Garden Party Hot Spot: A San Jose Backyard Transformed

At dusk, Richard Holden and Sandra Molls San Jose backyard becomes a luminous paradise. Chinese lanterns stuffed with white lights dangle from arbors, a dining patio glows warmly, and dramatic orange light bathes an anci

Privacy Without Walls: Creating Hideouts in a Fishbowl Garden

In todays crowded cities and housing developments, many homeowners feel like goldfish in a bowl — exposed every time they step outside. Sakis 1904 observation still rings true: I might have been a goldfish in a glass bow

Playful Geometry: Circles and Bubbles in a Contemporary Garden

Behind a sleek, contemporary home in Los Angeles, landscape designer Greg Sanchez crafted a garden themed around circles and bubbles to soften the architectures angular lines. A circular lawn framed by a bold poured-conc

Unthirsty Color: Denver's Roads Watersmart Garden

The Roads Watersmart Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens proves that showy plants dont have to be thirsty. Despite full sun exposure, this border required watering only seven times between late May and late October. Curator

Rustic Rebar Trellis for Narrow Planting Strips

Bare garage walls with skinny planting strips are a common challenge, but landscape architect Christy Ten Eyck found an industrial-chic solution for a home in Maricopa County, Arizona. Instead of a conventional wood trel

Transforming a Patio into a Desert Oasis with a Pond

An enclosed patio in Tucson, shaded by mesquite trees and wrapped in dark walls, already offered a pleasant retreat. But landscape designer Michelle Hearon and architect Diana Osborne elevated it into a genuine oasis by

Screening a Neighbor's View with a Desert Focal Point

When landscape designer Craig Pearson was tasked with creating privacy for a Phoenix garden, he avoided the typical solid walls or dense hedges. Instead, he shifted the perspective by crafting an immediate, captivating f

Best Small Trees for Containers: Eight Slow-Growing Species for Patio and Deck

Best Small Trees for Containers: Eight Slow-Growing Species for Patio and Deck A single tree in a large, handsome container adds a significant grace note—sculptural focal point, defines entry or outdoor living area, cast

Garden Wall Mosaic: Mexican River Rock Embellished with Family Heirlooms and Tools

Garden Wall Mosaic: Mexican River Rock Embellished with Family Heirlooms and Tools Garden writer Pat Welsh revives the Southern California tradition of decorating walls with Mexican river rock and whimsical objects. Her

Naturalistic Hot Spring Spa in Bellevue: Boulder-Encircled Retreat Under Douglas Firs

Naturalistic Hot Spring Spa in Bellevue: Boulder-Encircled Retreat Under Douglas Firs Mike and Brandy Galos built a fantasy forest hot spring in their front yard with designer/contractor Hendrikus Schraven. Jurors loved

Small Venice Garden Transformation: Tropical-Themed Outdoor Rooms with Hammock, Dining, and Fruit Trees

Small Venice Garden Transformation: Tropical-Themed Outdoor Rooms with Hammock, Dining, and Fruit Trees Four years ago, a funky 1970s Venice, CA backyard. Designer Daniela Rechtszaid transformed the house during remodeli

Sonoma Valley Italianate Garden: Olive Grove, Bocce Court, and Crushed-Stone Mulch

Sonoma Valley Italianate Garden: Olive Grove, Bocce Court, and Crushed-Stone Mulch Susan Skinner and Bob Heisterberg wanted their Sonoma Valley dream house to resemble a walled Italian village. Landscape architect Paul H

Living Christmas Tree Care: Indoor Display Tips and Year-Round Container Maintenance

Living Christmas Tree Care: Indoor Display Tips and Year-Round Container Maintenance Indoors Keep in original nursery container at least for first Christmas—avoid transplant shock added to indoor stress. Display ≤10 day

Minimalist Desert Garden in Paradise Valley: Angular Pool, Gridded Lawn, and Mass Plantings

Minimalist Desert Garden in Paradise Valley: Angular Pool, Gridded Lawn, and Mass Plantings The Sales familys Phoenix-area garden, designed by Greg Trutza, is as clean and crisp as a Philip Glass composition, in complete

Wildlife Sanctuary in the Santa Cruz Mountains: Pond, Boulders, and Fire-Safe Buffer Zone

Wildlife Sanctuary in the Santa Cruz Mountains: Pond, Boulders, and Fire-Safe Buffer Zone Birds and chipmunks thrive in this Boulder Creek miniature oasis amid dry chaparral. Landscape architect Steve Sutherland created

UrbanMulch: Seasonal Container Gardens Delivered, Planted, and Rotated for Busy Homeowners

UrbanMulch: Seasonal Container Gardens Delivered, Planted, and Rotated for Busy Homeowners Sara Jones (ex-Microsoft exec) started UrbanMulch for time-compressed, design-challenged homeowners. Customers log on, click a se

Autumn Grape Arbor: 'Cabernet' Vines on Recycled Redwood and Rusty Iron in Woodside

Autumn Grape Arbor: Cabernet Vines on Recycled Redwood and Rusty Iron in Woodside Landscape architect Tito Patri celebrated fall in a Woodside garden by training Cabernet grapevines over a custom arbor of soft-forged iro

Bamboo Gardening Guide: Choosing, Planting, and Maintaining Clumping and Running Bamboos

Bamboo Gardening Guide: Choosing, Planting, and Maintaining Clumping and Running Bamboos Bamboos offer unmatched impact: grow 4 ft/day, screen a two-story house in years, transform a backyard into an exotic retreat. Some

Low-Maintenance Landscape Plan for Empty Nesters: Entertaining Patio, Private Retreat, and Fragrant Plantings

Low-Maintenance Landscape Plan for Empty Nesters: Entertaining Patio, Private Retreat, and Fragrant Plantings Ideal garden for empty nesters or young couples: entertaining area and personal retreat top the list. Spaciou

Miniature Turf Cubes: Dichondra and Wheatgrass in Terra-Cotta Pots

Miniature Turf Cubes: Dichondra and Wheatgrass in Terra-Cotta Pots Dichondra (ground cover used between pavers) fills two 4-inch-square terra-cotta pots; wheatgrass fills the middle. Used four dichondra plants from six-p