A low water-use drought tolerant succulent and ornamental grasses planting project in Pasadena, California. We used contrasting colors and textures of plant material to create a curb appeal for this spec home. The aloe and Agave american's are the focal points and add a great architectural element to the project.

Request Free Quote Front entrance plant bed ideas surrounding circular driveway in Winnetka, Illinois by Schmechtig Landscapes. The center island has a concrete edge and is filled with color provided by seasonal interest perennials and grasses to provide texture.

Duy Tran Photography

Broward Landscape 954-752-7027

The problem this Memorial-Houston homeowner faced was that her sumptuous contemporary home, an austere series of interconnected cubes of various sizes constructed from white stucco, black steel and glass, did not have the proper landscaping frame. It was out of scale. Imagine Robert Motherwell's "Black on White" painting without the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston's generous expanse of white walls surrounding it. It would still be magnificent but somehow...off. Intuitively, the homeowner realized this issue and started interviewing landscape designers. After talking to about 15 different designers, she finally went with one, only to be disappointed with the results. From the across-the-street neighbor, she was then introduced to Exterior Worlds and she hired us to correct the newly-created problems and more fully realize her hopes for the grounds. "It's not unusual for us to come in and deal with a mess. Sometimes a homeowner gets overwhelmed with managing everything. Other times it is like this project where the design misses the mark. Regardless, it is really important to listen for what a prospect or client means and not just what they say," says Jeff Halper, owner of Exterior Worlds. Since the sheer size of the house is so dominating, Exterior Worlds' overall job was to bring the garden up to scale to match the house. Likewise, it was important to stretch the house into the landscape, thereby softening some of its severity. The concept we devised entailed creating an interplay between the landscape and the house by astute placement of the black-and-white colors of the house into the yard using different materials and textures. Strategic plantings of greenery increased the interest, density, height and function of the design. First we installed a pathway of crushed white marble around the perimeter of the house, the white of the path in homage to the house’s white facade. At various intervals, 3/8-inch steel-plated metal strips, painted black to echo the bones of the house, were embedded and crisscrossed in the pathway to turn it into a loose maze. Along this metal bunting, we planted succulents whose other-worldly shapes and mild coloration juxtaposed nicely against the hard-edged steel. These plantings included Gulf Coast muhly, a native grass that produces a pink-purple plume when it blooms in the fall. A side benefit to the use of these plants is that they are low maintenance and hardy in Houston’s summertime heat. Next we brought in trees for scale. Without them, the impressive architecture becomes imposing. We placed them along the front at either corner of the house. For the left side, we found a multi-trunk live oak in a field, transported it to the property and placed it in a custom-made square of the crushed marble at a slight distance from the house. On the right side where the house makes a 90-degree alcove, we planted a mature mesquite tree. To finish off the front entry, we fashioned the black steel into large squares and planted grass to create islands of green, or giant lawn stepping pads. We echoed this look in the back off the master suite by turning concrete pads of black-stained concrete into stepping pads. We kept the foundational plantings of Japanese yews which add green, earthy mass, something the stark architecture needs for further balance. We contoured Japanese boxwoods into small spheres to enhance the play between shapes and textures. In the large, white planters at the front entrance, we repeated the plantings of succulents and Gulf Coast muhly to reinforce symmetry. Then we built an additional planter in the back out of the black metal, filled it with the crushed white marble and planted a Texas vitex, another hardy choice that adds a touch of color with its purple blooms. To finish off the landscaping, we needed to address the ravine behind the house. We built a retaining wall to contain erosion. Aesthetically, we crafted it so that the wall has a sharp upper edge, a modern motif right where the landscape meets the land.

Antique granite cobble path leading from peastone driveway to wood deck.

Plantings had to fit within the bounds of limited sun and nearby deer. Photo by William Healy

Lisa Wilcox Deyo Landscape Architecture

A small entry garden for a historic home over looking the scenic Hudson River. A white trellis screens the street. Brick and blue stone were used for the walkway. A blend of tulips were used for some striking spring color. This front yard entry garden is located in Palisades, NY. Landscape design and installation services in the New Jersey and New York areas. 845-590-7306

A suburban home in mid-town Fort Collins gained a lot of curb appeal with colorful perennials and a small water feature. These perennials are low maintenance and drought tolerant and with a small amount of turf, this landscape is very water conservation friendly. The large quantity of perennials used in this landscape creates a big impact in a small space.

Succulents, shamrock plants and ground cover provide an interesting summer combination in the contemporary container.

Sculptural agaves, succulents and California native plants punctuate the front landscape complementing the “arroyo seco” rain garden studded with boulders and branches. The rain garden catches 50% of the stormwater runoff from the roof and infiltrates it into the soil. The remaining 50% of the runoff goes to a second rain garden in the back yard.

Oversized step stones make access easy, and maintenance is a thing of the past with a deep layer of gravel.

Lovely, clean-lined landscape color featuring bromeliads, palms, and a Mexican beach pebble border by Pamela Crawford. Pamela's services include landscape design and installation, pottery, outdoor living areas, and paving design. She covers Palm Beach and Martin County, including Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Palm Beach, Wellington, Stuart, and Palm Beach Gardens.