Outdoor spaces
Another option Gliksman likes is sand-set pavers. “Set them on top of base gravel and sand with DG, gravel or polymeric sand in between,” she says. The designer recommends choosing a flagstone or limestone that’s thick enough for its weight to keep the paver in place. “Using sand-set stone is also less expensive to install than wet-set stone and gives a more organic, finished result,” she says.
Like the double rocker
The tree canopy shades much of the yard, which the new shade-friendly plant palette reflects. Since this is the Pacific Northwest, the team planted lots of ferns. “They grow so great here,” Batten says. Chartreuse Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’) adds more year-round color and texture. Winter-blooming Eternal Fragrance daphne (Daphne x transatlantica ‘Blafra’) and ‘Purple Stem’ sweetbox (Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Purple Stem‘) bring seasonal interest. The team also planted the yard with native evergreen huckleberries (Vaccinium ovatum) and ‘Winter Sun’ mahonia (Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’), among other pollinator-attracting plants, as the homeowners wanted to welcome birds, bees and butterflies to their yard. (Soon after the garden bloomed for the first time, the homeowners reported seeing hummingbird visitors.)
For a front yard redesign in Berkeley, California, landscape designer Ian Moore used a mix of gravel and pavers instead of cut stone for the front patio and walkway as a cost-saving measure. The 12-by-10-foot gravel patio, pictured here, was installed with the thought that the clients might upgrade to cut stone in the future. “Gravel can be an excellent permanent low-cost alternative [to cut stone],” says Moore, who recommends using a mix of gravel and concrete (another of his go-to budget-friendly materials) or precast pavers to create pads for furniture. Regardless of the material you choose, it pays off to invest in proper professional installation.
If you’re looking for color in planting beds, perennials — plants that come back year after year — are a much better investment than annuals that need to be bought and replanted each season. Nurseries will often have end-of-season sales well-stocked with perennials in fall, which is a perfect time to plant.
For this cottage-style garden in Minneapolis, Sweeney used existing clay pavers mixed with brick to create a new walkway and relocated established daylilies and hostas. She kept the original white picket fence, giving it a fresh coat of paint, new ball caps for the posts and new gates for an updated look. “A fresh coat of paint on a dated item is worth the investment for a relatively low cost,” Sweeney says.
A waterproof awning makes this outdoor area cool and comfortable without making the space dark. Well-designed, sturdily bui
Laser-cut screens add a contemporary look to outdoor areas, and are favored by architect Dominic Bagnato because they provide shade and privacy without blocking too much light. Metal siding is another option, Bagnato says. “Copper or zinc is the way to go if you are trying to show it off,” he adds.
Portable screening.
not enough space in ours to pull this off but interesting open upper shelves.
fun idea instead of a doormat.
note the whitewashed brick.
Interesting way to store a car
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