Backyard oasis

The most impressive landscapes sometimes arent planned ― they just evolve.When Kendra Phelps and Norbert Kappel had a new flagstone patio installed in their San Jose side yard, they had no intention of tackling a fu

Rock stars

When Hendrikus Schraven sets rocks in home landscapes, he positions them to look as though time and the elements simply revealed a stonescape that had been there forever. How does he do it? Experience, certainly; Sc

Should you fake the lawn?

By Maile MeloyTheres just something beautiful and comforting about mown grass. Whether youre throwing a ball, lying in the shade on a hot day, or sitting outside on a warm night, a green lawn is a pleasure.Writer Wa

Walls that rock

Rock walls look better than ever, as gardeners around the West give a fresh spin to a landscape classic. One reason for their popularity is that they work in so many styles of gardens: They can look charmingly rusti

Lessons from Butchart

At first glance, the Butchart Gardens appear lavish and theatrical ― a sort of horticultural Hollywood. But look closely and youll find plenty of ideas to adapt in your own garden. Hang baskets from a trellis. For

High-style courtyard

Unclassifiable might be the best adjective to describe Gwill Newmans courtyard garden. True, it has many of the elements of a classic Santa Fe courtyard ― heavily plastered walls with sensuous, rounded edges; deep,

Its a wrap

What looks like the biggest present under this living Christmas tree is an easy-to-make cylindrical surround that masks the pot in which the tree grows. Its wrapped in ribbons and sized to the height and width of th

Treasure island

One spring day, as the rain-splashed flagstone in her Fort Bragg, California, front yard created the illusion of a pond, Sarah Forseter realized that her garden was missing a vital element: a water feature. With the

Surreal succulents

Salvador Dalí meets the desert. Thats how landscape designer Eric Nagelmann describes the new fantasy garden he created for Ganna Walska Lotusland in Santa Barbara. Nagelmann began with a collection of rare columnar

Summer romance

Finding outdoor living space on a small lot shaped like a slice of pie can be a challenge. But landscape designers Bob Truxell and John Valentino met this challenge head-on with a courtyard that serves as both an en

So long, lawn

Lawns demand about an inch of water each week during the growing season. That was too much for Seattle-based landscape designer Stacie Crooks of Crooks Garden Design. She knew she could create a traffic-stopping tap

Desert views in Scottsdale

Simplicity of design gives this Scottsdale, Arizona, garden a Zen-like serenity. The property enjoys views of Black Mountain and a desert panorama.To blur the boundaries between the garden and the surrounding desert

3 elements of a great path

Every garden path comes with a question: Where does it lead? But its the journey as well as the destination that makes it so alluring. Along the way, the garden slowly reveals surprises - choice plants appear, scent

Rolling stones

Regional: Bow, WashingtonWith a view like this, theres no mistaking the gardens Northwest location, noted a juror of this hilltop garden that overlooks Puget Sound, designed and built by Hendrikus Schraven. Other ga

Northern California

PLANTINGBulbs. Sunset climate zones 7-9, 14-17: Early fall is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs. Less common types start appearing in nurseries this month, including baboon flower (Babiana), corn lily (Ixia),

Southern California style: Worth a trip

In a Mediterranean climate like Southern Californias, there is no reason why gardens shouldnt look interesting every month of the year, says Robert Abe, co-owner of Seaside Gardens nursery in Carpinteria. To prove i

Designing with nature in Mill Valley

Richard Ward discovered Japanese gardens when he moved to Northern California from New York City. I fell in love with the Japanese way of gardening with nature, he says. So he developed one of his own.The focal poin

Santa Rosa, California: Bathing beauty

A relaxing morning soak in a large bathtub filled with steaming hot water is a great way to start the day. Or so thought designers and homeowners Anne-Marie and Jeff Allen.But their soaking tub is not indoors like m

A cozy courtyard in Albuquerque

A few years ago, Judy Propper and her husband, Tom Cartledge, bought a home in the Sandia Heights neighborhood of Albuquerque. At that time, Propper recalls, the backyard was a wasteland of brush and scraggly fruit

Mix greens in your garden

In the Mediterranean region, mesclun is best known as a mix of tasty young lettuces and piquant greens (arugula, chervil, and endive in France; chicory, curly endive, and escarole in Italy).The crops now widely sold