Staghorn NYC designed and installed this townhouse backyard garden for a young family in Brooklyn. The clients requested a pea gravel patio for it's casual style and great drainage properties and a palette of mostly native plants. River birch trees anchor the back of the yard and provide dappled shade, and lush border plantings give color and interest during all four seasons.

Detail of entry garden plantings that provide a colorful mix of flowers, foliage, and textures to attract pollinators.
Design ideas for a small contemporary drought-tolerant and full sun front yard garden path in Portland for summer.

In a wooded area of Lafayette, a mid-century home was re-imagined for a graphic designer and kindergarten teacher couple and their three children. A major new design feature is a high ceiling great room that wraps from the front to the back yard, turning a corner at the kitchen and ending at the family room fireplace. This room was designed with a high flat roof to work in conjunction with existing roof forms to create a unified whole, and raise interior ceiling heights from eight to over ten feet. All new lighting and large floor to ceiling Fleetwood aluminum windows expand views of the trees beyond. The existing home was enlarged by 700 square feet with a small exterior addition enlarging the kitchen over an existing deck, and a larger amount by excavating out crawlspace at the garage level to create a new home office with full bath, and separate laundry utility room. The remodeled residence became 3,847 square feet in total area including the garage. Exterior curb appeal was improved with all new Fleetwood windows, stained wood siding and stucco. New steel railing and concrete steps lead up to the front entry. Front and rear yard new landscape design by Huettl Landscape Architecture dramatically alters the site. New planting was added at the front yard with landscape lighting and modern concrete pavers and the rear yard has multiple decks for family gatherings with the focal point a concrete conversation circle with central fire feature. Everything revolves around the corner kitchen, large windows to the backyard, quartz countertops and cabinetry in painted and walnut finishes. The homeowners enjoyed the process of selecting Heath Tile for the kitchen backsplash and white oval tiles at the family room fireplace. Black brick tiles by Fireclay were used on the living room hearth. The kitchen flows into the family room all with views to the beautifully landscaped yards. The primary suite has a built-in window seat with large windows overlooking the garden, walnut cabinetry in a skylit walk-in closet, and a large dramatic skylight bouncing light into the shower. The kid’s bath also has a skylight slot with light angling downward over double sinks. More colorful tile shows up in these spaces, as does a geometric patterned tile in the downstairs office bath shower. The large yard is taken full advantage of with concrete paved walkways, stairs and firepit circle. New retaining walls in the rear yard helped to add more level usable outdoor space, with wood slats to visually blend them into the overall design. The end result is a beautiful transformation of a mid-century home, that both captures the client’s personalities and elevates the house into the modern age.

This elevated view showcases the creek winding through native plants strategically placed to stabilize the banks. The existing bridge remains in place, providing one of the vantage points from which the clients can enjoy peaceful views of the creek along with the deck above.

The cedar arbor defines the entry to the courtyard. Grape vine and Virginia Creeper cover the arbor and provide dense shade, as well as fall color.
This is an example of a small rustic shade courtyard brick garden path for summer.

Pawpaw is a pollen and nectar source for pollinating insects (mainly flies and beetles). The fleshy fruit is eaten by many birds and mammals. Larval host for several moth species and sole larval host for the Zebra Swallowtail. Provides cover for wildlife. Beavers may occasionally eat the bark.

Inspiration for a mid-sized mediterranean drought-tolerant and full sun front yard stone garden path in San Francisco for fall.

APLD 2021 Silver Landscape Design Award. An expansive back yard landscape with several mature oak trees and a stunning Golden Locust tree has been transformed into a welcoming outdoor retreat. The renovations include a wraparound deck, an expansive travertine natural stone patio, stairways and pathways along with concrete retaining walls and column accents with dramatic planters. The pathways meander throughout the landscape... some with travertine stepping stones and gravel and those below the majestic oaks left natural with fallen leaves. Raised vegetable beds and fruit trees occupy some of the sunniest areas of the landscape. A variety of low-water and low-maintenance plants for both sunny and shady areas include several succulents, grasses, CA natives and other site-appropriate Mediterranean plants complimented by a variety of boulders. Dramatic white pots provide architectural accents, filled with succulents and citrus trees. Design, Photos, Drawings © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

2016 - two years after the first posts, these next 4 pics show the slow progress to fill in the woodland shade garden. This garden space is sometimes called the dynamic edge, where low light get in below an otherwise tight canopy. 50 year old Spruce trees provide the dense overhead shade. This part of the shade bed is the oldest, and has Vinca ground cover and liriope to slow the flow of water from the neighbor's drive. This has proven to be successful. Azaleas are slow to grow, but are filling in behind. A native Spicebush is added in here too.

A closeup of the plants that grow at the bog's edge shows the intricate tapestry that they provide. I'm planting a fairly extensive understory to take over in late June when the skunk cabbage and veratrum die down.

Napa, CA residence, adjacent to a steep rock hillside. My design solutions included a contemporary redwood horizontal fence to help screen the view of the hillside along with arbors for vines that help to break up the long narrow space. I designed a triangular-shaped pergola with decorative panels from "Parasoleil" that serves as an artful focal point while providing interesting shade patterns that casts its delightful shadow along fence and patio and bench below, changing its position as the sun moves throughout the day. The landscape design includes angular planting beds, concrete pavers surrounded by gravel and a small lower-water lawn for the family to enjoy. The photos show the just planted low-water plants, vines and olive trees and again after a couple of months. Drawings, Design and Photos © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Rainwater is celebrated as the focal point in this backyard garden. The angled deck provides enough space for a morning coffee, then transitions down onto a natural stone patio for large gatherings. A deep plant bed was created against the garage to showcase plant textures and soften the patio space. The curved edge of the patio mimics the irregular shape of the corner rain garden, with a gently sloping lawn in between the two spaces. Natural boulders form the edge of the rain garden, while swaths of rushes and other water-loving plants provide all season interest.

Featured on NBC's Living In Luxury, this clean-canvas was given to us at the early development stage where we had free reign to create a home for our Texas-native, race-car driving client. We kept gray as the color tone throughout the main living spaces, while adding splashes of colors via accessories. Wanting something "new" we incorporated a "smart-glass" that provided privacy by the flick of a switch. Interior Design: Sire Design Photography: LUX Hunters

Dramatic plant textures, modern hardscaping and sharp angles enhanced this mid-century modern bungalow. Soft plants were chosen to contrast with the sharp angles of the pathways and hard edges of the MCM home, while providing all-season interest. Horizontal privacy screens wrap the front porch and create intimate garden spaces – some visible only from the street and some visible only from inside the home. The front yard is relatively small in size, but full of colorful texture.

These modest homeowners were looking for drainage solutions, low maintenance plantings, and an entertainment space they could enjoy outside. Mowing the grass had been a pain in the past, so with this design we decided to remove it entirely. Instead, more native grasses were utilized to take in water and reduce erosion. A new fence modernized and updated the space and allowed the interior of the backyard to be leveled providing more opportunities for design elements like a floating bench and custom built fire pit.

Tall cedar privacy screens block views to the side yard, and create a backdrop for a blooming front yard perennial garden with Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (Aster).

The Siloam stone path provides easy access throughout the landscape. The use of natural stone alongside the the aspens, evergreens and native plantings give a rustic yet refined feel.

Hard to believe this is one month after planting....the plantings provide privacy and screening for the outdoor shower. We planted creeping thyme between the bluestone to create fragrance when stepped on.

An array of California natives now provide privacy between the garden and the street. In addition to blooms, both Toyon and Manzanita produce edible berries. California Lilac and Cleveland Sage bring fragrance and an abundance of seeds in addition to striking blue and lavender blooms. Photo: Lesly Hall Photography, Summer 2019