Sneak Peek: Garden Design Magazine's Aged Elegance Issue

Garden Design’s new issue features an antebellum garden rescued from ruin, staghorn ferns as wall art, and a Santa Monica garden built around reclaimed bricks discovered at a Los Angeles stone yard. Designer Scott Shrader stretched a small property into a series of outdoor rooms for entertaining: pond, pool, antique fountain, fire pit—and herringbone brick “carpets.”

Reclaimed Brick as Foundation

“I built the entire garden around this reclaimed brick,” Shrader says. “I like to start projects at ground level, organizing the paving and layout. Visually, it’s one of the most important surfaces in a garden.”

Details That Connect

Slim 4-inch strips of 3/8-inch Del Rio gravel visually connect the pool’s concrete coping to the herringbone bricks. Coffee tables on wheels and lightweight chairs (San Francisco’s The Wicker Works) complement a custom built-in brick sofa with Perennials outdoor fabrics.

Staghorn Fern as Living Art

Beneath a mounted staghorn fern, an antique limestone trough serves as a wall fountain. The issue is free for Gardenista readers on first subscription.