Outside
The French doors on the right lead to the master suite; there are two guest bedrooms along the shed dormer upstairs. The path you see here leads from a mudroom/hallway (the door to the left of the master suite’s doors) to the freestanding garage. The patio is stamped and colored concrete. “It has the look of slabs, but it’s much more durable,” Dennee says.
A meandering garden path, however, can be much narrower, as the intention is for guests to follow it to discover what lies ahead. “If you want someone to linger,” says Ayers, “curve the path around focal points, like a tree, boulder or berm of land. The most engaging paths curve around points of interest rather than arbitrarily twist and turn.”
Ayers suggests that stepping stones be at least 18 by 24 inches big and 1½ inches thick. "The generous surface dimensions will increase stability because of the stones' resulting weight and shape, while the thickness will keep the step from cracking," she says. "Place the stones on a level foundation of sand, mortar or pea gravel for best results."
Keep it simple. Stick to one or two plants for your garden's groundcover. Find something lush that will fill out with little maintenance. Geranium macrorrhizum is a tremendous ground cover in shade, and is as deer-resistant as plants come. This designer dominated the space with this plant and a sedge — trouble-free plants that will live for decades. The textures complement each other beautifully.
Medians. I took this at a stoplight, because I liked the mix of perennial grasses with the salvia and annuals. You'll notice salvia in many of my pictures, because last year I added a grouping of them that was a little bluer than I expected, and I was trying to figure out what to plant alongside. Neighbors' yards. I've already confessed to being a house stalker, so it should come as no surprise that this involves garden stalking too. I don't take pictures, though ... yet. How about you? What DIY garden tours have you created? Share what you've seen in the Comments. More: How to Cultivate a Young Gardener | Inspiring gardens
Ideas From My Local Garden Tour This border of Annabelle hydrangea with a towering hedge of yew stopped me in my tracks. The yew not only provides complete privacy from the newer housing development behind it, but it also beautifully highlights the hydrangea. The look is so simple and yet so stunning. I realized it's the perfect solution for camouflaging the ugly wood retaining walls in an area of my own yard.
Harvest lavender blooms before it gets too hot. The lavender flowers are at their peak when the bottom of the bloom is just opening; cut the stem down to the foliage. Gather the stems and tie them together. Suspend upside down in a hot, dry, dark location, such as an attic or a closet. Within 10 to 14 days, the lavender will be ready to use.
On the wild side. Milkweed is the only host plant for the Monarch butterfly. Asclepias tuberosa is one species of milkweed that is also a pretty addition to the garden, but expect (and hope) it to be eaten to a nub. The female Monarch will lay her eggs here. Soon you will see tiny caterpillars that will slowly mature as they feed on the milkweed plant. The adults also enjoy the nectar.
"Our client has had bumper crops of every vegetable imaginable and is glad to share them with friends and neighbors," Bibb says. Adirondack stick style inspired the eastern red cedar fence around the edible garden. The vegetable beds are round galvanized steel horse troughs with the bottoms cut out to allow for good water and oxygen exchange between the imported soil (which contains about 30 percent shale for drainage) and the native soil below. Each bed is irrigated with a drip line that can can be adjusted or turned off as needed.
The retaining wall is crafted of concrete taken from the teardown's foundation and driveway. To get her grandchildren, who live close by, and their neighborhood friends involved, the owner invited the kids to insert mementos like seashells, pottery and small toys into the mortar joints. The reclaimed concrete on the wall cap is beautifully chiseled.
When displaying more than one flag, the U.S. flag should be flown to the observer's left, as shown.
Illuminated stairs
Brick walkway
One of the outdoor rooms features this tranquil koi pond, tucked along the arbor behind the obelisk. In the back one of the arbor's posts contains a spout. Water travels down from the spout into the upper pond, then pours into the lower pond from the trough before being pumped right back up to the post. Conroy also extended the beam off this post for a hanging plant. Bluestone — the same material used on the home's back terrace — surrounds the fountain, and the edging around the upper pond doubles as bench seating. Conroy loves to find uses for architectural samples that would otherwise go to waste. The bricks are all rejected samples from a very large project his firm designed.
The homeowner's parents were confused when he asked if they liked the obelisk he took from their yard, as they had never owned an obelisk. "My client is a very handy guy," Conroy says. He took apart a dilapidated redwood picnic bench from his parents' home, remilled it and transformed it into another sculptural element that balances the shed with its height.
Shadows play with this modern interpretation of a bay window. The windows on the structure are all reused architectural samples.
a contemporary storage pavilion in a far corner of the yard to house the lawn mower and other landscaping supplies. The shed is visible from the house and adjacent to the arbor. Its form provides a sculptural element, and its cedar siding, metal roof and accents and copper plumbing provide continuity with the arbor through materials.
A bench provides a view back to the house and a shady spot for contemplation or a private conversation.
A long arbor serves as a hallway, connecting the front yard to the backyard with architecture and a gravel path. From the front, the structure gives guests a hint of the surprises they'll find in the backyard and leads them right back there without their having to go through the house. Out back, the arbor creates an architectural boundary at the back of the property. The gravel is a mix of half-inch pieces and fines (crushed stone). The fines compact the path for walking, and the combination of the two stays put and doesn't migrate onto the lawn.
Build a secret garden gate. Make your garden patio a secluded destination by surrounding it with a trellis or fencing, climbing plants and a welcoming garden gate.
Start seeds early. Sowing directly in the garden works well for most crops, but if your growing season is short, you may want to start seeds indoors or in cold frames before you transplant .
Incorporate the amendments into the soil with a spading fork or rototiller. Level the bed, then water well.
Once you've determined the garden location and pH levels, work amendments into the soil. For a new garden bed, first use a spading fork or rototiller to loosen the soil to about 10 inches deep; this step isn’t necessary for an existing bed. In both new and existing beds, spread organic soil amendments, such as compost or manure, over the existing soil to a depth of 3 to 4 inches. Add in a complete fertilizer and any amendments needed to correct the pH level.
Electronic Soil Tester - $18.75 » Prepare the soil. For best results, start two to three weeks before you plan to plant. A good first step is to test the soil's pH levels wherever you plan to plant. Most edibles prefer a pH level that is neutral to slightly acidic, so you will need to amend alkaline soils. You can send the soil to a lab, but testing kits like the one shown here are readily available at nurseries, home centers and garden supply stores.
Consider adding raised beds. Many edibles are low-to-the-ground plants. That’s fine for a farm, but designwise it can be a bit boring for a home landscape. Raised beds add some design interest to a space and make it easier to care for the plants and pick the vegetables and fruit. They can also keep some of the more aggressive growers from taking over the rest of the yard.
Raised beds
Trained ivy over arched gateway
Keep the water flowing. Fresh water, and plenty of it, is essential. Why not take this opportunity to add a water feature to your landscape that your dog can access? A splash fountain or stream is ideal, and you’ll enjoy it, too.
A chain-link fence is easy to install and provides a safe enclosure, but it isn’t necessarily the most attractive approach. As an alternative, consider a fencing material that matches your landscape style, whether you’re opting for a fully enclosed yard or a dog run. Go with picket fences for a cottage design, sleek horizontal boards for a contemporary look or posts and wire for a rustic feel.
Colors - brown roof - wood walls - grey-green trim
Urns, planters and garden art. An old pot has so much more character, and often a more graceful shape, than the same-old same-old pots stocked by the big home improvement stores. Stately urns, vintage terra-cotta pots and jars, and handmade pottery can always be of use in the garden or in the house. Also keep an eye out for unusual one-offs — castoff mirrors, metal trellises and statues can take your garden from ho-hum to spectacular.
Vintage farm signs. Add a whimsical touch of the country to your porch or shed with charming signage. There are many folks painting signs to look old, which can be charming too — just be sure to ask so you know what you are paying for.
Screen door - purple porch
Nice breeze way!
Steel sink on porch
Open porch
Stone walkway
Screen door style and color
Plants
Ceiling in wood
Lights in pathway
Entry door
These cut stone treads tell a different story than their contrasting wall counterparts. The even grain of granite is well suited to its being shaped mechanically into the larger slabs required for steps. This fine grain can be “flamed” with a torch to split off minute pieces of the material, leaving a rough surface suitable for treads. The wall stone, by contrast, is stacked in smaller increments, as its own physical properties and geometry require. The distinction between the wall and stairs is simple, allowing each material’s story to be quietly revealed. Large stone blocks for walking; small stones for stacking and retaining earth. This is an example of an attitude toward design. There’s a reason behind these decisions, an intent.
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