4 outdoor rooms, 1 small space
More: How to create 4 outdoor rooms in a small backyard
After gophers destroyed their backyard, Evelyn Huang and Jack Mangan of Pleasant Hill, California, set out to redo the scruffy plot. Topping their backyard landscaping wish list: areas for dining, relaxing, and growing edibles, and all using easy-care, low-water plants. Landscape architect Joseph Huettl (huettldesign.com) gave them that and more, turning the small yard into the ultimate outdoor living space. Now the two spend much of their time here. And for some mysterious reason, says Evelyn, “The gophers haven’t come back!”
500-square-foot urban oasis
More: How to create an oasis in a small urban yard
Baylor Chapman loves living and working in San Francisco’s Mission District. But at the end of the day, she wants a retreat from the surrounding busy-ness, so she transformed her deck into a plant-filled outdoor room. “My garden softens some of the urbanness of my neighborhood—it’s a little natural oasis off the street.” And the outfitted patio almost doubles the living space of Baylor’s 800-square-foot loft, so she’s got even more room to cook, dine, and entertain. The overall look is artistically eclectic and highly personal, as she acquired and then personalized much of her furniture and pots, which primarily came from salvage yards, flea markets, friends, and even neighborhood streets.
Chic for less
Coastal vibe
Foodie haven
Fun in front
'70s revival
Seaside resort
Modern flair
Design with edibles
Come on in
DIY all around
Sweet dreams
Opened up
Beachy zen
Found space
Glowing entry
Party space
Playful front yard
Reuse & relax
More: 7 ways to transform a small backyard
With no privacy, no personality, and—the biggest drawback of all—no place to sit, this Venice, California, side yard had little to recommend it. Luckily for homeowners Amy Swift Crosby and Josh Crosby, a truckload of salvaged redwood came to the rescue. Designer Steve Siegrist (stevesiegristdesign.com) used some of the boards as the backs and bottoms of cushion-topped, built-in seating; others he placed to add height to the existing cement-block wall, and still others were turned into a sturdy dining table. What’s more, the aged redwood brought with it the character the yard had been missing. With space to dine, gather, and play, the area is now the family’s favorite hangout in the garden.
Salvage secrets
More: 7 ways to design a sustainable garden
Recycled materials and colorful, graphic plants add whimsical punch to Bob Buchbinder and Lynn Pearson’s San Francisco backyard. In the center, landscape designers James Pettigrew and Sean Stout (organicmechanics.us) created a one-of-a-kind patio that’s 16 feet in diameter and made of granite remnants—mostly dumpster finds—mixed with sewer caps and bricks. In its center is a wood-burning firepit fashioned from an old metal wok that sits on a steel base that Bob made. From the patio, gently curving paths lead to a secluded bench, a restored shed-turned-backyard-getaway, and a dining area covered with a living roof of passion vines. Throughout, the lush plants need little care or water but look good year-round.
Naturalistic sanctuary
More: How to create a nature lover’s backyard
Most people looking for wild animals go on a hike or hit up a zoo. Not Lisa Albert, who wanted to bring them directly to her Portland-area garden, so she transformed her backyard landscaping, and learned that drawing them in was simply a matter of being a good host. Lisa rebuilt her garden to include a stacked rock wall (critters like to hide in the crevices), a pond, and lots of plants that provide nectar, seed, and fruit. She’s since hosted three dozen kinds of birds, butterflies, bees, lacewings, and frogs.
Graphic garden
More: 7 edible garden design ideas
Bold, sculptural forms combined with a range of textures and colors can make a garden that’s based on foliage just as interesting and inventive as one that’s filled with flowers. Here, in garden designer Ivette Soler’s Los Angeles front yard, she includes not just showy growers like giant rosettes of echeveria, toothed aloe, and swordlike phormium, she also includes edibles—plants that are often confined to backyards. Ivette tucks veggies and herbs including ‘Red Rubin’ basil, wispy fennel, coarse-leaved artichokes, and ‘Tricolor’ sage into her beds. She uses them just like any other landscape plants—for their textures, colors, and shapes—proving that small kitchen gardens can be both pretty and productive.