Houzz Tour: Virginia Wine Country Cottage

What happens when two landscape architecture students meet, get married, and begin some ambitious adventures in real estate? An eco-friendly and stunning renovation to a cottage and a beautiful garden, of course

Garden Tour: A Colorful Patio Blooms in the Arizona Desert

This Tuscon, Ariz. home belongs to a vivacious couple who wanted a place where they can make the most of their upcoming retirement. The clients had a big wish list, says landscape designer Kathryn Prideaux. They

Zen Gardens: Serene Outdoor Spaces

Considered by many as the epitome of minimalist design, Japanese Zen gardens were first created in medieval Japan to help Zen Buddhists invoke deep meditation by carefully raking gravel and strategically placing

5 Unique Homes Throw the Landscape a Curve

Perhaps the most uncommon shape for residential floor plans is the curve. Many factors make this an unusual way to build a house — namely expense, complexity, and having enough land to execute such a shape. But

How to Create an Outdoor Nest

Nothing is more natural than creating a nest-like space out of natures materials. The sights, sounds and textures of flowers, foliage and branches are wonderful tools for creating an inviting, restful space. Yo

Houzz Tour: Cabin Studios in the Landscape

When an active couple wanted to add more living space to their picturesque Mill Valley home, they decided to take full advantage of the setting. So they immersed themselves in the landscape by building two small

Old-School Green Design: Art Imitates Plants

I love designs in which the site and environment has been considered and fully integrated into the home design and decoration. Natures designs are beautiful, and when our homes connect to the design of our envi

Old-School Design: Frame Your Garden View

When designing your gardens and outdoor spaces, consider the frames you are creating with your trees, perennials and garden structures. By carefully considering the placement of your frames you can direct views

Old School Green Design: Add Texture With Grass

Grasses can work as a hedge, focal plants, textural elements in a walkway or beautiful contrasts to existing structures. There are a host of grasses to choose from, some perennial and some annual, from purple to

Old School Green Design: Keep the Trees!

One of my biggest pet peeves with some home building practices is the careless waste of plants and soil that can happen. Trees can be needlessly cut down and topsoil sometimes removed by the ton. When new home

Higher Ground: 6 Spectacular Landscapes

We have toured some stunning landscapes here at Houzz over the past few years. From a garden on a Greek island to a bocce ball court overlooking the Pacific Ocean, from a small front yard in the Hollywood Hills

Steeply Beautiful Slope Retention

Slope retention is critical for many homes. Retaining a slope may mean protecting the very structure of your home or preventing mud from overwhelming your landscape. While the term slope retention naturally ev

Landscape Tour: Two Acres of Rural Hillside in Maine

When two retired teachers built their dream home, their property was basically two acres of mown grass. The couple loved the pastoral Maine landscape, and they were not interested in mowing two acres every week.

Dry Riverbeds Solve Water Runoff

With spring here, you may be wondering how to manage runoff from snow or rain hitting saturated soils. Unexpected or mismanaged water is not just inconvenient; in some areas it is truly dangerous. In my native

Spring Fling: Visit a Garden in Full Glory

This week I braved the record pollen count to enjoy the spring flowers at one of my favorite places, The Atlanta Botanical Garden. Daffodils and tulips popped up early this year, as did dogwoods, azaleas, hyacin

Landscapes Make a Privacy Statement

There are gardens with full-frontal exposure, and then there are gardens that look like fortresses. And neither extreme is satisfying for those who live, work and play there. In her book Landscaping for Privacy

Lay of the Landscape: Traditional

Traditional landscaping can get a bad rap in design circles. Its not daring; it doesnt push the envelope; its something you can see everywhere. However, traditional gardens that are done well have a lot going fo

Steal This Landscape View

Most typical homeowners would like more land. But if you cant purchase or maintain more than what you have, the next best thing is to steal a view.If you are blessed with beautiful landscapes around you, a beaut

Smart Landscaping Slices Energy Bills

Effective landscaping can produce environmental benefits in each of the green building categories defined by the U.S. Green Building Councils LEED ranking system: water efficiency, indoor air quality, materials,

Cream-of-the-Crop Vegetable Gardens

Did you know that pottage is a thick soup? It makes sense, considering the original potagers (vegetable gardens) were created to provide manor kitchens with ingredients for ... wait for it ... thick soup. The