A peaceful backyard escape featuring vibrant drought-tolerant plantings, a natural stone retaining wall, and a hammock nestled among towering pines, offering a perfect spot for relaxation in a serene woodland setting.

Inspiration for a mid-century modern drought-tolerant front yard river rock retaining wall landscape in San Francisco.

Multiple tiers are created using natural stripstone retaining walls. This allows for practical, level areas that were previously not useful. Multiple levels create areas of interest as the eye travels from tier to tier.

Gabion walls are versatile and aesthetically pleasing structures composed of wire mesh baskets filled with rocks or other durable materials. These walls serve both practical and decorative purposes in landscaping and construction. The interlocking wire cages create a permeable barrier that allows for natural drainage, erosion control, and effective soil retention. The choice of stones or other fill materials enables customization to match the surrounding environment, making gabion walls a popular choice for enhancing outdoor spaces with a unique blend of functionality and visual appeal.

A broader perspective of the creek area featuring natural rocks, native plants, and several trees. Each element is carefully selected to support creek stabilization and add seasonal color, creating a resilient and vibrant habitat that honors the local ecosystem.

These clients bought a Mid-century house with a vintage landscape that left something to be desired. Both the clients as well as myself have a great appreciation for midcentury design and its clean lines but the majority of the landscapes found in Mid-century housing developments across America miss the mark when it comes to more current sensibilities. The midcentury American philosophy was that man should exert dominance over the land and that hedge trimmers and lawn mowers are mans best friends. Today more enlighten landscape designers strive to create landscapes that work with nature and not dominate it. In this project we did just that. These home owners loved the view of the mountains from their back yard in Santa Barbara, the way the warm colored sand stone boulders peak through muted greens of the Chaparral. We designed this landscape to be of its place. Sourcing local sandstone boulders like to ones found in the mountains behind the house we used then to build a low retaining wall. By breaking the sloping land into two flatter sections we are able to slow down the speed at which water evacuates the property giving it a chance to soak into the soil. This allows the landscape to work like a natural mini water shed, keeping the storm drains and then the oceans overwhelmed with polluted water and providing more water to the plants with less irrigation. When it came to the plants, the clients wanted low water color and texture. To celebrate the fact that the house is located in Santa Barbara county we wanted to incorporate the muted green tones, with pops of colorful foliage. Using a mix of course lots of California native plants and Mediterranean adapted plants we created a plant plate that is beautiful, low maintenance and flutters with native fauna such as bird, and butterflies and bees.

The quest for the perfect dog friendly landscape took a fun turn this year with canine clients Rey and Finn. The Havanese siblings insisted on a large patio with room for snoozing and snacking, healthy turf for sniffing and rolling, and a dedicated area for when Mother Nature calls. The homeowners wanted a large outdoor room for relaxing and entertaining and to ensure there were no toxic plants, as we all know how much puppies will eat just about anything. Toy poodle Beamer loves this part of the yard. Photo credit: Lisa Meddin, Harmony Design Northwest

Natural fieldstone retaining walls intermix with existing rock outcrops create a backdrop for an alternative micro clover lawn and bluestone pathway.
Design ideas for a small transitional drought-tolerant and full sun backyard river rock retaining wall landscape in New York for summer.

Here is another view of the Xeriscape installation. We also installed the fence you can see in the background. The owner made a wise choice with this type of fence. With its open style, it gives the impression that the garden is leading to grounds on the other side. It also works to make the adjacent grounds appear to lead into the garden. This is a very low maintenance landscape design, and the drought-resistant plants make it a perfect choice for those long hot Texas summers.

Multiple tiers are created using stone veneer retaining walls and planter boxes. This allows for practical, level areas that were previously not useful. Multiple levels create areas of interest as the eye travels from tier to tier.

This is an example of an asian drought-tolerant front yard river rock retaining wall landscape in San Francisco.

Brought functionality to this side yard by adding this ledgestone step system from Unilock, natural sandstone, river rock and low maintenance planting.

Photo of a large transitional front yard river rock retaining wall landscape in Minneapolis.

As a part of a complete landscape renovation, we were able to provide stable steps and retaining walls, as well as direct driveway water to an attractive dry stream bed.

These clients bought a Mid-century house with a vintage landscape that left something to be desired. Both the clients as well as myself have a great appreciation for midcentury design and its clean lines but the majority of the landscapes found in Mid-century housing developments across America miss the mark when it comes to more current sensibilities. The midcentury American philosophy was that man should exert dominance over the land and that hedge trimmers and lawn mowers are mans best friends. Today more enlighten landscape designers strive to create landscapes that work with nature and not dominate it. In this project we did just that. These home owners loved the view of the mountains from their back yard in Santa Barbara, the way the warm colored sand stone boulders peak through muted greens of the Chaparral. We designed this landscape to be of its place. Sourcing local sandstone boulders like to ones found in the mountains behind the house we used then to build a low retaining wall. By breaking the sloping land into two flatter sections we are able to slow down the speed at which water evacuates the property giving it a chance to soak into the soil. This allows the landscape to work like a natural mini water shed, keeping the storm drains and then the oceans overwhelmed with polluted water and providing more water to the plants with less irrigation. When it came to the plants, the clients wanted low water color and texture. To celebrate the fact that the house is located in Santa Barbara county we wanted to incorporate the muted green tones, with pops of colorful foliage. Using a mix of course lots of California native plants and Mediterranean adapted plants we created a plant plate that is beautiful, low maintenance and flutters with native fauna such as bird, and butterflies and bees.

Retaining walls don't have to be ugly, in fact, they can be a statement piece of a yard.
Design ideas for a transitional backyard river rock retaining wall landscape in Salt Lake City.

A view looking down on the creek, showcasing an abundant spread of native plants flourishing along the banks. The healthy vegetation plays a vital role in stabilizing the creek while creating a vibrant and living landscape.

Custom boulder retaining wall with planting beds along the side yard.
Design ideas for a huge traditional side yard river rock retaining wall landscape in Minneapolis.

Custom boulder retaining wall with patio and planting beds.
Inspiration for a huge traditional backyard river rock retaining wall landscape in Minneapolis.