Small Xeriscape Garden Ideas and Designs
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Exterior Worlds Landscaping & DesignThis garden house was designed by owner and architect, Shirat Mavligit. The wooden section of outer wall is actually the outer section of a central volume that creates an enlarged open space bisecting the home interior. The windows create a view corridor within the home that allows visitors to see all the way through to the back yard.
Occupants of the home looking out through these windows feel as if they are sitting in the middle of a garden. This architectural theme of volume and line of site is so powerful that it became the inspiration for the modern landscape design we developed in the front, back, and side yards of the property.
We began by addressing the issue of too much open space in the front yard. It has no surrounding fence, and it faces a very busy street in Houston’s Rice Village Area. After careful study of the home façade, our team determined that the best way to set aside a large portion of private space in front of the home was to construct a landscape berm.
This land art form adds a sense of dimension and psychological boundary to the scene. It is built of core 10 steel and stands 16 inches tall. This is just high enough for guests to sit on, and it provides an ideal sunbathing area for summer days.
The sweeping contour of the berm offsets the rigid linearity of the home with a softer architectural detail. Its linear progression gives the modern landscape design a dynamic sense of movement.
Moving to the back yard, we reinforced the home’s central volume and view corridor by laying a rectilinear line of gravel parallel to an equivalent section of grass. Near the corner of the house, we created a series of gravel stepping pads that lead guests from the gravel run, through the grass, and into a vegetable garden.
The heavy use of gravel does several things. It communicates a sense of control by containing the vitality of the lawn within an inorganic, mathematically precise space. This feeling of contained life force is common in modern landscape design. This also adds the functional advantage of a low-maintenance space where only minimal lawn care is needed. Gravel also has its own unique aesthetic appeal. Its dark color compliments both the grass and the house, providing an ideal lead-in to the space of the vegetable garden.
This same rectilinear geometry was applied to the side yard, but the materials were reversed to add dramatic effect. Here, the field is gravel, and the stepping pads are made from grass. Heavy gauge steel planters were set into the gravel to house separate plantings of Zoysia. The pads run from the library to the kitchen, allowing visitors to travel between the two as if they are walking on a floor decorated with grass.
The lawn in all three yards is planted with Zoysia grass. This species of grass is frequently used in modern landscape design because it requires only moderate amounts of water to retain its exceptionally fine texture. When mowed, it presents a clean, well-manicured lawn that compliments the conservatism of the home.
Living Gardens Landscape DesignOur homeowners were looking for a garden where they could sit by the fire, grow vegetable and hear the sound of water. Their home was new construction in a modern farmhouse style. We used gravel and concrete as paving. Board formed concrete firepit keeps it feeling modern. The vegetable beds supply season vegetables and herbs.
Dig Your Garden Landscape DesignNapa, CA residence. I designed a triangular-shaped pergola with decorative panels from "Parasoleil" that serves as an artful focal point while providing interesting shade patterns that casts its delightful shadows along fence and patio and bench below, changing its position as the sun moves throughout the day. My design solutions included a contemporary redwood horizontal fence to help screen the view of the hillside along with arbors for vines that help to break up the long narrow space. The landscape design includes angular planting beds, concrete pavers surrounded by gravel and a small lower-water lawn for the family to enjoy. The photos show the just planted low-water plants, vines and olive trees and again after a couple of months. Drawings, Design and Photos © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design
Studio H Landscape ArchitecturePhotography by Studio H Landscape Architecture & COCO Gallery. Post processing by Isabella Li.
Ross Land StudioThe garden is in full bloom in mid-summer. Purple coneflower, coreopsis, butterfly milkweed and alliums are interspersed with the airy inflorescence of switchgrass.
Design Farm GroupDry laid retaining wall made up of a mix of both granite and natural fieldstone supported by interior mortar. Perennial plantings supported by a custom stained farm style fence providing a privacy screen for this residents side yard.
Blooming DesertThis modern space offers maximum outdoor living for the homeowners with minimum maintenance with the use of 2' x 2' paver slabs, Mexican Beach Pebble and River Rock Mulch, drought tolerant plant material, drip irrigation and synthetic lawn.
June Scott DesignDesigned for a Cliff May "Rancho" home, this project resulted comfortable outdoor spaces for relaxation and entertaining. New walls and fencing, softened with lush planting, create a private atmosphere. And a casual, meadow-style garden filled with California native plants echoes the home's open, airy feeling. Photos by Martin Cox.
Daniel Bosler FotoDetail of Adenanthos Sericeus (Woody Bush), a drought tolerent plant from Western Australia.
©Daniel Bosler Photography
Home & Garden Design, Atlanta - Danna Cain, ASLAFountain in front of bay window is welcoming focal point accented by boxwood cones. Golden acorus grass adds color and texture year round. Annual bed is planted in warm months with lantana which attracts butterflies & pollinators. Perennial black eyed susan adds extra color in late summer. Extra texture is added via autumn ferns hugging porch which is a shady spot. Photographer: Danna Cain, Home & Garden Design, Inc.
Living Gardens Landscape DesignOur clients were looking to replace their existing dying grass with a welcoming low water design. We created a fire pit seating area under trees with string lights overhead. The fountain is featured opposite the master bedroom windows. A low water and low maintenance design.
Melanie Rekola Landscape DesignThis lovely landscape sports a poured in place concrete slab patio with drought tolerant sedum plants between the slabs. This sedum mix is sold in sheets then cut to fit but it’s actually grown for green-roof application. It works perfectly in this hot environment too as it is extremely drought tolerant and can go a month without water. Because the water runoff is absorbed between the slabs the patio drainage works perfectly and there are no need for drains.The swimming pool is of the fiberglass variety. Though the initial investment is greater than that of vinyl pools the ROI is greater over a 10 year period. Fiberglass pools retains more heat as the pool shell is all one piece and they don’t ever require a new liner.. This fiberglass pool has cool built-in benching and steps. And there is even a swim jet built into one side great for those cardio blasting swims. The pool interior colour is grey though it shows a soft blue/grey when water is added due to the reflection of the sky and other surroundings. The pool coping is natural stone with rock face edge. The steel arbour was custom made. Metal (steel) was chosen for it’s slim strength as wood placed here would have been too chunky. The best rooms (indoors or our) have a subtle layering of textural elements. To me this landscape needed a structure here to define the “rooms” It will look even better in a few years when the vines reach the top and the Miscanthus on either side reaches its 7′ height!The 12′ x 16′ pavilion is also made of steel and houses an alfresco dining table and sofa set. The pavilions built in cupola makes the warm breezes comfortably pass through with no need for a fan. It’s also sunken 2′ from the pool/patio height and nestled nicely in the corner. I must also mention the large slim planters with “Red Shades” Canna lily within. They are the perfect boldness/balance!Step through the arbor and a linear pond with “floating” natural stone step is revealed! Two smooth flow scuppers are responsible for the quiet waterfalls either side. A wood deck overhangs the pond adding softness to the setting. A modern retaining wall with natural stone cap runs the full width of the pond and pool adding interest and dimension. In the covered outdoor living area this wall is the perfect seat wall - adding lots of extra party seating!
The lesson to be learned here is that good design can be applied to any space. This backyard is only 50′ x 45′ and look what can be achieved! Landscape design and photography by Melanie Rekola
Small Xeriscape Garden Ideas and Designs
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