Design ideas for a huge craftsman rock and full sun front yard mulch driveway in Denver.

Jane Luce
This is an example of a mid-sized asian partial sun backyard gravel formal garden in DC Metro for summer.

Concrete slab and deck sections create a path to the front door in a sea of decorative pebbles. This is all about the design and very limited water and maintenance needed. Photo by Ketti Kupper

Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) Green-wood Cemetery Photo: Will Pollard, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic

M J McCabe-Garden Design
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional front yard gravel formal garden in Bridgeport.

Our clients will enjoy the soothing sound of falling water while they barbecue or sit next to the fireplace or fire pit. The Serviceberry tree behind the fountain will be the focal point of the back yard. It is TRUE! In Spring, beautiful white flowers, which develop into tasty purple berries that attract birds in early summer. Or harvest the berries and use them to make delicious jams, jellies, and pies. The plant's bright green or bluish green leaves turn stunning shades of red and orange in fall, and its silvery bark offers winter appeal. Stonemason: Arturo Munoz Photographer: Tom Z Productions

Heidi A. Long
Small rustic exterior home idea

Design ideas for a huge traditional partial sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Boston.

A pair of world travelers with a deep love of Japan asked JMMDS to design a Japanese-inspired landscape that would complement the contemporary renovation of their home in Edinburgh, Scotland. JMMDS created a plan that included a handsome cut-stone patio, meandering stepping stone paths, sweeping bed lines, stony mounds, a grassy pool of space, and swaths of elegant plantings. JMMDS was on site during the installation to craft the mounds and place the plants and stones. Julie Moir Messervy set out the ancient pieces of gneiss from Scotland’s Isle of Lewis. With the planting design, JMMDS sought to evoke the feeling of a traditional Japanese garden using locally suitable plants. The designers and clients visited nurseries in search of distinctive plant specimens, including cloud-pruned hollies, craggy pines, Japanese maples of varied color and habit, and a particularly notable Japanese snowbell tree. Beneath these, they laid drifts of sedges, hellebores, European gingers, ferns, and Solomon’s Seal. Evergreen azaleas, juniper, rhododendrons, and hebe were clustered around the lawn. JMMDS placed bamboos within root-controlled patio beds and planted mondo grass, sedums, and mosses among the stepping stones. Project designers: Julie Moir Messervy, Principal; Erica Bowman, Senior Landscape Architect Collaborators: Helen Lucas Architects, Steven Ogilvie (garden installers) Photography: Angus Bremner

Troy Thies Photography
Example of a classic gray two-story exterior home design in Minneapolis with a clipped gable roof

Design ideas for a mid-sized tropical full sun front yard gravel driveway in Miami.

Home design - transitional home design idea in Wichita

Photo by Jay Sifford.
Home design - eclectic home design idea in Charlotte

The Black Gum tree, Nyssa sylvatica, becomes a show-stopper in the fall season with its outstanding red color.
Inspiration for a rustic backyard formal garden in DC Metro for fall.

While the Southern California drought is keeping homeowners water usage to a minimum, there are an abundance of plants that thrive on minimal amounts of water. A combination of drip irrigation systems and drought tolerant plants can keep your exterior spaces green and beautiful as well as water efficient.

This modern beach front home needed a landscape to compliment its clean, crisp style. We were able to provide ample off street parking without creating a dull expanse of concrete. This pattern of concrete with stone banding was continued in the horizontal fencing for a subtle nautical undertone. While an assortment of grasses and other low maintenance plants that thrive in this seaside environment help to enhance the sense of place.

A number of roots were uncovered as the dry creek bed was dug. I chose to leave them, adding to the naturalistic feel of the creek bed. Christmas ferns were installed on the banks, again to simulate a natural creek bed. Photo by Jay Sifford

Photo of a large transitional full sun backyard river rock formal garden in Calgary for spring.

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional backyard formal garden in Boston.