“The side yard of a home is often overlooked, abandoned in favor of the heavily used front and back yards, but that is what is so great about them — they have the perfect potential to become quiet getaways within a home's landscape," says garden designer Bill Dear.

This lovely side yard patio and garden takes up a spot that easily could have been overlooked, creating serenity and beauty. While the backyard has a number of areas, including a pool, a deck, an open lawn and vegetable and perennial gardens with vast views of rolling meadows and woodlands, the side yard has a more enclosed flower-lined path, patio and garden that create a distinct feeling of sheltered privacy.

Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: A busy family with young teenagers and frequent guests
Location: Philadelphia
Size: The patio ranges from 7 to 16 feet wide. Dear Garden Associates, Inc. The garden beckons back past the pool house (right), with a stepping stone path bordered by colorful blooms. Dear Garden Associates, Inc. The path leads from the pool house down to a stone pump house. The curved stone wall to the left is a retaining wall, which provides a grade change; the wood one to the right covers unsightly air conditioners. The place where the path navigates between the two is a "pinch point" that is 7 feet wide, providing a more enclosed feeling along the path.

The wet-laid retaining wall is faced with a sandstone indigenous to the region. The stepping stones are irregular, lilac-colored flagstone. Several plants, including varieties of thyme, sedum and veronica, fill in the gaps between the stones.

Other plants seen here include Cotinus coggygria, Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo,' Hosta ‘Golden Tiara', Iris sibirica ‘Ceasar’s Brother’, Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low', Salvia nemerosa ‘Caradonna' and Stachys byzantina. Dear Garden Associates, Inc. A wide variety of heights gives the composition maximum interest; the higher ground above the retaining wall as well as low, medium and tall perennials and shrubs create undulating waves of color. These include Cotinus coggygria, Buddleia davidii ‘Lochinch', Calamintha nepetoides ‘White Cloud’, Geranium ‘Rozanne', Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky' and Rudbeckia fulgida.

Many of them attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Dear Garden Associates, Inc. Once past the pinch point, the space opens up, and the same stones used on the path spread into a stone patio. Two lounge chairs provide a private spot for getting away from all of the activity in the backyard. Dear Garden Associates, Inc. Plants were chosen for seasonal interest year round. "Native Sweetbay magnolias (Magnolia virginiana) flower later in the year than most magnolias, adding white blooms and sweet scents to the garden in late spring," Dear says. Dear Garden Associates, Inc. The low-profile perennials and herbs planted in between the stones not only stand up to hot and dry conditions and light foot traffic, but the thyme releases a fresh scent when stepped upon.

Plants seen in this view include Magnolia virginiana, Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’, Hamamelis x intermedia, Hydrangea quercifolia, Alchemilla mollis, Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam', Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’, Iris sibirica ‘Ceasar’s Brother’, Sedum acre and Thymus serpyllum ‘Alba’. Dear Garden Associates, Inc. A charming stone spring house marks the end of the side yard garden. Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris) partially covers its facade.

"This great vine has year-round interest and is extremely versatile," Dear says. "It becomes self-supporting by the use of tiny holdfasts, which attach to the surface of walls, trees, arbors and pergolas, and it also has the potential to drape itself beautifully over the side of walls or along steep embankments as a ground cover. Its flower is a white lacecap." Dear Garden Associates, Inc. As you may have noticed, the photos in this ideabook were taken during different times of the year. "It is very interesting to me to take note of the same plants seen in different seasons," Dear says. "For example, plants like the Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica ‘Ceasar’s Brother’) flower early in spring, but the seedpods which develop in the following weeks have an interest all their own. The foliage is an awesome textural contrast long after the flowers have gone and has a terrific fall color as the seasons turn." Dear Garden Associates, Inc. Dear cannot say enough about the potential for often-neglected side yards. Look at your own with fresh eyes to see if there is potential for a secret garden, even if it's just a path with plants running vertically on a trellis beside it.