Travertine patio for outdoor entertaining, fire pit area, and hot tub.

The design still had a curved lawn but some angles were put in nearer the house where the dining area was kept. A corner spot is placed to catch the sun. © Jane Harries

Pour se caché du voisinage, de grands murs bois ont été installés tout au tour de la parcelle. Ils entourent le jardin suffisamment grand pour conserver une sensation d'espace tout en le rendant plus cosy grâce à la chaleur du bois.

What is more traditional (or more welcoming) than roses blooming in front of a Cape Cod home? Here is one I transplanted long ago from the famous Webster Rose Garden (closed 1970), in Quissett, MA. I cared for this home for many years, and am glad to see this 100 year old rose still thriving for the current owners! No idea what this old variety was called, but modern breeding has given us a choice of many hardy roses grown on their own root stock. Check your local nursery, plant in sun, provide well drained soil (no problem on sandy Cape Cod).

This was a garden space that was a blank slate. All that existed before we conceptualized this garden was water loving turf. BKLD added two outdoor entertaining spaces in this small yard with a colored concrete patio and a crushed rock terrace for an informal fire feature. Umbrella stands were poured into the concrete so that outdoor umbrella's could provide shade and not blow away in this windier corridor of Petaluma. Who's ready for a beverage and some smores?

Marilyn Alexander Landscape Design

An open format with plenty of circulation and a place to sit make this new entry comfortable, beautiful and functional Installation by J. Walter Landscape & Irrigation Photo by Amy Whitworth

This is a turf-removal project in San Diego that will save the homeowner hundreds of dollars in water savings per year. By Tony Vitale

Front landscape renovation and enhancements featuring a new porch railing we installed.

Frost-proof containers are a must in Colorado. The initial investment might give you pause, but when you think about how easily plastic pots break, it's worth getting pots that can be used year round. Large pots can be anchored with a tall perennial flower or even small shrub, and filled-in with annuals for more color. Draping vines like sweet potato ('Marguerite' in chartreuse green!) provide contrasting color and texture against a jewel-tone container.

Small Landscape near front entryway to create an inviting passageway to your front door, also adds to your curb appeal. Bull rock placed instead of mulch for a even more appealing look.

The simple lines of this attractive contemporary home disguise a remarkable aspect of its construction: it received the coveted Gold Star rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program. This rating, granted after a third-party inspection, serves as the premier mark in green building achievement. LEED-certified homes cost less to operate, reducing energy and water bills by as much as 40%. Designed by the Houston firm Murphy Mears Architects (www.murphymears.com), the house earned the LEED Gold Star award because of the firm’s expert use in areas such as water efficiency, sustainable materials and energy strategies. Both principals of the architectural firm hold LEED AP credentials which affirm their knowledge of advanced green building expertise. To solidify their efforts to win the Gold Star certification, the firm hired Exterior Worlds to design the landscape using techniques that minimize the impact on ecosystems and water resources. Our charge was to employ drought-resistant plants, reclaimed materials and other green hardscapes to help Murphy Mears earn points within the LEED rating system. In the front yard, we created a rectilinear garden covered with black star gravel. The bed’s straight lines pay homage to the house’s design while the dark gray gravel extends the color palette. In this zone of interest, we planted six ornamental Japanese blueberry trees and contoured them into conical shapes to contrast with the linearity of the house. The homeowners had found reclaimed marble from a torn-down building and so we used these rectangular forms for the sidewalk. A border of gravel connects the sidewalk to the larger garden bed. The marble, which is striated white and black, also adds an interesting element of movement to the yard. We planted the rest of the yard with Zoysia grass since it possesses exceptional wear tolerance and good drought resistance. Gravel garden beds extend to the sides of the house, a choice that is both aesthetically pleasing and earth-friendly. In sustainable landscaping, gravel is prized because of its durability, minimal maintenance requirements and because, being inorganic, it requires no watering. For the back yard, we planted more Japanese blueberry trees and Zoysia grass to continue the theme begun in the front. Other plantings, requiring little water and pruning, were picked from the LEED-approved list. We also laid another pathway using the reclaimed marble, which leads around the property to the grill, patio and a potting table with reclaimed sink in the far back. We built a patio using synthetic decking material in the same light gray color as the house. The decking material requires no staining and is particularly durable. The patio creates a transition between the interior and exterior, with the glass doors of the house feeding out into the back yard. It is uncovered, playing up the openness of the house’s design and making the most of Houston’s golden morning light with the house creating deep shade in the hot afternoons. Perhaps the most striking thing that can be said about the property and its LEED rating is this: you’d never know it. That is, the innovative and far-ranging green techniques are woven so beautifully into its design all you notice is a superb house with an appealing landscape.