Ah, summer…the season of fresh-baked strawberry rhubarb pies, farmers markets, and falling down Pinterest rabbit holes in search of garden ideas. Are you a gardener à la Bunny Mellon—i.e. champion of native plants and a Francophile garden layout? Or do you prefer your exteriors like your interiors: crisp and clean, with nary a blade of grass out of place?
Whatever garden ideas you’re in search of, we polled the pros for solutions. Take Robert Bell, a landscape architect, who advises that you put a style on repeat, literally: “Repeat decorative elements like a paving pattern, planter or a sculptural chaise to help the eye travel through the garden at a measured pace.” Or Michael Giannelli, owner of East Hampton Gardens, who whips up timeless focal points and often relies on a boxwood hedge for structure. “A simple boxwood hedge serves two purposes: It creates order of the garden and keeps the hydrangeas from flopping!” Read on for everything you need to know—and plenty of fresh garden inspo to leave you green with envy.
How do I plan my garden layout?
“The best way a lay person can start to begin a garden layout is to first look for inspiration, from favorite vacation spots to neighbor’s homes that have grabbed their attention,” says landscape designer Heather Trilling. “Then move to a dream list for your yard. What are your hopes on how to use the space? Entertaining, more family fun time, gardening as a hobby, a cutting garden, meditation, animals? A garden should enrich one’s life,” she says. And don’t forget to supply architectural structure, including raised beds and container gardens. Adam Sexton, senior associate of DC-based firm Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture, advises installing vertical gardens too. “Fences and decorative screens can help create a secluded sanctuary, but people are choosing plants for privacy instead. Vertical planting can achieve privacy screening in small spaces by using rolling shelves, pergolas, trellises, hanging baskets, planter boxes, fence shelving, mounted containers, and pouches.”
How do you design a garden?
You’re hankering for a beautiful garden…but the reality is that “a garden is only as successful as a thoughtful plan and layout,” says Kendra Poppy, head of brand and trends expert at Yardzen. Once your garden ideas for everything from flower beds to annuals are corralled into one place—whether it’s your notepad or a thick Pinterest folder—“sit down with all your collected information and begin spatial layout,” says Trilling, adding that you can even use a Google Earth image to capture property lines.
She advises keeping entertaining areas and pools close to your house so you’ll use them more often, and installing vegetable gardens, chicken coops, fire pits, and play areas further away from your home itself. “This often helps create pathways and more usable spaces around the property to draw function in other areas.” And remember, unlike ordering a bistro set, garden plans take time to achieve: you may need to wait a year or even three for your garden to reach its full potential, Poppy notes. “For perennial gardens in particular, you’ll often hear the phrase ‘sleep, creep, leap,’ referring to the three years and corresponding stages it takes for them to get established and mature.”
How do I design a small garden idea?
There are four must-haves in any small garden, Trilling says—including a fire pit or fireplace, plants in varying sizes and textures, a spot for seating, and a water feature—such as a gurgling fountain. “Water features bring so much life to a small space. The energy of the water brings a grounding vibe and soothing sound,” Trilling says. Sexton recommends considering a cabana, which can impart a resort-like feel in any backyard. “Not only are they great places to hang out and relax, but they also offer protection from the elements, and, depending on how the structure was designed, can help screen neighbors, particularly in tight suburban neighborhoods.” And for Bell, there’s little like LEDs after nightfall. “LEDs have transformed the world of garden lighting via new shapes and light positioning as well as enhanced lamp life and energy efficiency,” he says. Use them to illuminate your favorite moments as twilight descends.
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Photo: Janis Nicolay1/27Bring global design to your own backyard
Not all flower gardens are created equal. “How we decorate our outdoor spaces depends on the climate,” says Ami McKay, president and principal designer of PURE Design. She looked to Morocco for garden ideas for this oasis in the Pacific Northwest, and they brought indoor plants, rugs and pillows outside to use on warm days. “We’ll leave them out until the fall. I use a variety of plants in baskets and planter boxes in different natural tones.”
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Photo: Jose Prats and Dominique Madden of Acme Real Estate2/27Plant on the edge
In Los Angeles, a former carport near the front garden was transformed into a covetable outdoor space: an al fresco dining room by Yardzen. “California Gold gravel helps to warm up the starkness of the wide set pavers and white exteriors of this modern farmhouse aesthetic,” says Poppy. “A tall white privacy fence is softened by adding climbing plants all along the side of the alfresco dining area. By keeping the planting beds along each edge of the dining area, you allow an openness that gives guests room to move through the space.”
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Design: Yardzen and McKenzy Gold of Goldenbird Design Photo: Ebbe Yovino-Smith3/27Enjoy the goodness of gravel
Using gravel around garden beds, as Yardzen did in this Mill Valley, Calif. backyard of McKenzy Golding, lends “an organic feel that makes the space feel lived-in and unfussy,” Poppy says. “The climbing jasmine vines help to liven up your senses and disguise an older fence, giving the side yard old-warm charm.”
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Photo: Yardzen4/27Plant a path full of lavender
Who doesn’t want to bring a touch of “spa day” to their home garden greenery and garden path? “Soft and plentiful lavender flanks this curved front yard path, drawing in your eye from the street and towards a beautifully covered entryway,” Poppy says of this wine country-inspired retreat in Burlingame, California. Bonus: “It’s a pollinator paradise.”
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Photo: Yardzen5/27Go green (and white)
Classic choices are timeless. In this backyard garden by Yardzen, “a lush garden bed of green and white—limelight hydrangeas and white roses flanked by a border hedge—is a visual showpiece against the simple and modern white and black of the exteriors,” Poppy says.
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Photo: Greg Thomas6/27Lots of layers
A layered look is key al fresco. “These clients came to us wanting some improved curb appeal,” says Amy Hovis, principal at Eden Garden Design. Their suggestion? A dreamy palette of greens, pinks, and corals, all studded with succulents. The “striking Texas native botanical design features palo verde and huisache trees, yucca rostrata, pink gulf muhly grass, whale’s tongue agave, trailing purple lantana, and silver woolly stemodia created year-round interest and provided habitat value,” Hovis says. “Easy-care pea gravel and river rock rounded out the material palette.”
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Photo: Greg Thomas7/27Solve a problem
Every landscape design pro knows that a garden space can come with just as many challenges as interior design ones. “This project started from a problem to solve: Our clients had an eroding (and ugly) 500-foot long drainage channel along the entire frontage of their sloping property,” Hovis says. “It was filled with rock that kept getting washed away, clogging the channel. Plus it was a huge eye-sore!” Their solution? “We created a beautiful and functional planted ephemeral creek. Looking to local Hill Country waterways for inspiration, we used limestone boulder terraces and utilized large Brazos river rock at key points to slow the flow of water and create pockets of moisture to allow plants to thrive.”
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Photo: Nicole Franzen8/27Find the light
Cue the twinkly fairy lights. Outdoor lighting “is very important to me in all aspects of my work as it helps create the mood of a space,” says designer Natalia Miyar. “Whether it be delicate string lights that highlight a seating area or candle-lit lanterns leading you to a secret garden, I find that incorporating different types of soft lighting is a great way to make a garden feel both inviting and magical.” It’s also an easy feat for beginners to accomplish, especially with solar-powered options.
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Photo: Courtesy of Kara Childress9/27Add a secret garden
“Tucked away from the home’s main outdoor living spaces, this secluded seating area just off the primary bedroom illustrates an intimate escape where the homeowners can enjoy a quiet morning or graceful sunset,” says designer Kara Childress. “A cast stone table is paired with teak garden chairs and an antique driftwood silver-leafed mirror creating the ideal spectator spot to take in surrounding views of the Houston Oaks golf course.”
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Photo: Julie Soefer10/27Tile and vines
Think beyond garden plants. Finish choices matter outside too—and no decision is so small it can be made lightly. “The juxtaposition of modern, linear glass tile with the almost wild freedom of the citrus tree and haphazardly climbing vines gives the eye plenty to explore in this small patio garden!” says Courtnay Tartt Elias of Creative Tonic Design. “The tiles call to mind the colors of the sky or a peaceful lake, perfectly balancing the vibrant, verdant landscaping.”
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Photo: Julie Soefer11/27Shape up
“This garden is all about joining architectural and natural elements,” Tartt Elias says. “Mimicking the geometric shape of the steel windows in the natural elements of this side garden lends a clean, controlled feel to the space. Boxwood balls, rectilinear hedges, and rows of monkey grass under the wild magnolia trees keep the eye interested with their varying shapes but are united by their sharply delineated lines.” They added vintage furniture with gentle curves for an additional sense of architecture.
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Draper White12/27Clean lines and tidy garden rows
When you’re pondering backyard landscaping ideas, remember: What’s more inviting than an expanse of lush green grass? One juxtaposed by a tidy flower garden and streamlined architecture, such as in this project by Austin-based Mohon Interiors.
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Photo: Courtesy of East Hampton Garden13/27Pull focus with a fixture
Whether you want to DIY a pergola or enlist a landscape design pro to perfect a trellis, it’s worth splurging on some eye candy. “When creating a garden design I like to create different focal points,” Giannelli says. “Upon entering this garden we used vintage urns and had them wired for electricity. As you enter the allee of European hornbeams your eye is drawn into the garden and you see the urn and fountain beyond.” Swoon.
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Photo: Courtesy of East Hampton Garden14/27Get in the zones
Consider whipping up a few different retreats within your own backyard. “Here you can see the different destinations in the garden,” Giannelli says. “Off to the left is the seating area under a covered porch, the lounge area at the end of the pool and dining terrace. Different destinations are created and each area has a purpose, which is useful in a smaller garden.”
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Photo: Courtesy of William Hefner15/27Go lower
“I’ve always liked lawns that are lower than the adjacent seating areas so that you have an overlook when lounging,” says architect William Hefner. This pool looks like it’s the pride of the Mediterranean, complete with “three Italian cypress trees that punctuate the end of a long recessed lawn area.”
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Photo: Richard Powers16/27From dawn to dusk
When you’re weighing garden ideas, remember to consider what everything will look like as twilight falls. “This exterior area for entertaining off of the living room and study takes advantage of the canopy of a 300-year-old oak tree and includes a fire pit with built-in seating and a dining table for 15,” Hefner says.
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Photo: Sara Essex Bradley17/27Add some art
“For this bold neoclassical home we needed landscape and gardens that would be subtle enough to serve as a backdrop for a major collection of both indoor and outdoor pieces like this stunning kinetic piece by New Orleans artist Lin Emery,” says designer Chad Graci. “The simple greens of boxwoods, hollies, and the occasional palm for a tropical New Orleans flair alongside the classic rectangular shape of the glistening pool feel permanent and elegant against the serious architecture of the home.”
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Photo: Sara Essex Bradley18/27Go just a little wild
“Since the exterior of this home is perfectly symmetrical and very subtle, the idea of classic green and white plantings serves as the perfect framework,” Graci says. “The wildness of the crepe myrtles, purple when in bloom, give just the right amount of free for sculpture to the otherwise tailored garden.”
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Photo: Courtesy of Heather Trilling19/27Consider the RSVP list
“When thinking of function, determine the number of people you imagine will be joining you in the spaces to determine scale,” Trilling says. In this sitting area around a gurgling fountain, six friends can toast a cocktail hour comfortably.
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Photo and design: Richardson and Associates Landscape Architecture20/27Dial in to sundials
One low-maintenance gem to consider in a cottage garden or sweeping estate alike is an al fresco sculpture for garden decor (even if it’s DIY). “These unique elements provide a focal point and transform the entire yard into an intriguing space,” Sexton says. “Use fixtures you have on hand to thoughtfully light-up sculptures, statues, and sundials to create a conversation starter and enhance the mood of any outdoor environment.” In other words, a bit of art is always smart.
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Photo: Kate Wichlinski Design: Richardson and Associates Landscape Architecture21/27Find the right fence
Whether you’re designing a kitchen garden (and need to keep your neighborhood deer at bay) or even a lush shade garden, don’t forget the fence. Sexton recommends considering a softer version, though. “While privacy fences tend to be solid and tall, this can make a home feel more like a compound,” he says. “Consider combining a more lightweight fence with planting to create a more private space.”
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Photo: Brantley Photography22/27Look up
Ever inventive, Bell recommends an unexpected touch to draw the eye upwards: floating jungles, or what he cheekily calls “tope-airy.” “Hang planted columns from a sturdy tree for a garden in the air,” he says. “This allows close inspection of small flowered and intricate leaved plants and a creates sensational conversation piece near an outdoor dining area.”
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Photo: Courtesy of Bell Design23/27Reuse what you’ve got
Bell advises a preserve, protect, and defend approach to your landscapes for sustainability. “If you’re lucky enough to have existing garden ornaments, move them to a new part of the garden, reuse them in a fresh way and always defend against the urge to buy new!” he says. Not equipped with anything you want to keep? “Many areas have an architectural salvage store or local flea market where you can buy vintage pieces of stone, armillaries, wash tubs and more than add incredible character to a garden space.”
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Photo: Brian Overend Design: Yardzen and Eden Passante24/27Live lushly
Calling all pollinators: A raised garden bed and herb garden alike can make for an idyllic foraging spot, for bees, butterflies, and more. “The English-inspired cottage garden look can be adapted to different regions and styles,” Poppy says. “In other words, you can still achieve this romantic, intentionally shaggy look without living in the lush English (or New England) countryside. It’s less about using traditional showy blooms, and more about layering with lots of texture and color, and playing with different heights. This meadow-style garden that would work in drier parts of the country makes use of abundant pollinators and ornamental grasses.”
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Photo: Stephen Johnson25/27Keep it minimal inside and out
The landscape designers behind this Studio Shamshiri project whipped up a garden as clean-lined and minimal as the home’s architecture itself. Wild flourishes of grasses in sage and evergreen are juxtaposed against pea gravel, while knobby trees tower like sculptures over the roofline.
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Photo: Miguel Flores Vianna26/27Keep things cool
For this al fresco terrace beside a primary suite designed by Fernando Caruncho, graphic floor tiles and an airy shade canopy keep things cool even in the heat of summer. Supplying the instant ambiance of a storybook: potted garden roses allowed to grow unfettered.
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Photo: Ngoc Minh Ngo27/27Stick with the classics
Grass might just be the ultimate groundcover—nearly as soft and luxuriant underfoot as a sheepskin rug. Designer Bastien Halard whipped up a classical seating area for his client’s home edging the banks of the Housatonic River in Connecticut, complete with hanging lanterns and fairytale climbing vines.
