Colorado Rock Garden: A Colorful Carpet of Low-Water Plants

In early summer, the rock garden in this Boulder, Colorado backyard is carpeted with flowers and foliage. Boulders encrusted with green-and-silver lichens form the framework. In the foreground, large maplelike leaves of

Red-Hot Patio: Color-Drenched Outdoor Living in Arizona

Melodie Lewis loves color. When she renovated her Paradise Valley, Arizona garden with landscape architect Christy Ten Eyck, vivid hues were central to the design—especially for an intimate patio near the homes entry. P

Recycled Magic: A Garden Gate with a Story

Artist Jeanette Wolffs garden is filled with window frames—a recurring motif in her paintings. Her junk box holds intriguing objects waiting for new life, and friends and family feed her collection. The gate began with a

A Garden in a Day: Transforming a Barren Courtyard

SIZE: 12 by 18 feet TIME: 1 week to plan, 1 day to install COST: $750 (see cost breakdown) Linda and Rich Peters barren courtyard in San Mateo, California, cried out for color and life. Knowing weeds would take hold if

Backyard Fire Circle: Creating Campfire Ambiance in a Seattle Garden

Twilight beckons with fireside comfort. Carolyn Temple brought mountain campfire intimacy to her Madison Park, Seattle garden—no Cascades required. Design Strategy Layered plantings fringe the property line, stepping do

Orderly Vegetable Garden in West Linn, Oregon

Nancy and Jim DeClarks vegetable garden is a model of organization. Each 4- by 8-foot bed is outlined with landscaping timbers and amended with compost and rotted manure for easy-to-work soil. A 2-inch layer of crushed g

Firelight Focal Point: An In-Ground Gas Firepit with Mountain Views

On a cool evening, nothing beats relaxing beside a flickering fire—especially when the firepit is just outside the back door, like a private campground. Landscape architect Tom Berger designed this backyard gathering pla

Year-Round Container Gardens: Simple Strategies for Lasting Beauty

Floral designer Jean Manocchio of Belli Fiori in Redwood City, California, specializes in container plantings that look good all year. Her secret: anchor each pot with a single plant that thrives year-round—like a weepin

A Secluded Garden Patio for Gathering Friends

In a sunny corner of their Seattle garden, Daniel Sparler and Jeff Schouten created a patio that feels like a destination—set apart from the house, down a winding path, and surrounded by lush shrubs, perennials, and annu

Mountain Garden Mastery: Taming the Wilds of Vail Valley

At 7,800 feet in Colorados Vail Valley, gardening is an exercise in resilience. Snow can linger into June and return as early as August, while summer temperatures swing wildly from 40°F to 90°F in a single day. Steep slo

Eight-Step Garden Makeover: Inventory, Cleanup, Wish List, Planning, Hardscape, Shopping, Planting, and Finishing Touches

Eight-Step Garden Makeover: Inventory, Cleanup, Wish List, Planning, Hardscape, Shopping, Planting, and Finishing Touches TAKE INVENTORY: Note thriving/struggling plants, sun/shade patterns, soil type (squeeze test: cla

Using Paint as a Garden Design Tool: Colored Walls, Paving, and Structures for Spatial Effects

Using Paint as a Garden Design Tool: Colored Walls, Paving, and Structures for Spatial Effects Color is a powerful design tool, often introduced via flowers or accessories. But paint—on walls, paving, arbors, pots—achiev

Red-Walled Courtyard Garden in Phoenix: Transforming a Front Yard into a Social Hub

Red-Walled Courtyard Garden in Phoenix: Transforming a Front Yard into a Social Hub Victor Vasquez and Scott Aycock wanted a garden to relax and socialize with neighbors. Designer Carrie Nimmer transformed the flat, trad

Primary Color Palette in a Small Studio City Garden: Yellow Fireplace, Blue Fence, Red Furniture

Primary Color Palette in a Small Studio City Garden: Yellow Fireplace, Blue Fence, Red Furniture Moshe and Fegie Barkans 15-foot-wide backyard pulls off a brave red-yellow-blue palette with style. Things feel more alive

Playful Backyard Design: Blue Fence, Polka-Dot Tiles, Outdoor Theater, and Sandpit

Playful Backyard Design: Blue Fence, Polka-Dot Tiles, Outdoor Theater, and Sandpit Anne Bruns Richardson and daughter Eloise (7) use their Santa Cruz backyard as a storytelling haven. Designer Kathleen Shaeffer created a

Trickle Fountain on Bainbridge Island: Hollow Columns with Planted Capitals and Drip Irrigation

Trickle Fountain on Bainbridge Island: Hollow Columns with Planted Capitals and Drip Irrigation Artists George Little and David Lewis perfected a trickle fountain flowing a drop at a time. One resides in a Bainbridge Isl

Oahu Tropical Garden: Balinese Pavilions, Palm-Fringed Paths, and Polynesian-Asian Plant Collections

Oahu Tropical Garden: Balinese Pavilions, Palm-Fringed Paths, and Polynesian-Asian Plant Collections Greg and Lynn Boyers Oahu garden, six years old, transforms a slope into a tropical paradise blending Hawaiian and Bali

Asian-Inspired Garden in Paradise Valley: Moon Window, Koi Pond, and Purple Plum Focal Points

Asian-Inspired Garden in Paradise Valley: Moon Window, Koi Pond, and Purple Plum Focal Points Tom and Genni Houlihan wanted a calm, contemplative space with multiple outdoor living areas. Designer Greg Trutza created an

San Francisco Backyard as Indoor Living Room: Teak Daybed, Carved Mirror, and Tropical Foliage

San Francisco Backyard as Indoor Living Room: Teak Daybed, Carved Mirror, and Tropical Foliage Interior designer Antonio Martinss 25×25-ft backyard behind a narrow Victorian three-flat (former brothel) feels like a luxe

High-Elevation Firebreak Garden in Colorado: Concentric Irrigation Zones and Unthirsty Perennials

High-Elevation Firebreak Garden in Colorado: Concentric Irrigation Zones and Unthirsty Perennials In Sugar Loaf (west of Boulder), Laurie Jennings and Doug Sault created a garden of perennials seldom seen at high elevati