Elegant entrance of a Houston estate, showcasing meticulously maintained hedges and vibrant flowers. The classic design includes a beautiful brick pedestal topped with a white urn planter, complementing the lush greenery. Iron railings and a well-manicured lawn add to the sophisticated appeal of this luxurious home.

Dry rock wash with CA native plants.

Inspiration for a traditional partial sun front yard stone formal garden in Chicago.

Photo of a southwestern front yard landscaping in Phoenix.

Photo of a mid-sized mid-century modern drought-tolerant and full sun front yard concrete paver landscaping in San Francisco for summer.

This modern home, near Cedar Lake, built in 1900, was originally a corner store. A massive conversion transformed the home into a spacious, multi-level residence in the 1990’s. However, the home’s lot was unusually steep and overgrown with vegetation. In addition, there were concerns about soil erosion and water intrusion to the house. The homeowners wanted to resolve these issues and create a much more useable outdoor area for family and pets. Castle, in conjunction with Field Outdoor Spaces, designed and built a large deck area in the back yard of the home, which includes a detached screen porch and a bar & grill area under a cedar pergola. The previous, small deck was demolished and the sliding door replaced with a window. A new glass sliding door was inserted along a perpendicular wall to connect the home’s interior kitchen to the backyard oasis. The screen house doors are made from six custom screen panels, attached to a top mount, soft-close track. Inside the screen porch, a patio heater allows the family to enjoy this space much of the year. Concrete was the material chosen for the outdoor countertops, to ensure it lasts several years in Minnesota’s always-changing climate. Trex decking was used throughout, along with red cedar porch, pergola and privacy lattice detailing. The front entry of the home was also updated to include a large, open porch with access to the newly landscaped yard. Cable railings from Loftus Iron add to the contemporary style of the home, including a gate feature at the top of the front steps to contain the family pets when they’re let out into the yard. Tour this project in person, September 28 – 29, during the 2019 Castle Home Tour!

Native Coneflower and Monarda have grown & spread to fill this front yard planting bed. Over 14 years, this bed has expanded to replace a large area of Bermuda grass that I hand dug to remove this difficult creeping grass. Plant density is key to weed control, as there is just little space for them to get started. Less maintenance than lawn, no watering needed, no chemicals, plus I leave the plants to over winter leaving the seed heads for the birds to enjoy. Just break down the plant stems late February to make a light mulch.

Front yard turf replacement with cacti, succulents and drought tolerant shrubs.
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary full sun front yard mulch landscaping in Orange County.

This is an example of a large asian full sun front yard stone formal garden in Atlanta.

Photo of this mid-century modern home and front bed landscape in East Lansing, Michigan. Photo supplied by client.
This is an example of a mid-sized mid-century modern drought-tolerant and full sun front yard concrete paver garden path in Grand Rapids for summer.

Inspiration for a mid-sized partial sun front yard stone garden path.

The garden was a mess when I arrived to redesign it. Neglected chaos and an elderly couple who wanted a peaceful,place to relax in.
This is an example of a small traditional shade backyard landscaping in Surrey for summer.

3-D Rendering of front yard masterplan. Formal gardens surrounded by short hedge, herringbone pattern paved patio, walkway and driveway. Native plant garden.

Removing a section of the existing stone garden wall allowed the geometric concrete paver entry walk pass through to meet with the neighborhood sidewalk. Massing plantings of native ornamental grasses and perennials create board sweeps of color within the soft, curving landscape beds. Linda Oyama Bryan Photography

For a small front yard: Simple streamlined appearance with same sized Umbriano pavers for walkway and vertical Indian Limestone for garden retainers.

Photo of a victorian front yard mulch formal garden in Montreal.

Photo of a victorian front yard gravel formal garden in Montreal.

View from the picket garden down to the fireplace.
Photo of a traditional landscaping in Boston.

This is an example of a mid-sized modern rock and shade front yard concrete paver driveway in Seattle.