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Photo of a southwestern drought-tolerant courtyard garden path in Phoenix.

Dune Sedge grows in between and around the bluestone pavers that lead to the patio. A Hong Kong Orchard tree is planted behind the custom wood bench - when mature it will provide shade. A palette of purple and yellow reigns in this garden with a mixture of Lilac Verbena, Spanish Lavender, Catmint, Yellow Bulbine and more. Photo by Debbie Gliksman

Mikaela Ruth http://www.mikaelaruth.com
Inspiration for a country detached greenhouse remodel in Vancouver

We started by levelling the top area into two terraced lawns of low water Kurapia and more than doubling the space on the lower level with retaining walls. We built a striking new pergola with a graphic steel-patterned roof to make a covered seating area. Along with creating shade, the roof casts a movie reel of shade patterns throughout the day. Now there is ample space to kick back and relax, watching the sun spread its glow on the surrounding hillside as it makes its slow journey down the horizon towards sunset. An aerodynamic fan keeps the air pleasantly cool and refreshing. At night the backyard comes alive with an ethereal lighting scheme illuminating the space and making it a place you can enjoy well into the night. It’s the perfect place to end the day.

A sumptuous palette of yellow and purple plants graces the slope. It’s a lush and biodiverse selection of California natives and the spirited expanse of flowers and foliage grounds the new house into the surrounding hillside. Aromatic native Sages, Monkey Flower and Yarrow play off the rich green of Coyote Bush while native Blonde Ambition Blue Grama grass brushes the magenta pom-pom flowers of Pink Melaleuca tree. The tight purple flowers of California Lilac complement the open faced California Sunflower. A Coast Live Oak was planted to stand sentry over all. Plants are all hardy and highly drought tolerant. The Kurapia groundcover lawn is verdant but, once established, hardly needs watering. The constant buzzing and bird warbling create a soothing natural soundtrack.

After the transformation took place, about 6 months later. The yard was divided into different rooms for different uses. Raised redwood planter boxes were used for veggies and herbs to grow. A vine is being trained to go over the arbor and Callistemon 'Slim' will fill in the "wall" to divide the space. The arbor ushers you into the backyard entertaining area with a sail cloth "ceiling" to block the harsh sun.

We started by levelling the top area into two terraced lawns of low water Kurapia and nearly doubling the space on the lower level with retaining walls. We built a striking new pergola with a graphic steel-patterned roof to make a covered seating area. Along with creating shade, the roof casts a movie reel of shade patterns throughout the day. Now there is ample space to kick back and relax, watching the sun spread its glow on the surrounding hillside as it makes its slow journey down the horizon towards sunset. An aerodynamic fan keeps the air pleasantly cool and refreshing. At night the backyard comes alive with an ethereal lighting scheme illuminating the space and making it a place you can enjoy well into the night. It’s the perfect place to end the day.

Inspiration for a small country backyard gravel patio vegetable garden remodel in Bridgeport with no cover

Dune Sedge grows in between and around the pavers that lead to the patio. A Hong Kong Orchard tree is planted behind the custom wood bench - when mature it will provide shade. A palette of purple and yellow reigns in this garden with a mixture of Lilac Verbena, Spanish Lavender, Catmint, Yellow Bulbine and more. Photo by Marcus Teply

We retained the canyon walls and built a patio into the hillside to create an area where you can walk down and enjoy the beautiful canyon views. The hillside is planted predominantly with California natives and will need little irrigation once established. California sunflower peeks out from a bed. Photo by Debbie Gliksman

Photo: Nanette Wong © 2014 Houzz
Patio - mid-century modern patio idea in San Francisco

Inspiration for a small contemporary drought-tolerant and full sun backyard stone vegetable garden landscape in San Francisco for summer.

Flowers planted with vegetables to keep away harmful insects and diseases
Inspiration for a mid-sized full sun backyard gravel formal garden in San Francisco for spring.

Rachel Weill
Design ideas for a landscaping in San Francisco.

A sumptuous palette of yellow and purple plants graces the slope. It’s a lush and biodiverse selection of California natives and the spirited expanse of flowers and foliage grounds the new house into the surrounding hillside. Aromatic native Sages, Monkey Flower and Yarrow play off the rich green of Coyote Bush while native Blonde Ambition Blue Grama grass brushes the magenta pom-pom flowers of Pink Melaleuca tree. The tight purple flowers of California Lilac complement the open faced California Sunflower. A Coast Live Oak was planted to stand sentry over all. Plants are all hardy and highly drought tolerant. The Kurapia groundcover lawn is verdant but, once established, hardly needs watering. The constant buzzing and bird warbling create a soothing natural soundtrack.

A new walkway connects the two sets of stairs.
Photo of a mid-sized industrial drought-tolerant and full sun backyard decomposed granite and wood fence landscaping in Los Angeles for spring.

We built a striking new pergola with a graphic steel-patterned roof to make a covered seating area. Along with creating shade, the roof casts a movie reel of shade patterns throughout the day.

A sumptuous palette of yellow and purple plants graces the slope. It’s a lush and biodiverse selection of California natives and the spirited expanse of flowers and foliage grounds the new house into the surrounding hillside. Aromatic native Sages, Monkey Flower and Yarrow play off the rich green of Coyote Bush while native Blonde Ambition Blue Grama grass brushes the magenta pom-pom flowers of Pink Melaleuca tree. The tight purple flowers of California Lilac complement the open faced California Sunflower. A Coast Live Oak was planted to stand sentry over all. Plants are all hardy and highly drought tolerant. The Kurapia groundcover lawn is verdant but, once established, hardly needs watering. The constant buzzing and bird warbling create a soothing natural soundtrack.