An unused area of lawn has been repurposed as a meditation garden. The meandering path of limestone step stones weaves through a birch grove. The matrix planting of carex grasses is interspersed with flowering natives throughout the season. Fall is spectacular with the blooming of aromatic asters.

Very private backyard enclave

Morgan Howarth Photography

Very private backyard enclave waterfall

Backyard Escape

Windscapes Landscaping

Traditional Garden

Landscaping Solutions

Kentfield Contemporary Garden

Avant Garden

English style entry planting photo by Galen Fultz

Less Is More.....Unless It's A Bore

Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors

The bluestone entry and poured-in-place concrete create strength of line in the front while the plantings softly transition to the back patio space.

LaurelRock Company: Family Retreat

LaurelRock

Karen Bussolini

lake house

Princeton Scapes Inc

Lakeside outdoor living at its finest

Floating Bench garden

Living Colour Gardens

Southfields Garden

Tom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping

PLANTING

J. Montgomery Designs, Inc.

For more photos of this project see: O'SHEA

West University

Exterior Worlds Landscaping & Design

Carl Mayfield

Seaview Beach House

Mackenzie Pronk Architects

Recycled timeber sleepers and pebbles provide a pervious yet robust driveway. A garage door is concealed with flush hardwood cladding. Photography Roger D'Souza

Highgate Garden

London Garden Designer

The clients of this Highgate Garden contacted London Garden Designer in Dec 2011, after seeing some of my work in House and Garden Magazine. They had recently moved into the house and were keen to have the garden ready for summer. The brief was fairly open, although one specific request was for a Garden Lodge to be used as a Gym and art room. This was something that would require planning permission so I set this in motion whilst I got on with designing the rest of the garden. The ground floor of the house opened out onto a deck that was one metre from the lawn level, and felt quite exposed to the surrounding neighbours. The garden also sloped across its width by about 1.5 m, so I needed to incorporate this into the design.

Seneca Residence

Verdance Landscape Architecture

A stepping stone path meanders through drought-tolerant plantings including Dymondia, Rosemary 'Barbeque', and Euryops. The owner's favorite roses are integrated with Penstemon 'Apple Blossom' and variegated Tulbaghia 'Silver Lace' to provide color and contrast. Photo © Jude Parkinson-Morgan.

Barnaby Woods Residence

Moody Graham

Photography by Allen Russ.

Rustic Creekside Backyard - Cedarburg, WI

Ginkgo Leaf Studio

Stone steppers lead to an irregular lannon stone fire pit area in this creekside backyard in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Westhauser Photography

Southcliff

Gardens for Living

Less Is More.....Unless It's A Bore

Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors

Patterned bluestone, board-on-board concrete and seasonal containers establish strength of line in the front landscape design. Plants are subordinate components of the design and just emerging from their winter dormancy.

Backyard - Japanese Garden

DabneyCollins

Landscape lighting is used to enhance the evening experience. http://www.jerryfinleyphotography.com/

Garden Design Ideas with Natural Stone Pavers

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.