

Photo of a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.

Example of a large country backyard stone patio design in Seattle

This is an example of a large farmhouse drought-tolerant and full sun backyard stone retaining wall landscape in Seattle for summer.

This is an example of a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.

Beneficial wildlife attracted by backyard ponds are delightful to watch and listen to. More than that, their presence offer natural ways to a healthier environment. Frogs eat algae in the water which contributes to keeping the water clean; adult toads aid in controlling insects, as do the birds the water attracts; and the koi, which are so much fun to feed, eat any mosquito larva that might develop. www.deckandpatio.com

White matt kitchen with grey anthracite kitchen island.
Kitchen - huge contemporary single-wall kitchen idea in London with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, blue backsplash and an island

Design ideas for a contemporary raised garden bed in Vancouver.

Staircase - mid-sized eclectic staircase idea in London

design: Studio TOOP, 2013 location: Rotterdam, NL status: built in 2014, Weldam Groenprojecten photo: Hans Clauzing, 2014 Our good friend Gerda is an avid photographer with a special interest in nature photography and butterflies. She also suffers from a lung disease that sometimes leaves her less mobile and able to head out to pursue this passion. A garden to take pictures in, even when you're not up to heading further out into the world. That was the main goal of this garden. With limited means and the use of affordable materials we created a wheel chair friendly garden that offers ample space for both human and wild life.