1 Great Backyard Landscaping

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1. Designing the Room Outside

A backyard is an extension of what's going on inside our home, maybe more colorful, casual, fun, and without a ceiling to put a lid on our needs and desires. In a yard, trees and vines can climb to their ultimate heights, light and weather can quickly change, and the possibilities—within the confines of our property lines—are up to the terrain, our design skills, and our do-it-yourself know-how. 

2. Multi-Use Yard

How do you design a backyard for two toddler boys and their parents that is safe, engaging, and attractive? Here, Creo Landscape Architecture more than fulfilled the challenge in this San Francisco area home that includes dining and seating spaces along with a grass-covered berm and interactive sculptures for the children.

3. An Eichler Remodel

Developer Joseph Eichler built thousands of California housing tract homes in the 1950s and 1960s, and his name is now associated with the style we now know as mid-century modern. While most of these developments were in the suburbs, the Diamond Heights Eichlers built in 1962 are in the Visitacion Valley neighborhood of San Francisco.

4. Woodland Garden

The owners of this Boston area property wanted to stretch their living space to the outside while enjoying the beautiful woodland setting at easy reach from the back door. Landscape designers A Blade of Grass reconfigured the back porch to step down to an adjacent raised bluestone patio. The designer created a series of outdoor rooms that transition from a highly developed space to more naturalized native plantings, including an outdoor fireplace, a koi pond, a shade garden, and irregular bluestone paths.

5. Islamic Courtyard

A large water basin is the centerpiece of this Islamic-style courtyard garden in Hertfordshire, England. The clients of landscape designer Fiona Green of Green Tree Garden Design previously lived in the Middle East and wanted their English garden to reflect the styles of their former home. Following the classic principles of Islamic garden design, Green designed a courtyard with a water feature in one corner with a new summerhouse in the opposite corner, which can be viewed from the courtyard seating area. Green completed the renovation by replacing the plants with specimens that offer year-round jewel-tone colors, as well as structure and scent.

6. A Midcentury Modern With 'Wow' Factor

Tasked with respecting the 1959 mid-century modern origins of this home, (fer) studio, LLP oversaw site improvements of a Sherman Oaks hilltop home owned by Davis Factor, photographer and founder of Smashbox. Preserving its post-and-beam construction and rhythm, (fer) studio added a carport, cabana, and a gym with a private patio serving the master suite. Along the way, Factor bought the property next door and his home was expanded to include a 2,700-square-foot guest house.

7. Backyard Stage

CNC Building Professionals designed a long, floating bench that links the interior with the exterior of this home in Sydney, Australia. The homeowners' children enjoy climbing the stairs that lead from one slate-covered patio to another—the higher one acts as a stage for impromptu performances when not used as a courtyard patio.

8. Transitions

Landscape designers are often consulted when homeowners' lifestyles and needs change. For these clients of Jane Harries Garden Design, the children had "grown out of football and guinea pig ownership, and they wanted a restyle," says Harries, of Northamptonshire, England.

9. Water-Wise, Multi-Use Yard

In this landscape, Beth Edelstein of the Los Angeles area firm BE Landscape Design removed the lawn and replaced it with raised stacked-stone planter boxes for growing vegetables and herbs. The drought-tolerant landscape design now includes benches, a fire pit, containers set on decomposed granite (DG) gravel, and concrete stepping stones.

10. Intimate English Garden

The owners of this home located in the Clapham neighborhood of London contacted Kate Eyre Garden Design for a redo that includes attractive wood fencing, a cozy seating area, and lots of gorgeous Viburnum bushes. The choice of fencing styles can do much to set the style of a landscape—the narrow horizontal rails used here make for a very contemporary look. 

11. Relaxing and Informal

A winding path made of decomposed granite (DG) connects areas of this yard in Woodcote, London, England, created by Joanne Winn Garden Design. Woven rattan lounge chairs add a modern touch to this lush landscape. Flower beds soften the transition between the turf lawn and paver patio. 

12. Chicago Shade

A woodland backyard near Chicago designed by Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors features pathways made from pavers and shredded bark. The designers carefully respected the existing trees while creating additional privacy for the homeowners. Plants include Annabelle hydrangeas, Pachysandra 'Green Carpet' ground cover, and Mission Arborvitae evergreen shrubs. 

13. The Backyard Vegetable Gardener

Love to cook with homegrown ingredients? Take a page from this gardener's book and use your empty backyard to create the ultimate vegetable garden. The geometry of a vegetable garden makes for an interesting design element while serving practical needs. 

14. Earthy Escape

A woodland garden in upstate New York created by Earth Mama Landscape Design features a gravel sitting area with stacked-stone retaining wall and flagstone steps leading to the nearby woods.

15. Daisy's She Shed

Featured on Beautiful Homes of Instagram, Daisy Christof of Long Island, New York, posts lovely images of her home and her model dog, Theo, at @daisyhomedesign. Her she shed—which she calls Minnie—provides a welcome escape for Christof. She loves hydrangeas and has more than 80 shrubs in various species and colors.

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