Terraced retaining walls, pavers, landscaping, and irrigation...won a 2015 Award of Excellence from the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional partial sun hillside mulch formal garden in Boston for summer.

©Brooke Schnetz
Photo of a huge craftsman drought-tolerant and full sun hillside concrete paver garden path in San Diego.

Green View
This is an example of a traditional front yard landscaping in Chicago.

Amazing lot in Pirate Harbor!
Example of a mid-sized beach style exterior home design in Miami

Scott Hammond
This is an example of a transitional landscaping in Seattle.

A beautiful palapa next to the pool to rest and relax in your dream home.
Inspiration for an eclectic entryway remodel in Mexico City

The concept of the garden was based on, “Brazilian Hummingbirds II”, a painting the MFAH has in its collection by the artist, Martin Johnson Heade. Heade travelled to the rainforest in Brazil between 1863 and 1864 and painted a series of small paintings depicting hummingbirds in the lush foliage of the Brazilian rainforests. His painting, Brazilian Hummingbirds, II, evokes the sultry atmosphere of the Brazilian rainforest with its misty quality and subtle lighting. His interest in ornithology can be seen in his detailed depictions of the hummingbirds. The garden location is adjacent to one of Buffalo Bayou’s steep, wooded ravines. The ravine, with its native plant communities and topography, is a perfect back- drop for a garden with a rainforest theme. Because the date for the garden opening coincides with the spring migration of hummingbirds into our region, the hummingbird theme seemed appropriate for this garden competition. The garden will include a variety of tropical plants native to the rainforests such as bromeliads, orchids, heliconia, and passion fruit flowers. In addition, native plants to our region such as the Sabal Minor and Southern Wood Fern will be included to integrate plants that are found nearby in the ravine. The Heliconia flowers produce considerable amounts of nectar, a high energy food essential for hummingbirds who are known to consume three times their bodyweight in a single day. In addition to nectar producing plants, there will be hummingbird nest materials dispersed throughout the garden. A misty quality to the garden will be provided by a misting system, and tropical colored lights will be lit at night for special events. Visitors to the garden will have a unique sensory experience reminiscent to that of Heade’s travels to Brazil’s rainforests.

Design ideas for a traditional landscaping in Orange County.

Featured in this collection is John's very own award winning backyard. His garden is a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. The property provides the four basic habitat elements needed for wildlife to thrive: water, cover, food and places to raise their young. His garden will be featured in the September issue of San Diego Home and Garden magazine. Stay tuned for John's new book, Garden Sanctuary: Designing for Comfort, Wholeness, and Connection, that takes you on the transformative journey of creating your own personal sanctuary and connection to nature in your own back yard.

Washington Wallcovering
Mountain style home office photo in New York

Monte Amendt
Example of a minimalist deck design in Los Angeles

The lauhala palm leaves have been popular in tropical regions for many years because of their versatility when it comes to roofing materials, floor coverings, wall coverings, and bedding mats. Often found in the South Pacific and the Philippines, lauhala woven mats have become a common fixture in many commercial environments, homes, and backyards today. The coloring in lauhala matting often ranges from tan to darker browns once it has been finished. This natural fiber decorative matting is as versatile as it is durable. Use to underlay a solid roofed Palapa or as a wall covering, privacy screen, cabana matting, to accent Tiki Bars or even line tables for a party. When cutting and installing lauhala matting, you can use glue, adhesive or Gaffer tape be sure to do some research into where you’ll be installing it as well as to the conditions of your surroundings. As a quick tip, you can use the remnants or fallen pieces of matting as tools for covering up any potential problem areas or simply weave them back into the matting. Select Lauhala, Bac Bac, Abaca, or Lampac matting to help spruce up your tropical paradise! Lauhala ceiling mat.

Jodi McCue
Photo of a traditional landscaping in Cleveland.