Stone & Land, LLC Nice article Jocelyn. I was wondering if you've had many people swinging back to having a some food production or water collection system in their yard? The second photo with the fireplace looks like it may have a small herb garden. I'm all about what works for the client, low maintenance, highly ornamental. but it seems a shame to not have something functional like a fruit tree or grape arbor as part of the yard and reconnect in some way to land and that the supermarket isn't where food comes from. Around here Serviceberry is such a great ornamental tree that also has a nice fruit and its easy to put in almost any yard.

reelfunny I ave been a Houzz fan for a while now. I never see landscaping for Florida. We in the typical 55 and over communities need plans that fit small lots. On the West Coast there are cold short winters and hot summers.

Thunder Hill Design the only topic i can think of to add to this thorough and well-presented article is the challenge of dealing with sloping sights. as one gets into the design of a sloping property it can be surprising to discover how many steps are needed to bring one down from finished floor to grade...how high retaining walls grow when a level area is cut into even a moderate slope. this is a whole other article, though, which i am sure joselyn would cover as thoroughly as this one.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers Stone and Land, LLC: thank you for your comment and yes, I am seeing an upswing in requests for more edible plants or areas devoted to vegetable gardens among my design clientele. Like you, I try to use plants in a multi-purpose way, for shade, screening, fragrance, etc. LOVE serviceberry!
Water storage, i.e. using rain barrels, is also of interest but is illegal in almost all situations here in Colorado (rain gardens are OK). Every state has it's own water laws, so it's best to be informed!

Jocelyn H. Chilvers reelfunny: small spaces can be challenging to design as there's no room for error! The same principle apply, however. Have you checked out the Regional Gardening Ideabooks for the Southeast here on Houzz? I bet you'll find some great inspiration there.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers Thunder Hill Design: you make an excellent point about the challenges of working with slopes. In fact, site analysis — looking at the topography, soil type, sun exposure, etc. is a crucial part of the design process and another article altogether. Thanks for the suggestion!

Annie Thornton reelfunny: Also be sure to check out our ideabooks on small gardens. There are some very helpful, universal landscape design tips there as well.

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/Small-Gardens

Karin Jessen I love these ideas and would love to be able to PIN them. I can't seem to find a way to share your great ideas on Pinterest.

Kathie Waters "No-maintenance landscapes are for those who will hire a professional maintenance company." What the heck?!? Where I come from no-maintenance means it requires none...

Stephanie Gutierrez I love all of these, the first photo, with all the grown against the fence to soften and green up that area are wonderful, but I live in Winslow, AZ. where the ground is hard, caliche & clay, very alkaline, as well as dry. I've been planting in my yard for 30 years and not getting anything to be proud of. I planted a Poplar about 20 years ago that did well and as a result now have about 20 from the runners. A blessing and a curse. What would you recommend to green up along the fence like I see in this photo?

Jocelyn H. Chilvers Karin, thank you for your kind words. As far as the pinning to Pinterest question, I'll have to leave that to my editor to answer!

Jocelyn H. Chilvers Kathie: my comment about "no maintenance means it's hired out" is meant to be a reinforcement of my earlier statement that all landscapes need maintenance to some degree.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers Stephanie: it certainly sounds like you are gardening in some challenging conditions! I won't hazard a guess at good plant solutions for you, but you might read through some of the Southwest Gardening Guides here on Houzz for some new ideas:
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/Southwest-Gardening#Regional-Garden-Guides

akamikazebutterfly re pinterest - you can install the 'pin it' button to your bookmarks/toolbar and then press it when you see an image on houzz you like. it will automatically load it into your pinterest page. see pinterest "getting started" info for the bookmarks button.

Karin Jessen akamikazebutterfly: Thank you for responding to my dilemma. I tried using my PinIt button but it did not Pin a link to the whole article, just one photo that I chose as the cover. Am I missing something?

akamikazebutterfly hey karin, i only use pinterest to pin pictures myself so i am unsure you can do what you want. you can put as much info in the description field as you want and the photo will contain the url so when clicked on it will bring you back to this page. so i would put in the description field a summary of this page. you can also manually edit the url afterwards if needed. i hope you find what you're looking for. :)

aeykelbo One other very important plant attribute - toxicity to pets (if you have them). For example, yarrow is native to my area, draws bees and butterflies, smells lovely, is medicinal, and will pretty much grow under any conditions, but turns out it's quite toxic to cats. Although it can be very difficult to find toxicity data for native plants, the ASPCA maintains a fairly comprehensive database of toxic vs. non-toxic indoor and garden plants that can wind up punishing the curious kitty (or dog or horse):

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/

This is a particular problem for me because I have a balcony garden that is the only "outdoor" space for my indoor cat. Despite the abundance of cat grass, she feels a strong desire to nibble every single plant! So, I've had to limit my choices to non-toxic plants. I'm sure many other condo dwellers have the same problem.

kalacada I have a rather unique landscaping problem. I live in a swamp area in Louisiana. When the river is up, my yard around the house is flooded with about 3 ft of water. I know I need native plants to the swamps but can't seem to find a site that will address this for me so that I can plan the landscaping around the house. I do plan on using marsh grass like vertiver which actually helps to retain the soil around the house. Any suggestions would be greatly welcome.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers Kalacada: you DO have a unique situation! I would highly recommend that you work with your county extension service (see the link in Step 3, above). I like to recommend them as a resource because they are associated with your state university and the information they provide is based on research, not anecdote. Once you know the best plants to use it may be easier to find retail sources. Good luck!

kalacada Thank you for your quick reply. Did what you said for me to do and have already shot a quick question to my agent. Thanks for the suggestion.

Monarch Stone International So much great information! Just want to underscore the importance of hiring a licensed, quality contractor for the installation. Check their previous work and references. A homeowners vision and landscape architects design will become reality when the installation is done well.

Mackin Drafting & Design Jocelyn, great article. I loved some of the ideas shown. One comment you touched on was particilarly relevant in a recent home I just finished. The lot backed up to a protected wetland and most of the lot was also defined as a protection zone. The homeowners regulations not only included the size of trees and shrubs you could use but also the number and types that were allowed.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers Macklin D & D: thanks for sharing that great example! Historic Districts can also be challenging.

Stonewood and Waters Great Content! Thanks for sharing!

maha74 نصمم

RollingPlanter.com Jocelyn- Love your idea to create an oasis / private escape in one's garden. I like the idea to design your garden to be a place where one has happy engagements. Further, I really like your emphasis on producing edibles.

I believe they are the key points fo all gardens, design. Yes, we need to concern ourselves as will with the maintenance. This is a hidden cost and chore. By making the garden edible, there is an overall savings and a means of conducting even more social "happy" engagements." Why not get together and brag about how your strawberries taste better than those you bought at Whole Food...

Gardens should also be designed for multipurpose use. Mobility of planter and vegetable containers on hardscapes are great solutions as well. Face it people dine and socially engage on their hardscapes perhaps four to six times a month. These areas can be utilized better... A thought

Kurt Preissler
owner
RollingPlanter.com

See my planters: (On Houzz) http://www.houzz.com/pro/rollingplanter ; (My website) http://www.rollingplanter.com ; (Facebook) http://www.facebook.com/rollingplanter

hankiss i like it

Ahmed Khaled Nice

gracey5110 I have a question - can you suggest a solution for my yard? I live in south Florida and have lots of tropical fruit trees in my backyard, the problem is they canopy and kill all the grass so I am left with plenty of dirt under the trees. The trees shed a lot seasonally and I need to access the fruits. Any suggestions?

Jocelyn H. Chilvers Gracey5110, consider using an inorganic mulch, like crushed rock or decomposed granite, that is small enough to walk on comfortably, but large enough that it won't be dislodged by leaf/debris clean-up (raking or blowing). A color or value that is similar to your tree debris will make the debris less visible between maintenance.

Britney Coyle Excellent article! We recently moved to a new house and I am stuck on the landscaping. Your article is just what I needed. Thank you!

ladyelaine35 Thank you for posting this great article. I was THRILLED to see 'your budget' included early on in your list of parameters. My husband and I own a landscape design/build company in Ontario, Canada, and find this is the biggest hurdle to get clients over in order to begin working with them on their project. It's always an easier process once people recognize the value in 'dreaming big', but establishing their project priorities according to their budget.

jacksonbeth I hired Hyatt Landscaping for my landscaping redesign. They did an excellent job and even posted photos of my home on their website! http://www.hyattlandscaping.com

janabryan I think this is a great article to describe the design process. As a landscape designer, I enjoy helping people understand their own style and create a personal landscape. We have developed a design service available online with a process similar to the elements of this article: design style, preferences and more.... More information on our website: http://homeoutsidedesign.com/
Hope you take a moment to look it over. Thanks!