Johns Palms
Inspiration for a tropical landscaping in Tampa.

Fors residence, Coral Gables. knoll landscape design miami designer brent knoll bamboo garden
Inspiration for a tropical landscaping in Miami.

This is an example of a tropical landscaping in San Diego.

Agave attenuata 'Variegata' is a stunning soft succulent with bright green foliage and lighter green stripes. It has no spines, safe around children and pets and can take very, very light frost. Shown with Agave 'Blue Glow' another beautiful succulents with blue-gray foliage I love combining them together in the plant arrangements I design. Also shown is Cuphea vermillionaire. A great shrub that blooms non-stop and is a hummingbird magnet too. All low care, low water and look good throughout the seasons in mild climates. This plant is in my personal garden in Northern California.

Scarlet Torch bottlebrush - new for 2014 by Monrovia Monrovia

Olea 'Little Ollie' and Rosmarinus.
Photo of a mediterranean full sun gravel landscaping in San Francisco.

Zebra grass for privacy screening
Photo of a mid-sized asian full sun backyard stone formal garden in Los Angeles.

Chauncey Freeman Fifth Season
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary full sun hillside gravel garden path.

Sunjoy Tangelo - foliage is orange, developing a lime green halo around the edge of the leaf as the leaf matures.
Inspiration for a mid-sized landscaping in Grand Rapids.

Adrienne Link Newton
Inspiration for a mid-sized rustic hillside stone retaining wall landscape in San Francisco.

Horizontal slat cedar privacy fence in woodland garden.

A close-up of Leucospermum 'Scarlet Ribbon'.
Design ideas for a large contemporary full sun front yard stone outdoor basketball/tennis/multi-game court in Los Angeles.

This client from Highgate in North London, N6 contacted us about their large honed Limestone tiled floor that was installed throughout the ground floor. It had been laid seven years prior and was now grubby and in need of a deep clean and seal including the grout which had turned black with dirt. I visited the property to survey and assess what was required and provided the owner with a quotation for the renovation. The hallway pictured was in the worst condition, it was a busy house with young children and dogs and over the years the sealer had worn down leaving it vulnerable to ingrained dirt. Without a sealer to protect the stone it had become heavily soiled and lost its original polished appearance. Happy with the quote we scheduled a date for the work to go ahead. The quote included deep cleaning and burnishing the stone to bring back the polish, grout cleaning and re-sealing the Limestone to protect it. We arrived on the first day and prepared the area by taping up the skirting and woodwork to protect them from potential splashing. Next step was to burnish the floor using a set of Tile Doctor Diamond Burnishing Pads, specifically the 400, 800 and 1500 grit pads fitted to a rotary machine, these were used in sequence running each pad over the tiles several times with water to lubricate the process. The water turns into a fine slurry as pores in the stone are opened and the dirt is released, the slurry is rinsed off with more water and extracted using an industrial wet vacuum after each pad. The finer 800 and 1500-grit pads slowly close the pores and refine the appearance of the stone building up the polish in the process. A strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was then applied to the grout lines, leaving it for a short while to soak in and then hand scrubbing with a grout brush. The dirty cleaning solution and were then removed from the floor with the wet vacuum. This process was repeated across the different sections of the Limestone floor until I was satisfied with its appearance. Before leaving for the day, I rinsed the floor again using a buffing machine fitted with a brush fitted to give it a final clean. The floor was dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum and then allowed it to dry off fully overnight. The following day the final 3000-grit pad in the four-pad set was applied to the floor to bring up the polish even further. The pad is applied dry with only a little water sprayed onto the tile. We call this process a “Spray Burnish” and as well as leaving the floor nice and dry ready for sealing it adds a nice subtle shine to the stone. The floor was then sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. This is a colour intensifying impregnating sealer that works by occupying the pores in the stone so dirt cannot become ingrained there. It will provide durable protection and make the floor much easier to keep clean. It worked well on the pale Limestone and beautifully enhanced the colour and features in stone. Once complete the floor looked brand new again. I left a complimentary bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap with the client and gave them some information about how best to maintain the floor. This product is pH neutral and cleans whilst maintaining the patina on the stone helping to keep the floor in great condition. The client was delighted with the result and left us a great review. “Andrew is excellent and gets on with the job and we got a fantastic result. Highly recommend. By Aaron S, Highgate, 15 March 2021” Andrew Newstead North London Tile Doctor

In a vast natural landscape, the formal design of intentionally landscaped beds often jars, visually. This Client came from Lake Forest, Illinois, the land of gentrified old world landscapes. Here in the Rockies, she left behind her corporate career to immerse herself in horses, art and a new life lived in connection with family and Nature. She wanted a simple landscape that spoke to these new desires. For this project, we crafted opportunities for Nature to weave its way back into the landscape. The circle drive is the first whiff of this. Designed around a gnarled cedar, the spirit of this entire ranch, we simplified the plant palette, bringing in native and regionally adapted grasses and wildflowers. And that's it! These colors burn against the silvers and tawny browns of Missouri Heights! Gigi

The clients in this Minnetonka home dreamed of a sophisticated space that reflected their style and harmonized with the other rooms. Crystal frameless cabinets in an off-white high gloss UV lacquer float above a large format porcelain tile floor, Caesarstone counter-tops, polished nickel plumbing fixtures, and a decorative wall sconce replace worn finishes and lend an air of sophistication. Earthy, limestone tiled walls with the cream and taupe color scheme blend with other areas in the home. Storage solutions were a must as bottles originally cluttered the counter-top due to the lack of storage. Robern medicine cabinets hide clutter and an open shelf at end of tub provides display and storage area. The shower was expanded to the window and inside, the bathtub surround creates a small ledge for setting toiletries.

Jay Greene Photography
Example of a classic l-shaped light wood floor kitchen design in Baltimore with a single-bowl sink, white cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

photo and landscape: Dave Demers - CYAN Horticulture As a long-time neighbor of CYAN Horticulture, the owner of this small south-facing garden gave us carte blanche on her project, as long as the severely damaged lawn was made to disappear altogether. A relax yet carefully studied meadow-like planting of bulbs and perennials, grasses and evergreen shrubs, now flank a narrow walkway. Maintenance is here kept to a minimum and seasons are wisely felt in this ever-changing arrangement.

Nothing more stunning than a pincushion in full bloom. This enviable property sits perched on the bluff directly across from the ocean in the La Selva Beach neighborhood of Aptos. Project goals included overall beautification via plants with year-round color and showy blooms, more privacy on the patio and deck, and a way to deter frequent dog-walkers from cutting through the garden. We accomplished this last goal by building up soil mounds behind retaining walls and using taller plants at the apex. Privacy for the deck was achieved by the addition of sleek stucco walls. Project features a large swath of a walkable, drought-tolerant grass alternative. Special care was devoted to selecting plants that can withstand the wind, fog and salt-spray that occur near the ocean. South African and Australian plants figure prominently into the plant palette and create a vibrant complimentary color scheme against the ocean backdrop. Who wouldn't want to spend time in this ocean-view garden?