Small Garden Ideas and Designs
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Exterior Worlds Landscaping & DesignDesign ideas for a small classic side driveway full sun garden in Houston with concrete paving.
SCJ Studio Landscape ArchitectureIn Seattle's Fremont neighborhood SCJ Studio designed a new landscape to surround and set off a contemporary home by Coates Design Architects. The narrow spaces around the tall home needed structure and organization, and a thoughtful approach to layout and space programming. A concrete patio was installed with a Paloform Bento gas fire feature surrounded by lush, northwest planting. A horizontal board cedar fence provides privacy from the street and creates the cozy feeling of an outdoor room among the trees. LED low-voltage lighting by Kichler Lighting adds night-time warmth .
Photography by: Miranda Estes Photography
Design HeightsCarole Jordorson
Small contemporary front partial sun garden for autumn in London with gravel.
Small contemporary front partial sun garden for autumn in London with gravel.
Neil Jones DesignUsing a refined palette of quality materials set within a striking and elegant design, the space provides a restful and sophisticated urban garden for a professional couple to be enjoyed both in the daytime and after dark. The use of corten is complimented by the bold treatment of black in the decking, bespoke screen and pergola.
a Blade of GrassPhoto by Pete Cadieux
Inspiration for a small traditional front partial sun garden for spring in Boston.
Inspiration for a small traditional front partial sun garden for spring in Boston.
Jill Davis DesignPhoto by Jill Davis
Photo of a small traditional front formal full sun garden for winter in Chicago with a potted garden.
Photo of a small traditional front formal full sun garden for winter in Chicago with a potted garden.
Barbara Samitier GardensAnna Batchelor
Inspiration for a small contemporary back xeriscape full sun garden for spring in London with a vegetable patch and concrete paving.
Inspiration for a small contemporary back xeriscape full sun garden for spring in London with a vegetable patch and concrete paving.
April Philips Design WorksThe Spa, spa deck, water feature and greenwall.
Inspiration for a small contemporary back full sun garden in San Francisco with a living wall and decking.
Inspiration for a small contemporary back full sun garden in San Francisco with a living wall and decking.
June Scott DesignSucculents, grasses and low-water shrubs with vivid foliage give this coastal garden a rich, textured look with minimal maintenance.
Photos by Daniel Bosler
Design ideas for a small modern back formal partial sun garden in Denver with an outdoor sport court, natural stone paving and a water feature.
Eden CondensedA custom all cedar raised bed was designed and installed outside the kitchen door for easy access. It is filled with organic potting soil, organic fertilizer, and herb seedlings.
Mark S. Garff, Landscape ArchitectIn south Seattle, a tiny backyard garden needed a makeover to add usability and create a sitting area for entertaining. Raised garden beds for edible plants provide the transition between the existing deck and new patio below, eliminating the need for a railing. A firepit provides the focal point for the new patio. Angles create drama and direct flow to the steel stairs and gate. Installed June, 2014.
Photography: Mark S. Garff ASLA, LLA
This is an example of a small modern back xeriscape full sun garden in San Francisco with gravel and a fire feature.
Exterior Worlds Landscaping & DesignA couple by the name of Claire and Dan Boyles commissioned Exterior Worlds to develop their back yard along the lines of a French Country garden design. They had recently designed and built a French Colonial style house. Claire had been very involved in the architectural design, and she communicated extensively her expectations for the landscape.
The aesthetic we ultimately created for them was not a traditional French country garden per se, but instead was a variation on the symmetry, color, and sense of formality associated with this design. The most notable feature that we added to the estate was a custom swimming pool installed just to the rear of the home. It emphasized linearity, complimentary right angles, and it featured a luxury spa and pool fountain. We built the coping around the pool out of limestone, and we used concrete pavers to build the custom pool patio. We then added French pottery in various locations around the patio to balance the stonework against the look and structure of the home.
We added a formal garden parallel to the pool to reflect its linear movement. Like most French country gardens, this design is bordered by sheered bushes and emphasizes straight lines, angles, and symmetry. One very interesting thing about this garden is that it is consist entirely of various shades of green, which lends itself well to the sense of a French estate. The garden is bordered by a taupe colored cedar fence that compliments the color of the stonework.
Just around the corner from the back entrance to the house, there lies a double-door entrance to the master bedroom. This was an ideal place to build a small patio for the Boyles to use as a private seating area in the early mornings and evenings. We deviated slightly from strict linearity and symmetry by adding pavers that ran out like steps from the patio into the grass. We then planted boxwood hedges around the patio, which are common in French country garden design and combine an Old World sensibility with a morning garden setting.
We then completed this portion of the project by adding rosemary and mondo grass as ground cover to the space between the patio, the corner of the house, and the back wall that frames the yard. This design is derivative of those found in morning gardens, and it provides the Boyles with a place where they can step directly from their bedroom into a private outdoor space and enjoy the early mornings and evenings.
We further develop the sense of a morning garden seating area; we deviated slightly from the strict linear forms of the rest of the landscape by adding pavers that ran like steps from the patio and out into the grass. We also planted rosemary and mondo grass as ground cover to the space between the patio, the corner of the house, and the back wall that borders this portion of the yard.
We then landscaped the front of the home with a continuing symmetry reminiscent of French country garden design. We wanted to establish a sense of grand entrance to the home, so we built a stone walkway that ran all the way from the sidewalk and then fanned out parallel to the covered porch that centers on the front door and large front windows of the house. To further develop the sense of a French country estate, we planted a small parterre garden that can be seen and enjoyed from the left side of the porch.
On the other side of house, we built the Boyles a circular motorcourt around a large oak tree surrounded by lush San Augustine grass. We had to employ special tree preservation techniques to build above the root zone of the tree. The motorcourt was then treated with a concrete-acid finish that compliments the brick in the home. For the parking area, we used limestone gravel chips.
French country garden design is traditionally viewed as a very formal style intended to fill a significant portion of a yard or landscape. The genius of the Boyles project lay not in strict adherence to tradition, but rather in adapting its basic principles to the architecture of the home and the geometry of the surrounding landscape.
For more the 20 years Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's fine neighborhoods.
Deborah Cerbone Associates, Inc.All planting design by Deborah Cerbone Associates, Inc.
This is an example of a small back formal pergola in New York with natural stone paving.
This is an example of a small back formal pergola in New York with natural stone paving.
Anthony Wilder Design/Build, Inc.Featured in Home & Design Magazine, this Chevy Chase home was inspired by Hugh Newell Jacobsen and built/designed by Anthony Wilder's team of architects and designers.
Small Garden Ideas and Designs
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