Garden Design Essentials: Mastering Proportion and Scale

Proportion and scale are the most challenging concepts in landscape design. Spindly arbors and trellises look fragile; tiny flowerpots on a huge patio look sad and lonely. People fear going big, but as one designer noted

Layering Textures for a Lush, Dynamic Garden

Like pairing typefaces, layering clothing, or accessorizing a room, the secret to successful garden design is layering textures. Once youve mastered plant care, you can work toward a cohesive, visually interesting garden

All-White Gardens: Luminous Blooms for Nighttime Magic

Ever wandered through a garden at night? Sounds and scents intensify, but without a flashlight, sights are lost. A white garden changes everything: white flowers glow in the moonlight, eliminating the need for artificial

Lessons from Monet's Garden: Timeless Design Inspiration from Giverny

The Impressionist painters of the late 19th century transformed how we perceive the world, and Claude Monet profoundly influenced how we view our gardens. In 1883, Monet settled in Giverny, a village northwest of Paris,

Coastal Garden Design: Beautiful, Resilient Landscapes for Seaside Living

Gardening by the sea isnt for sissies. Even the best seaside day brings noticeable breezes and salt spray. Stormy weather adds strong winds, stronger salt spray, pelting storms. At the seas edge, soil is sandy, salty, or

Tropical Garden Design: Creating Lush, Exotic Landscapes in Any Climate

Think tropical and you imagine sun, sand, warm water, soft breezes, lush greens, exotic flowers—an immediate vacation. In tropical/subtropical climates, starting is easy—defining plants (palms, bougainvillea, bromeliads,

Minimalist Garden Design: Principles for Serene, Low-Maintenance Outdoor Spaces

Minimalist design has moved from interiors to gardens. Glossy magazines feature pristine interiors with carefully chosen decor, blank walls, functional furniture, clear surfaces, no clutter. But minimalist gardens follow

6 Steps to Start a Garden from Scratch: Foundation Plants, Sedum Secrets, and More

Gardening isnt for the faint of heart. Beyond physical labor and hours of attention, there are endless decisions. Bring home 10 plants and you have 10 decisions: where? Will they clash? Will mature shapes complement neig

Slovenian Garden Romance: A Lakeside Retreat Near Ljubljana

When you discover a place you love, you wonder: share it or keep it secret? Thats how I feel about Slovenia—surrounded by Italy, Austria, Croatia, Hungary—especially Lake Bled. Seeing this home and garden outside Ljublja

Golf-Inspired Homes: Course-Side Living, Backyard Greens, and Indoor Simulators

As I write, the 112th U.S. Open final round is underway at San Franciscos Olympic Club. The lakeside course dates to the mid-1920s, before houses sprouted along fairways nationwide. Today golf communities balance fairway

Create a River of Color in Your Garden with Mass Plantings

Youve heard of planting en masse, but does that mean five petunias instead of one? Try 50 or 550—often needed for a river effect. All those plants get expensive, so find fast-growing, easily spreading plants. Creeping se

8 Inspiring Side Yard Garden Designs for Narrow Spaces

The side yard—often a dark, weedy spot squeezed between garage and fence, rushed through with eyes closed. But for many, space is at a premium. Why not turn that slender location into a lush, quiet garden instead of stas

8 Stylish Sandbox Designs That Elevate Backyard Play

Kids dont need bells and whistles for backyard play—a few boards nailed into a square filled with sand works perfectly. But you might prefer something more refined to elevate your landscape. Check out these inventive san

Soft Hardscaping: Budget-Friendly, Eco-Conscious Garden Paths and Surfaces

Dreaming of a garden but constrained by budget, environmental concerns, or DIY skill level? Consider softer hardscaping: gravel paths instead of mortared stone; planted screens versus fences; broad-canopy trees instead o

3 Overlooked Spaces Transformed Into Beautiful Garden Areas

Those with neat, airy spaces can easily create ideal gardens, but what about drafty side accesses or utilitarian stairways? These initially unattractive areas often become neglected, but with thought and careful plant se

Lush Desert Garden in Las Vegas: A Water-Wise Backyard Retreat

Las Vegas desert landscaping is challenging: water is precious, soil is poor. But this couples property abuts conservation land providing a backyard shade canopy, and they found landscape architect Jonathan Spears of Sag

Contemporary Garden Picks: Sculpture, Furniture, and Accessories for Modern Outdoor Spaces

Summers here—time to enjoy your garden! If you want contemporary styling regardless of garden size, there are countless ways and products to create a fresh look. Here are top picks for contemporary garden ideas. — Rachel

English Landscape Gardens: Creating Parklike Serenity at Any Scale

An English landscape features sweeping vistas across rolling lawns, distant tree groves, natural ponds and lakes, discreetly placed classical ruins, and pastoral peacefulness—a parklike setting representing the English I

Garden Design Fundamentals: How Shape and Pattern Define Style

Shape and pattern are simple words, but how do they relate to garden design and personal style? Understanding how shapes interact is central to garden design—these underlying abstract forms give a design its strength. In

8 Water-Wise Plants for Beautiful, Low-Maintenance Landscapes

Water is precious, yet many households use more outdoors than for all other purposes combined—mostly for landscaping. The average suburban lawn needs 10,000 gallons of supplemental water annually. Water-efficient designs