Patchwork Concrete Driveway Makeover in Los Altos

Designer Cevan Forristt turned an old concrete driveway upside down for a Brian and Kathy Paterson front yard remodel. The driveway was framed with granite blocks, flat pieces formed patterns in the center, and chunks of

Three Great Border Plans: Cool Perennials, Edible Flowers, Tropical Jewels

Three distinct planting recipes for borders, each with a curated plant list. Cool Perennials A. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea; 4) B. False heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia; 1 gal.) C. Gaura lindheimeri Passionate Bl

Southwestern Lights: Cornhusk Luminarias

WHAT YOU NEED: Cornhusks (for tamales), scissors, highball glasses, rubber bands, raffia ribbon, chilies or corn tassels, votive candles or tea lights. Soak cornhusks 10 minutes. Cut 4 inches longer than the glass. Posi

A Taste of Provence in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Suzanne and Steven Diamonds cottage garden may be in Carmel, but it channels the south of France. A 6-foot wall encloses the front yard, buffering street noise and coastal winds while creating a sanctuary for dining and

Plant a Living Centerpiece: Long, Low, and Elegant

Big holiday dinners demand a centerpiece that spans the table without blocking sightlines. The solution: shoe box–size plastic storage containers filled with living plants, trimmed with festive ribbon. Add boxes to exten

Small Miracles: Making Tiny Gardens Live Large

Modern tract homes maximize indoor space at the expense of the yard—mouse-pad entries, hallway-wide side yards, marginal backyards. Older homes face the same squeeze when additions push to property lines. Yet garden desi

Design with Succulents: Bold Combinations for Low-Water Beds

Create lush, dramatic succulent beds by combining two or three large specimens with masses of smaller ones—too many varieties looks disorganized. Hedge: A Living Fence For a maintenance-free, mild-climate hedge, intersp

Solutions: Vertical Gardens Turn Blank Walls into Living Art

A boring wall is an opportunity to extend your garden upward. Vines, colorful plants, and decorative objects transform that daunting expanse into a vertical garden. Living Tapestry in Solana Beach Jerry and Geri Thirlow

Dream Time: The Romance of Sleeping Outdoors

Sleeping outside has deep roots—cowboy bedrolls, camping traditions, and the sleeping porches of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Sunset covered them in 1915). Today, open-air platforms offer daytime catnaps or fu

Growing Gardeners: A Family Landscape Designed for Play

When a garden plot doubles as a play area, learning about plants becomes adventure. JoAnn and Richard Hoffmans Eugene, Oregon landscape—designed by Jim Robinson of Daichi Landscape—transforms a steep, shady site into ter

Inspiration from Salt Lake City's Temple Square Gardens

Temple Square in Salt Lake City stages some of the Wests most orchestrated spring displays—bulbs and early perennials blooming in unison beneath flowering trees. For years, landscape designer Peter Lassig conceived these

Create a Garden Getaway: Escape Without Leaving Home

No luggage, traffic, or airports required. Step into a garden pavilion and your mind drifts free. You feel like youve gone halfway around the world, yet you havent left home, says Ann Foster. Two distinct retreats show t

Gorgeous Grasses: The Ultimate Mixers for Every Garden

Ornamental grasses dont belong banished to the margins—theyre born mixers, says Rick Darke, author of The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses. Their fluid forms, texture, motion, light, and sound weave disparate pla

Color Your Garden: Trust Your Instincts, Forget the Rules

Color theory—primary, secondary, analogous, complementary, hue, value, intensity—can paralyze a gardener. But you dressed yourself this morning without consulting a color wheel, didnt you? You decorated your home intuiti

Castro Valley Garden: Where Details Define the Design

On a flat suburban lot hemmed in by towering neighbors, Mathew Henning crafted a garden that draws the eye inward with sophisticated detailing. The centerpiece? Paving patterns that read like circuitry—a nod to the homeo

Daffodils Under Oaks: A Perfect Partnership

Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) is a magnificent native, but it resents summer irrigation—excess moisture invites disease and early death. C. Ivan Vistica, gardening near Woodburn, Oregon, found an elegant solution:

Creating an Old-World Potager in a New Garden

Making a freshly built yard feel like it belongs to a centuries-old French farmhouse is entirely achievable. Nancy and Greg Putman of Putman Construction & Landscaping guided the Brombals through the process, blendin

Entry Waterfall: A Mini Oasis Greeting You Home

For Craig and Carrie Prunty of Beaverton, Oregon, the daily return home begins with the soothing sound of water. A lush front garden centered around a splashing waterfall sits along a bend in the driveway—the first thing

Desert Overlook: A Tucson Garden Reconnected to Its Landscape

When a garage addition severed Agnes Stahlschmidt and Parviz Nikraveshs Tucson home from the surrounding desert, their front yard became a disconnected space. Landscape architect Rebecca Doxtater saw an opportunity to he

What Else Makes a Garden Magical? Water, Rooms, and Patina

Artist Maria del Carmen Calvo identifies three essential elements beyond plants. Water Moorish gardens always center water. Calvo includes seven fountains in her modest garden. “I’m never far from its sound.” Garden Ro