This award-winning design epitomizes luxury and formal Italian garden elegance, with natural decomposed granite walkways leading through meticulously arranged parterre gardens. Adhering to a sophisticated white, purple, and green color palette, these gardens bloom with carefully selected roses, irises, and geraniums. Celebrated annually on upscale garden tours, this project has become a beacon of design excellence, capturing the traditional Italian style with unparalleled sophistication.

MTLA - Seaver-Speck

User

Mark Tessier Landscape Architecture designed this textural, drought tolerant, warm modern garden to complement the mid-century design of the home. The use of various materials including gravel, wood, and concrete mixed with a lush drought resistant planting palette offer a homeowners and visitors a multi sensory environment. Photos by Art Gray

Menomonee River Parkway Oasis

Hawks Landscape Inc.

English Modernist in Santa Monica

Bosler Earth Design

Provence comes to California

Sweet Smiling Landscapes

This beautiful property is located in the hills above of Montecito with 360 degree of views onto the Channel Islands and the surrounding mountains. Inspired by the Japanese landscape design principal of the borrowed landscape the gardens on this property serves as a kind of picture frame from which to view the natural beauty of its surroundings. This 15-year-old costume-built home was crafted with all the style and workmanship ship found in Villa or Château in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, the garden design was not as well thought out as the house was. Most of this property receives baking sun, drying winds and is in an extremely high fire danger area. Do to these factors many of the plants on the property were unsuitable for their location. The original planting scheme was also lifeless and colorless. Poor landscape maintenance had left many of the plants on the property sick and dying. We came in to revive this landscape, breathing new life into it. Creating a drought tolerant and fire wise landscape was of utmost importance to these clients. Staying true to the more formal landscape styles found in Southern Europe we also want to create an opportunity to design seamlessly blend with its natural surroundings. We did that by incorporating a lot of California native plants. This vast property also contains an avocado orchard and a vineyard. By adding California native plants the property is inviting in native birds and insects that help keep pollinate the orchard and vineyard and keep pest problems at bay. Because these clients enjoy harvesting from their land we added elements of edible landscaping to this project. We filled pottery and planter beds with fruit trees, culinary and medicinal herbs as well as flowers that can be used in cut flower arrangements. Lastly, we went through carefully pruning diseased plants, treating pest problems an improving the soil. Now the landscape is not only more beautiful it is more protected against fire, is more water wise and integrate into its surrounds with a wholistic approach.

The decomposed-granite access path winds between apple trees to provide direct,

Verdance Landscape Architecture

verdancedesign

Garden Canopy in Daytime

Charles Di Piazza Architecture

Native Shrubs and Monterey Oaks separate the garden from the street front on Rio Grande. A steel canopy rusts in sympathy with the Court / Corten House, and will be eventually shrouded in vines to shade the seating area below.

A Landscape Like a Sonnet

Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors

Decomposed granite, an armillary and custom benches work harmoniously inside the walls of the garden. The home sits off in the distance, across the street.

Danville Backyard

Susan Friedman Landscape Architecture

Drystack Calistoga retaining walls with built-in slab seating, and California Gold D.G. hillside pathways. Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' performing well into August. Photo credits: Tom Minczeski

Front yard Mid Century Native

BE Landscape Design

This front yard went from water hogging grass and old school roses, to a flourishing native garden. As an added echo perk, we repurposed broken cement to create a little retaining wall and parkway path.

Ambiance Japonaise

L'esprit au vert

Kirkland Charmer

Land2c Landscape Architecture

Land2c The entertaining areas have three separate seating groups and can handle large groups easily. The kitchen is close to the largest, central terrace and BBQ. The guests can move easily between inside and outside through 3 sets of French doors.

Contemporary Coastal Garden Transformation in Aptos

Elemental Design Group

Contemporary black path light with carex meanders along decomposed granite path retained by Sonoma fieldstones.

Quand l'intérieur & le jardin se rencontrent

MAXIME ARNOUX - Paysagiste-Concepteur

Arroyo springs in River Oaks

Nature's Realm

Natures Realm

Internal

Boxleaf Design, Inc.

Marion Brenner Photogrphy

Back Yard Aerial View

Land2c Landscape Architecture

Land2c The gradual steps work their way to the home through a lush landscape. Grasses, ferns, and maples shade the area. Several trees were left that add instant age to the new garden.

Country Hill

User

Pathway connecting driveway to backyard surrounded by drought tolerant shrubs and grasses

Garden Design Ideas with a Garden Path and Decomposed Granite

Get Inspired by Gardens on Houzz

A lot of the time when you get home from a long day at work, all you want to do is wind down. Where better to do this than in your very own garden at home? If you do it right, a great garden design can send you right into holiday mode. But where to start? There’s so many styles to choose from when it comes to garden design. Whether you want to create a tropical, modern, contemporary, beach style or country garden - or something else entirely - the large garden image gallery on Houzz has got you covered. Get inspired and collect your ideas to narrow down your desired garden style and features.

How to Create a Garden for Your Home

Depending on which style you’re going for, be sure to know what makes a garden and if it’s appropriate for your climate. You may want to consider adding a deck or other landscaping features, but the plants you choose will mostly dictate your style and what kind of ongoing maintenance is required. Don’t worry if your backyard isn’t very spacious - there are many plants that can thrive even in a small space and allow you to turn your space into a little paradise of your own, regardless of size.

Decide which plants to use

The greenery you choose is critical to your look. For example, if you’re trying to create a tropical garden palm trees and bamboo are your go-to options. Other popular options are golden cane palm trees and fern for ground cover. From there you can add some colour with bright flowers like frangipani, hibiscus or bromeliads. All these are actually quite hardy plants, so once established, your tropical garden is actually quite easy to maintain. Use this structure and apply it to your style. Research which plants you need to set your base for a garden and go from there.

Add some decor

If the plants don’t quite do it for you yet, or if you want to add some extra wow-factor, consider adding some extra features. Even if you can’t accommodate a swimming pool, hot tub or pond, you could look at smaller water features. Simple rocks can also have a great effect, while statues and gnomes will add some extra character. Don’t forget to add some furniture so you have a nice place to sit and enjoy your garden!

Need some help?

Once you know what you want your garden to look like, it may be hard to make it a reality on your own. If that is the case for you, consider consulting a professional to help you with your garden design. Every photo you find on Houzz will lead you to the local pro that did the job, so you won’t have a problem picking the perfect person to help! Whether you need a gardener in Brisbane, a landscape architect in Melbourne or a fireplace installer in Sydney, you can be sure to find one on Houzz.