Alamo, California: Poolside Pleasures Elevated

The Chase familys Northern California ranch house garden remodel achieves the ultimate indoor/outdoor living space. Jurors praised the variety of gathering areas, amenities, and thoughtful arrangement. The integration of

Landscaping a Woodland Pond: Creating a Forest Oasis in a Backyard

Imagine a cool, spring-fed forest pool lit by sunlight shafts through conifers — now picture it in a backyard. Sandra Adams built this tiny pond (under 4 feet long, 2 feet wide) by digging a shallow impression, lining it

Pot Luck: A Vintage Container Transforms a Dark Side Yard

Ruth Boruns floor-to-ceiling window framed an unexciting view of a narrow, dark side yard where nothing thrived. Landscape designer Chris Rosmini suggested a great container as a focal point instead of plants, and helped

Zen and the Art of Time Management: A Dentist's Japanese-Inspired Gates

Garden projects keep me off the psychiatrists couch, says dentist Kent Sellers. Pressured by a rigid schedule, he craves slow, contemplative tasks on days off — like designing and building Japanese-inspired gates for his

Stage Set: Wheelchair-Accessible Desert Garden with Movie-Star Drama

Marlene Dietrich would feel at home in this desert garden: dramatic lines, an elegant pool, and exquisite stone paving create a setting fit for a star. Yet its also fully wheelchair accessible. Sliding glass doors open o

Which Path Is for You? A Guide to Loose-Laid Path Materials

A quick guide to common loose-laid path materials (prices approximate, excluding edging or base materials). Easiest paths: packed sand or sand/gravel combo. More difficult: concrete or mortar-set paths requiring expert i

Lusher Look: Novice Gardener's Succulent Front Yard Makeover

Claudia Armann proves a novice can successfully revamp a landscape. Her Ventura, California front yard transformed from boring lawn to a vibrant, drought-tolerant composition of succulents and perennials that draws admir

Splendor in the Grasses: Native Harmony in Mendocino County

Landscape architects Patrick and Jane Miller took a hands-off approach to their rural Mendocino County property, creating a stunningly simple garden around their barn-like home and studio. Very brave, very original, and

Welcoming Courtyard: DIY Front Yard Transformation in Palo Alto

Michael Manneh turned an overgrown, weedy front yard into a cottage garden courtyard for his 1926 Palo Alto bungalow. With help from Stefan Offermann, they completed most work evenings and weekends to control costs, lear

Suburban Jungle: A Huntington Beach Tropical Paradise

Carl Hartmans childhood dreams of living in a jungle, fueled by Kiplings The Jungle Book, came true when he landscaped his Huntington Beach home. He started with common palms — king, queen, date — then added unusual spec

Lush and Unthirsty: Tropical Look with Drought-Tolerant Plants

Richard and Carole Kraemers Paradise Valley garden looks tropical, but the plants are genuinely drought-tolerant. Beside the front entry, a plush green welcome mat is lippia (Phyla nodiflora), not thirsty turf. Near the

A Personal Resort in the Suburbs: Tropical Escape on a California Porch

Davis Dalbok starts weekdays with breakfast in the tropics on his remodeled Fairfax, California porch — a subtropical oasis inspired by South Sea Islands. A plantscape designer who travels globally for unusual plants, Da

Deck with a View: Elegant Small-Space Solution on a Budget

Brian Sullivan, horticultural supervisor at Descanso Gardens, proves a small space and modest budget can yield a great backyard. His 736-square-foot sloping yard near South Pasadena was too small and sloping to be at all

Flowerful Meadow: Self-Seeding Calliopsis in Fort Collins

Bob and Bev Bacons Fort Collins backyard resembles a sunny mountain meadow overflowing with wildflowers. Three years ago, they sowed a mixture of Coreopsis tinctoria (calliopsis), an easy-to-grow annual that has reseeded

Lush and Rugged: Deer-Tolerant Garden in Boulder Foothills

In Boulder, Colorado, landscape designer Robert Howard and associate Mike Ransom created a naturalistic garden that thrives despite limited water and grazing deer. The key: unthirsty plants with informal shapes that hide

Before and After: Easy-Care Color for a Sunny Bed

Betty Norlanders 15-by-40-foot flower bed in Los Altos, California, was a shapeless struggle — plants failed in heavy soil, weeds were rampant, and the view from her living room window was uninspiring. Garden designer Ga

A Passion for Plants: 500 Varieties in a Small Eugene Garden

Landscape designers Rebecca Sams and Buell Steelman transformed the yard of their newly purchased Eugene home into a contemporary urban garden showcasing 500 plant varieties — from vegetables to ornamental trees, many wi

Spacing Ground Cover Plants: A Practical Calculation Chart

The spacing between ground cover plants depends on the species and how quickly you want full coverage. Use the chart below to calculate the area covered by a given number of plants at various spacings. Spacing Between Pl

Modern Miracle: Industrial Materials Meet Desert Views in LA

Overlooking the San Gabriel Mountains, this Los Angeles property transforms a narrow backyard once dominated by a two-car garage and concrete expanse. Designer Mia Lehrer, inspired by the owners modernist furniture colle

Make a Splash: Responsible Water Features for Arid Climates

In arid regions, a water feature isnt a luxury — its a necessity. The sight and sound of water cools the body, calms the mind, and instills gratitude. But minimizing evaporation is key to responsible design. The drier th