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Expansive Contemporary Garden Ideas and Designs

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New Build Lake Minnetonka, MN
New Build Lake Minnetonka, MN
yardscapes Inc.yardscapes Inc.
Newly constructed contemporary home on Lake Minnetonka in Orono, MN. This beautifully crafted home featured a custom pool with a travertine stone patio and walkway. The driveway is a combination of pavers in different materials, shapes, and colors.
Garden sculpture
Garden sculpture
HPS Palo Alto, Inc.HPS Palo Alto, Inc.
Stone walk and garden sculpture. Photo by Steve Spratt, www.homepreservationmanual.com
Designgärten
Designgärten
Gärtner von Eden e.G.Gärtner von Eden e.G.
Gärtner von Eden eG
Outdoor Elevated Garden With Pergola
Outdoor Elevated Garden With Pergola
Integrity Landscape Services LLCIntegrity Landscape Services LLC
Oak Tree Setting With Hillside Views, Landscape Renovation, Northern California
Oak Tree Setting With Hillside Views, Landscape Renovation, Northern California
Dig Your Garden Landscape DesignDig Your Garden Landscape Design
APLD 2021 Silver Award Winning Landscape Design. An expansive back yard landscape with several mature oak trees and a stunning Golden Locust tree has been transformed into a welcoming outdoor retreat. The renovations include a wraparound deck, an expansive travertine natural stone patio, stairways and pathways along with concrete retaining walls and column accents with dramatic planters. The pathways meander throughout the landscape... some with travertine stepping stones and gravel and those below the majestic oaks left natural with fallen leaves. Raised vegetable beds and fruit trees occupy some of the sunniest areas of the landscape. A variety of low-water and low-maintenance plants for both sunny and shady areas include several succulents, grasses, CA natives and other site-appropriate Mediterranean plants complimented by a variety of boulders. Dramatic white pots provide architectural accents, filled with succulents and citrus trees. Design, Photos, Drawings © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design
Black Bear
Black Bear
Environmental Designs, Inc.Environmental Designs, Inc.
By adding a number of winding and intersecting paths and staircases the finished design allows the user to access almost all parts of the property. Landscape Construction: Environmental Designs, Inc.; Landscape Architecture Design: MARPA
Home on the Range
Home on the Range
BARRETT STUDIO architectsBARRETT STUDIO architects
Michael Shopenn Photography
Harrington - Lake Minnetonka
Harrington - Lake Minnetonka
Landscape Renovations, Inc.Landscape Renovations, Inc.
Argyle Park
Argyle Park
Shangri-la LandscapingShangri-la Landscaping
This project was a comprehensive landscape design and construction project for a park near Ambleside, West Vancouver.
Contemporary Landscape and Exterior Remodel in Kentfield, CA
Contemporary Landscape and Exterior Remodel in Kentfield, CA
Dig Your Garden Landscape DesignDig Your Garden Landscape Design
This contemporary landscape was completely transformed with bluestone patios, pathways and stairways; stucco covered retaining walls, modern fencing, drought-tolerant trees and other plantings along with low-voltage lighting and other accents. Updates to the home's exterior will be completed Fall of 2016. Photos and Design © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Design.
Cistern Project
Cistern Project
Pearson Landscape ServicesPearson Landscape Services
Zoysia turf grass with limestone retaining wall and cistern. whales tongue agave below
Stone Path and Entryway
Stone Path and Entryway
Linden L.A.N.D. GroupLinden L.A.N.D. Group
Rebecca Lindenmeyr
Foster Rd
Foster Rd
Field Landscape ArchitectureField Landscape Architecture
Marion Brenner
Labyrinth Garden
Labyrinth Garden
K. Dakin Design Inc.K. Dakin Design Inc.
Dakin has been working with the owners of this site realize their dream of cultivating a rich and meaningful landscape around their home. Because of their deep engagement with their land and garden, the landscape has guided the entire design process, from architecture to civil engineering to landscape design. All architecture on site is oriented toward the garden, a park-like, multi-use environment that includes a walking labyrinth, restored prairie, a Japanese garden, an orchard, vegetable beds, berry brambles, a croquet lawn and a charred wood outdoor shower. Dakin pays special attention to materials at every turn, selecting an antique sugar bowl for the outdoor fire pit, antique Japanese roof tiles to create blue edging, and stepping stones imported from India. In addition to its diversity of garden types, this permacultural paradise is home to chickens, ducks, and bees. A complex irrigation system was designed to draw alternately from wells and cisterns. 3x5lion.png Dakin has also had the privilege of creating an arboretum of diverse and rare trees that she based on Olmsted’s design for Central Park. Trees were selected to display a variety of seasonally shifting delights: spring blooms, fall berries, winter branch structure. Mature trees onsite were preserved and sometimes moved to new locations.
Mulch
Mulch
Design One LandscapingDesign One Landscaping
Laurel Way
Laurel Way
Guerin Design + DevelopmentGuerin Design + Development
William Maccollum, Art Grey Photography
Montecito Zen
Montecito Zen
Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape ArchitectureJeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture
Ciro
Spring 2012 Installation - Contempory
Spring 2012 Installation - Contempory
McKay Landscape LightingMcKay Landscape Lighting
Regency Sub-Division. Photos by Tom Kessler Photography.
Xeriscape & Landscape Design
Xeriscape & Landscape Design
Aria AlfrescoAria Alfresco
Huge Boulder Waterfall, Natural Boulder Dry River Bed and Xeriscaped Planting Beds Make This Landscape Design Unique and Beautiful
Elevated Sky Garden Walk
Elevated Sky Garden Walk
Rosemarie Allaire Lighting DesignRosemarie Allaire Lighting Design
Steve Lerum

Expansive Contemporary Garden Ideas and Designs

A beautifully designed contemporary garden is as important as the emphasis we place on the designs of our interiors. After all, our grounds (however modest) frame our homes and contribute to first impressions not only of our houses, but also of the households within. Options for garden designs can be as elaborate or low maintenance as your lifestyle and preferences permit – consider both your aspirations for how it should look and how much time you can invest in garden maintenance. Consulting a gardener or landscape designer will ensure you have a garden that suits your lifestyle, the local climate and soil conditions. But don’t forget that with Houzz your first stop can be collecting images of garden ideas and designs you love in order to inspire your garden plans and potentially share them with a landscape gardening professional.

How do I come up with a contemporary front garden design?

The priority for a front garden is kerb appeal. Begin by considering the area immediately around and leading up to your front door. You may want to opt for front garden designs that blend well with the style of your home – for example, abundant foliage and flowerbeds will perfectly complement a period property, whereas man-made materials, geometric shapes and contrasting textures are great ideas for a contemporary garden design. Even if your front garden is a small space, keep it tidy – if you have more space, make the most of it with garden ideas and features such as a manicured lawn, gravel driveway, water feature or garden fencing. If you don’t have the time or commitment to devote to gardening, then neatly pruned hedges, statement paving, hanging baskets, garden benches and outdoor lighting are all decorative, low maintenance garden ideas for your contemporary front garden design.

How should I design my contemporary back garden?

Back gardens typically offer more space than front garden designs and serve a more recreational purpose, so it’s important to know how you want to spend time in your garden before you design it in order to build in the features that you will enjoy. If you love relaxing in the garden and dining al fresco, think about patios, decking, garden furniture and BBQs. For the more horticulturally-inclined, incorporate flower beds, greenhouses or vegetable garden designs. Your landscape gardening professional can help you install structures such as sheds, pergolas and gazebos that complement your garden design, and artfully-placed garden ideas such as lawn edging and lighting will add definition to your chosen design.

How do I create a low maintenance garden?

The great news is, gardens aren’t exclusively for the green-fingered. Whether you’re not horticulturally-inclined or simply don’t have the time for a bit of landscape gardening, you can still have a contemporary garden design that looks the way you want by making some smart design choices. While many of us favour low maintenance gardens like urban gardens, roof terraces and patio gardens, lovers of greenery don’t need to sacrifice grass for paving slabs. Whatever you want from your garden, there are a variety of gardening solutions that can be built in to make life easier. For example, labour intensive features such as vegetable patches, greenhouses and flower beds can be optimised with an automatic irrigation system. These can be offset with fuss-free garden ideas such as hard landscaping, including gravel, paving or decking, and hard-wearing evergreens that require minimal upkeep. You might even consider replacing your garden fencing with slow growing hedging, which can be maintained less regularly than wooden fence panels. If having a lawn is important, there are different types of grasses in varying degrees of durability and maintenance. You may choose to take a more relaxed approach to your lawn – “wild” garden designs can have great charm if the grasses and flowers are chosen carefully. If you prefer a manicured lawn, it’s a good idea to invest in a “mulching” lawn mower that will recycle clippings and remove the need for cleaning up. Finally, there isn’t a more low maintenance garden lawn than artificial grass which can look highly realistic and keep your garden looking green. Garden ornaments are a great way to add interest to your low maintenance garden design – go for smart garden ideas such as solar garden lights which are both decorative and functional. Find some of the most popular design ideas on Houzz.
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