Dominique Palatchi, ©Alexis Toureau

Lysimachia with Ajuga make an excellent plant combination in a shade garden in the midwest. Falon Mihalic

A wall fountain adds a focal point in the small courtyard off of the living room. A formal 'X' pattern and box hedges organize the space. Photo: Wendy Harper Master Builder: Ken Palmer

Our Houston landscaping team was recently honored to collaborate with renowned architectural firm Murphy Mears. Murphy Mears builds superb custom homes throughout the country. A recent project for a Houston resident by the name of Borow involved a custom home that featured an efficient, elegant, and eclectic modern architectural design. Ms. Borow is very environmentally conscious and asked that we follow some very strict principles of conservation when developing her landscaping design plan. In many ways you could say this Houston landscaping project was green on both an aesthetic level and a functional level. We selected affordable ground cover that spread very quickly to provide a year round green color scheme that reflected much of the contemporary artwork within the interior of the home. Environmentally speaking, our project was also green in the sense that it focused on very primitive drought resistant plant species and tree preservation strategies. The resulting yard design ultimately functioned as an aesthetic mirror to the abstract forms that the owner prefers in wall art. One of the more notable things we did in this Houston landscaping project was to build the homeowner a gravel patio near the front entrance to the home. The homeowner specifically requested that we disconnect the irrigation system that we had installed in the yard because she wanted natural irrigation and drainage only. The gravel served this wish superbly. Being a natural drain in its own respect, it provided a permeable surface that allowed rainwater to soak through without collecting on the surface. More importantly, the gravel was the only material that could be laid down near the roots of the magnificent trees in Ms. Borow’s yard. Any type of stone, concrete, or brick that is used in more typical Houston landscaping plans would have been out of the question. A patio made from these materials would have either required cutting into tree roots, or it would have impeded their future growth. The specific species chosen for ground cover also bear noting. The two primary plants used were jasmine and iris. Monkey grass was also used to a small extent as a border around the edge of the house. Irises were planted in front of the house, and the jasmine was planted beneath the trees. Both are very fast growing, drought resistant species that require very little watering. However, they do require routine pruning, which Ms. Borow said she had no problem investing in. Such lawn alternatives are frequently used in Houston landscaping projects that for one reason or the other require something other than a standard planting of carpet grass. In this case, the motivation had nothing to do with finances, but rather a conscientious effort on Ms. Borow’s part to practice water conservation and tree preservation. Other hardscapes were then introduced into this green design to better support the home architecture. A stepping stone walkway was built using plain concrete pads that are very simple and modern in their aesthetic. These lead up to the front stair case with four inch steps that Murphy Mears designed for maximum ergonomics and comfort. There were a few softscape elements that we added to complete the Houston landscaping design. A planting of River Birch trees was introduced near the side of the home. River Birch trees are very attractive, light green trees that do not grow that tall. This eliminates any possible conflict between the tree roots and the home foundation. Murphy Mears also built a very elegant fence that transitioned the geometry of the house down to the city sidewalk. The fence sharply parallels the linear movement of the house. We introduced some climbing vines to help soften the fence and to harmonize its aesthetic with that of the trees, ground cover, and grass along the sidewalk.

This small patio a few steps down from the ipe deck is framed by new raised planters which preserved existing mature ficus vines on the existing stucco wall at the property line. Baby's tears between the stones soften and green up the space.

Photo by Brittany Dawn Short

Pool area renovation including new stone terrace,wall,columns,steps and full landscape

Greg Hadley

Katy Sheppard

Go Bold or Go Home! With brilliant hues of foliage and flower, bromeliads explode with bursts of color in tropical or other colorfully themed spaces. Versatility is where this plant shines as it can easily be combined with other flora such as succulents and ferns. This unique species can often convey a primal, even prehistoric feel with its basic, bold bright colors and rough, oversized foliage. A delight to the eyes, brilliant bromeliads will stand out with style!

Lindgren Landscape

We add texture and color by weaving various elements such as metal, stone, water and wood. We weave a variety of leaf shapes and sizes, plant shapes and sizes and colors. Grasses and conifers add winter interest and structure to the tapestry.

Автор проекта: Алена Арсеньева. Реализация проекта и ведение работ - Владимир Чичмарь.

Giardino e lounge esterne

Gorgeous colours and textures. © Deb Cass

Tuscan Villa Auto Courtyard & Driveway

In this extensive landscape transformation, Campion Walker took a secluded house nestled above a running stream and turned it into a multi layered masterpiece with five distinct ecological zones. Using an established oak grove as a starting point, the team at Campion Walker sculpted the hillsides into a magnificent wonderland of color, scent and texture. Natural stone, copper, steel, river rock and sustainable Ipe hardwood work in concert with a dynamic mix of California natives, drought tolerant grasses and Mediterranean plants to create a truly breathtaking masterpiece where every detail has been considered, crafted, and reimagined.