Backyard Landscaping Ideas & Designs

Golden Goddess bamboo and Mexican weeping bamboo peek through cattle panel fencing and garden wall panels. Photo by Gabriel Frank
This is an example of a mid-sized modern drought-tolerant and partial sun backyard gravel landscaping in San Luis Obispo.

Bluestone paths traverse the property, unifying outdoor rooms and directing flow from one space to the next. Photo: Linda Oyama Bryan
Design ideas for a large traditional partial sun backyard stone formal garden in Chicago with a fireplace.

Inspiration for a mid-sized mediterranean drought-tolerant and partial sun backyard landscaping in Phoenix for spring.

Inspiration for a large craftsman partial sun backyard stone garden path in New York.

Product: Authentic Limestone for Exterior Living Spaces. Ancient Surfaces Contacts: (212) 461-0245 Email: Sales@ancientsurfaces.com Website: www.AncientSurfaces.com The design of external living spaces is known as the 'Al Fresco' design style as it is called in Italian. 'Al Fresco' translates into 'the open' or 'the cool/fresh exterior'. Customizing a fully functional outdoor kitchen, pizza oven, BBQ, fireplace or Jacuzzi pool spa all out of old reclaimed Mediterranean stone pieces is no easy task and shouldn’t be created out of the lowest common denominator of building materials such as concrete, Indian slates or Turkish travertine. The one thing you can bet the farmhouse on is that when the entire process unravels and when your outdoor living space materializes from the architects rendering to real life, you will be guaranteed a true Mediterranean living experience if your choice of construction material was as authentic and possible to the Southern Mediterranean regions. We believe that the coziness of your surroundings brought about by the creative usage of our antique stone elements will only amplify that authenticity. whether you are enjoying a relaxing time soaking the sun inside one of our Jacuzzi spa stone fountains or sharing unforgettable memories with family and friends while baking your own pizzas in one of our outdoor BBQ pizza ovens, our stone designs will always evoke in most a feeling of euphoria and exultation that one only gets while being on vacation is some exotic European island surrounded with the pristine beauty of indigenous nature and ancient architecture...

The cedar tub relates to the cedar deck, benches and beam screens. This view is from the door of the ADU looking out into the space. The greenhouse like material we used on the fence acts as a changing art piece where the shadows and lights interact with it. I designed it to be modern Shoji like screens.

Photography by Studio H Landscape Architecture. Post processing by Isabella Li.
Design ideas for a small contemporary drought-tolerant and partial sun backyard landscaping in Orange County with decking.

Front garden walk
Design ideas for a huge mediterranean full sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in San Diego for spring.

This client's home backs up to a beautiful native Beech and Tulip woodland with an intermittent stream running through the middle of the site. After mistakenly over-clearing the natural forest saplings, the once lush woods was now bare. Called in to help re-vegetate the woodland, we designed and created a new path network through the woodland so that the client could enjoy and experience their new garden. Planted with large masses of native perennials, shade grasses and spring bulbs this back yard is now lush once again. Design and Construction: Till Gardens (www.tillgardens.com - 201.767.5858) Photography: John Knowlton/Till Gardens

A family with five energetic kids and a rambling new bloodhound pooch needed a better connection to the outdoors in their terraced hillside home, overlooking the historic Mountain View Cemetery. The steep and disconnected terraces made life outdoors feel miles away. The clients expressed to us that when they thought about going outside, they often didn’t. Now, more functional stairs with generous pauses make a multi-story journey to the backyard easy to do every day. And their tall house and hillside are more integrated with playful twists, turns, and swings that invite the kids (and pup) out to play.

AquaTerra Outdoors was hired to design and install the entire outdoor package for this beautiful new custom home. We went with a contemporary design and finishes. Features include traditional landscape, new pool, spa, water feature wall, new fence and outdoor kitchen. Photography: Wade Griffith

Huckleberry Stone Steps with Montana Golden Sunrise Stone Wall
This is an example of a traditional backyard landscaping in Seattle.

Inspiration for a large farmhouse full sun backyard mulch formal garden in Austin.

Photo by Linda Oyama Bryan
This is an example of a mid-sized transitional backyard decomposed granite water fountain landscape in Chicago.

Ian Moore
Inspiration for a small modern partial sun backyard gravel formal garden in San Francisco for summer.

The owners of this vegetable garden purchased the undeveloped lot adjacent to their home and developed the sloping area into a collection of raised beds. - Photo by Kevin Bost

Photo: Rikki Snyder © 2016 Houzz
Photo of a traditional backyard landscaping in New York.

This is an example of a large traditional partial sun backyard gravel landscaping in New York for spring.

The property is one of the original farm houses located on the main street of a small town. It has been in the family for many years and our client just inherited the property. They were trying to have balance of preserving the old while realizing modern day living has its benefits too. The house had a large addition added using mostly old style materials, but designed with function and modern day luxuries. Our goal was to carry that theme to the outside. Our first problem we had to address was how to transition between the first floor elevation changes. The lower room was the husband’s office. He stated in the future he may have clients over and it would be nice to have an area to sit outside. The wife’s main concern was to renew the four corner garden. She also felt it was very important to be able to see it from the kitchen area. Finally there was an old wishing well stuck right outside the kitchen. They both felt it would be neat to be able to incorporate this in some how. They wanted a patio area with a built in grill to accommodate there family and friends. They also wanted to keep a large play area for the kids. We were able to pull this off successfully. We addressed the first issue by having a small lower level flagstone area. This area is large enough for 1 to 2 people to sit comfortably. It also provides a transition from his office to the larger patio area. We installed a simple small gravel sitting area opposite of the main patio. This provides our client a secluded place to relax or do business. Mrs.... told me she is amazed how much her and her husband enjoys this area. It is so peaceful looking at the small creek over a glass of wine. We built a natural limestone retaining wall to create the patio terrace. The stone was chosen to extend the houses architectural elements into the landscape. Irregular broken flagstone was used to give it a more casual feel. We installed three Serviceberries into the patio terrace to replace some trees that were taken down during the remodeling. She was very concern that they would block the view of the four corner garden. We new they were crucial to nestle in the terrace, so we placed them for a couple days for her to decide. Fortunately she agreed they not only kept the view open, but helped frame the garden. The four corner garden was designed to be viewed from afar and experienced up close. We wanted the space to have some formal structure while keeping with the casual farm house feel. Another natural limestone retaining wall was created. This leveled the garden terrace and helped associate it with the rest of the property. The four corner garden is nestled into the existing woods edge. This provides three distinct experiences to entering the garden; a more formal from the driveway, an open feel from the lower lawn, and a more natural / casual experience from the wooded area. The Plymouth brown gravel was used for the center of the garden. This helped highlight the stone post that was found during construction. The gravel also brings the sense of sound into the garden space. Lamb’s ear was chosen as a fun way to get kids interest in horticulture. The balance of using the new to create the old feel is what makes this project a success. The property has already hosted a local historical society event and won an award for its preservation efforts. When Mrs.... can’t find her husband, she knows he is either reading the newspaper by the grill or resting in the hammock along the wood’s path.