Meadow Garden in Palo Alto: Native Fescue Replaces Traditional Lawn

Meadow Garden in Palo Alto: Native Fescue Replaces Traditional Lawn Jenny and Toby Gottheiners suburban backyard breaks the mold. Landscape architect Bob Cleaver replaced the lawn with a meadow of native creeping red fes

Building a Living Wall: Beyond Succulents with Ferns, Bromeliads, and More

Building a Living Wall: Beyond Succulents with Ferns, Bromeliads, and More San Diego designer Amelia B. Lima, inspired by Patrick Blancs Paris vertical gardens, built a 40-foot, 7-foot-tall living wall using a framed sys

Lawn Renovation Guide: Reviving a Tired Lawn Without Starting Over

Lawn Renovation Guide: Reviving a Tired Lawn Without Starting Over Before replacing a worn lawn, try renovation. Good care first: Check for diseases/pests; control weeds. Dethatch and aerate at the best time for your gr

Landslide Transformation: Hillside Garden with Waterfalls and Rock Outcroppings in Seattle

Landslide Transformation: Hillside Garden with Waterfalls and Rock Outcroppings in Seattle A devastating landslide on John and Julie Denneys Puget Sound hillside became an opportunity. Designer Hendrikus Schraven stabili

Poolside Tropical Container Garden in Washington: Heat-Loving Plants in Glazed Pots

Poolside Tropical Container Garden in Washington: Heat-Loving Plants in Glazed Pots Julia and Ernie Grahams Puyallup, WA garden turns the hottest spot—around the swimming pool—into a tropical showcase. Poor soil led to c

Pincushion Plant (Nertera granadensis): A Tiny Treasure with Orange Berries

Pincushion Plant (Nertera granadensis): A Tiny Treasure with Orange Berries This diminutive New Zealand native covers itself in late summer with bead-like, brilliant orange berries the size of pinheads, lasting over thre

Northwest Garden Design: Artful Planting Around a Vintage Pottery Focal Point

Northwest Garden Design: Artful Planting Around a Vintage Pottery Focal Point Valerie Murray, drawing on her painting background, designed this tranquil Victoria, BC planting centered on a vintage American art pottery pi

A Collector's Garden in Seattle: Diverse Spaces on a Historic Holly Farm

A Collectors Garden in Seattle: Diverse Spaces on a Historic Holly Farm Lee Neffs Seattle landscape encompasses a vegetable garden, rock garden, woodland garden, perennial garden, mini arboretum, and areas for climbers a

Fire-Smart Landscaping: Creating Defensible Space in Wildfire-Prone Areas

Fire-Smart Landscaping: Creating Defensible Space in Wildfire-Prone Areas Windblown embers can travel a mile ahead of a wildfire. If they land on dry vegetation near your house, youre at risk. Creating a fire-resistant s

Sheet Mulching: Transform Lawn into Garden Bed Without Digging

Sheet Mulching: Transform Lawn into Garden Bed Without Digging Portland designer Margaret de Haas van Dorsser avoids sod stripping by smothering turf under 4–6 layers of newspaper and a load of manure, letting grass deco

A Koi Pond That Doubles as a Fire Reservoir

Practical Beauty in Colorado Mountains Bill and Dori Hamiltons property near Steamboat Springs includes a large koi pond (8,500 gallons) just feet from the back patio. It doubles as a fire reservoir—a portable pump and h

Moroccan Magic: A Feast for the Senses in Long Beach

Creating a Dar Moroc at Home Greg and Jericho Bartlows 1920s Hispano-Moorish house in Long Beach hosts Moroccan garden parties with brick red, saffron yellow, salmon orange, turquoise, jade green—dishes, textiles, flower

Recycled Greenhouse in Oregon: Salvaged Windows and Cedar Create a Gardener's Dream

Recycled Greenhouse in Oregon: Salvaged Windows and Cedar Create a Gardeners Dream This charming greenhouse, used for spring/fall cuttings and summer herb drying, was designed and built by Nan and Steve Reid Jr. of Garde

Small-Space Garden Makes Every Inch Count

1,250 Sq Ft Transformed into Intimate Rooms Maureen Cornelia and Peter Sheremetas San Jose garden was hot, unappealing brick patio hemmed by whitewashed walls. Designer Cynthia Hayes painted the house putty and the studi

Casual, Colorful Front Yard on a Sloping Lot

No Lawn, Just Easy-Care Plants and Stone Virginia and Murray Davis replaced turf on their angular, sloping Piedmont lot with a decomposed granite and stone entry. Landscape architect Bob Cleaver laid out the garden; Shar

Fashion-Inspired Garden Design: Fire and Ice

Color Schemes Borrowed from Retail Display Wendy Foster, owner of four Santa Barbara clothing stores, designs her garden like a seasonal collection. For her sunny border, she chose sizzling yellow and reddish-orange as t

Plant Palette: Trees, Shrubs, Vines, and Perennials by Zone

Curated Lists for Western Gardens Deciduous Trees & Shrubs: Azalea White Lights (A2, A3, 1-7), Japanese barberry Aurea, Crimson Pygmy, Rose Glow (A3, 2b-24), Japanese maple Bloodgood (A3, 2-10, 12, 14-24), Japanese snowd

Southwestern Philosophy in a Yorba Linda Garden

Working with Climate, Not Against It Joann Clark fell in love with the deserts resource-respecting philosophy while gathering ideas for a client. Her Yorba Linda renovation embraces pueblo style: minimal turf, rock mulch

Guiding Visitors Through a Meadow to the Front Door

Gradual Order in a Santa Fe Garden Melissa McDonald solved the challenge of directing guests past a tempting meadow to the entrance. Her strategy: approach order gradually. At the meadows edge, casual perennials (Mexican

Designing a Kid-Friendly Family Garden

Lessons from a Parent and Garden Writer Lauren Bonar Swezey learned quickly: prickly plants and toddlers dont mix; poisonous berries (cotoneaster) arent worth the risk. A family garden needs space to romp, sturdy plants,