Colorful Welcome: A Multilayered Entry Garden in Colorado

Year-Round Foliage and Seasonal Blooms Greg Bobich of Designs by Sundown transformed a flat, blank space in Englewood, Colorado into a multilayered tapestry. For year-round interest, he planted conifers: dwarf globe Colo

Small and Crafty Makeover: Turning a Tiny Bungalow into a Craftsman Gem

From Modest to Charming Michelle and Jeremy Walker, designers who run Blooming Gardens, saw potential in a 700-square-foot Ventura, California bungalow. They replaced original siding with redwood on the upper half and sh

Imagining Your Gate: Design Tips for a Welcoming Entrance

1. Tell a Story Your gate can convey your personality—humor, love of color, fondness for old materials—or echo your house or garden elements (a leaf, vine, blossom). Seek inspiration in books, magazines, and neighborhood

Tucson, Arizona: A Minimalist Desert Garden Blending Architecture and Landscape

Blending House and Habitat Nestled between two washes in the core of the Southwest desert, this garden uses a minimalist approach to gently blend the homes architecture with its impressive surroundings of saguaros, palo

A Shoreline Vacation at Home: Island-Style Garden on a Tiny Beach Lot

Maximizing Every Inch on a Narrow Coastal Lot In Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, Bruno and Dawn Büchler created an intimate island-style patio with dining area, fireplace, pond, outdoor kitchen, and a Caribbean-inspired

Mosaic Pathway: A Mythical Serpent in Stone

From Dead Lawn to Garden Focal Point When a water-guzzling fir killed a circular lawn patch, landscape designer Vanessa Nagel saw an opportunity. She replaced the grass with drought-tolerant thyme and surrounded it with

Desert Rebirth: Restoring a Sonoran Landscape Around a Barragán-Style Home

Bringing Back the Desert In Paradise Valley, Arizona, the previous owner had erased nearly all evidence of the Sonoran desert. The current homeowners wanted the lot to look as it did 20 years ago. Landscape architect Ste

The Ultimate Small Garden: A Complete Plan for Weekend Gardeners

Three Manageable Planting Beds Two 5x6-foot beds flank an entry arbor: one for herbs, one for vegetables. A third bed (3x14.5 ft) along the fence showcases a colorful mix of annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Herb Bed Gol

What's Your Backyard Type? A Playful Quiz

The Quiz On your birthday, would you rather: (A) Round up the family for a day at the park? (B) Throw a big party with a multicourse meal? (C) Schedule a spa date? Favorite sound: (A) Childrens laughter (B) Clinking gla

Southwest Gardening: Surprising Fall Color from Red-Cap Gum

Eucalyptus erythrocorys: Winter Bloomer Most fall color comes from leaves or berries, but the red-cap gum (Eucalyptus erythrocorys) offers a different spectacle. This evergreen lights up the shortest days with scarlet bu

Build a Backyard Beach: A Seaside Illusion in 100 Square Feet

Bringing the Coast Home Test garden coordinator Bud Stuckey created a 100-square-foot beach at Sunsets Menlo Park headquarters in two days for under $200, inspired by the California coast. He painted a wooden fence to mi

Imagine a Less Water-Dependent Future: Six Strategies

Choose drought-adapted plants native to the Wests dry regions, or from Australia, the Mediterranean, and South Africa. Irrigate edibles with a smart drip system connected to a weather-based controller that shuts off aut

Instant Patio: Seasonal Styling for a Small Outdoor Room

Spring Make the patio a focal point with a central birdbath and pots of blooming annuals—purple nemesia, bacopa. Edge with low mounders like New Zealand hair sedge Frosty Curls, Oriental Limelight artemisia, and add colo

Front and Back Makeover: Coastal Garden Reimagined

Sunny Front Yard Dining, Private Backyard Retreat On a coastal Santa Cruz lot, John and Libby Alexander moved outdoor dining to the sunny west-facing front yard and reserved the backyard for occasional entertaining. Land

Less Is More: Maximizing a Narrow Side Yard

Transforming a Tight Space into Functional Zones As homes grow larger and lots shrink, designers must make every inch count. In Walnut Creek, California, landscape architects Stefan Thuilot and Joseph Huettl turned a ver

Pavers with Personality: Custom Stepping Stones and Mosaics

Embellished Brick Pavers Designer-artist Kit Davey creates miniature pavers by decorating common bricks with found objects—pebbles, bottle caps, tiles, dominoes, sea glass. She wraps each bricks edge with gaffers tape to

Wildfire Lessons: Protecting Your Home and Garden from Fire

Learning from the 2003 Southern California Firestorms The October 2003 wildfires burned roughly 750,000 acres, destroyed about 4,800 homes, and claimed many lives. The Cedar Fire in San Diego produced 400-foot flames, ca

Give Bees a Chance: Creating a Bee-Friendly Garden

The Buzz About Bee Decline Since 2006, honeybee hives essential for pollinating almond orchards, squash blossoms, and orange groves have been mysteriously failing. While the causes are still under study, gardeners can ta

Formal Vegetable Garden Design: Elevating Edibles to Art

A Garden Room for Edible Beauty Designer Freeland Tanner believes vegetable gardening should be elevated to the level of a formal garden, where the beauty of plants is showcased to maximum potential. In their Napa, Calif

Bold Beauties: Succulents as Dramatic Garden Stars

Moving Beyond the Brown Thumb Stereotype Long dismissed as the last resort of neglectful gardeners, succulents are proving to be versatile, dramatic, and stunningly beautiful when used thoughtfully. From the cool blue an