Landscape Design
These Clever Landscape Designs Rise to the Challenge
See how drain pipes, awkwardly shaped lots, rock faces and other elements are skillfully worked into great designs
When wanting to renovate an outdoor space, homeowners are often faced with existing — sometimes undesirable — features that can be nearly impossible or prohibitively expensive to change. In the following five projects, the landscape designers turned these challenges into design assets, from a craggy rock face transecting a backyard to industrial air vents sticking out of the middle of a roof terrace.
Take a look at these five designs and see if you find some inspiration for your own design challenge.
Take a look at these five designs and see if you find some inspiration for your own design challenge.
The rock face both took up a large proportion of backyard space and presented a challenging growing environment: mineral-rich but very rocky soil and light exposure ranging from deep shade to baking heat as the sun shifted throughout the day.
The homeowners’ interest in native plants helped guide the plant choice for the garden, and Scott selected a mix of natives and tough succulents and perennials that could thrive in the challenging conditions.
Work with a landscape architect in your area
The homeowners’ interest in native plants helped guide the plant choice for the garden, and Scott selected a mix of natives and tough succulents and perennials that could thrive in the challenging conditions.
Work with a landscape architect in your area
Scott’s design uses the steep slope as a backdrop to show off the plants as well as other garden features, such as a fountain made from a hollowed stone planter and built-in bench seating. “The face of the rocks, which had formerly been one of the owner’s biggest complaints about the yard, became a huge accent for lighting. They are magical at night when uplit,” Scott says.
See more of this garden’s transformation
See more of this garden’s transformation
2. Vertical Gardens and Fountains From Towering Concrete Walls
Taking one look at this “before” shot of a sunken backyard in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, one might think it looks more like a jail yard than the site for a garden. But the landscape design team at Outside Space NYC Landscape Design saw the backyard’s potential and proposed a design to make the most of the space.
Taking one look at this “before” shot of a sunken backyard in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, one might think it looks more like a jail yard than the site for a garden. But the landscape design team at Outside Space NYC Landscape Design saw the backyard’s potential and proposed a design to make the most of the space.
Post-renovation, the once imposing 22-foot-high concrete walls have become vertical surfaces on which to show off a recirculating waterfall. Two types of wisteria (Wisteria sinensis and W. frutescens), chosen for their staggered bloom times, frame the water feature.
The waterfall, constructed from cement board, helps cover up an unattractive air conditioning pipe that runs the height of the wall. “We covered everything in polished concrete,” says Edward Jones, one of the two landscape designers behind the project. “It creates very interesting texture when water goes over it.” The soothing sound of trickling water also helps mask the noise of the surrounding city.
The waterfall, constructed from cement board, helps cover up an unattractive air conditioning pipe that runs the height of the wall. “We covered everything in polished concrete,” says Edward Jones, one of the two landscape designers behind the project. “It creates very interesting texture when water goes over it.” The soothing sound of trickling water also helps mask the noise of the surrounding city.
Other areas of the backyard include a curved seating area anchored around an outdoor fire pit and an area for outdoor dining, out of sight to the right on the ipe deck.
See more of this garden
See more of this garden
3. Narrow Slice-Shaped Yard Turned Into a Cozy Seating Nook
Sometimes the most challenging part of an outdoor design is dealing with an oddly shaped lot. Take this skinny, pie-slice-shaped London backyard that tapers nearly to a point. It would have been tempting to wall off the pointy section to round out the area into a more typical layout, but doing so would cut down on the already limited floor space. Instead, designer Charlie Borthwick of Cue & Co. transformed the corner into an intimate seating nook with built-in benches.
Sometimes the most challenging part of an outdoor design is dealing with an oddly shaped lot. Take this skinny, pie-slice-shaped London backyard that tapers nearly to a point. It would have been tempting to wall off the pointy section to round out the area into a more typical layout, but doing so would cut down on the already limited floor space. Instead, designer Charlie Borthwick of Cue & Co. transformed the corner into an intimate seating nook with built-in benches.
4. Air Vents and Light-Well Covers Become Quirky Rooftop Garden Art
Rather than trying to cover up the existing industrial elements on a Brooklyn apartment building’s roof, landscape designer Brook Klausing, who also calls the building home, worked them into his overall garden design. The result: a wild urban garden that embraces its industrial features.
Rather than trying to cover up the existing industrial elements on a Brooklyn apartment building’s roof, landscape designer Brook Klausing, who also calls the building home, worked them into his overall garden design. The result: a wild urban garden that embraces its industrial features.
Klausing used a mix of ornamental grasses, vines, lavender, Russian sage and fragrant herbs to soften the appearance of the air vents and glass light-well covers on the rooftop. He put together a makeshift outdoor shower by balancing a rain wand attached to a garden hose on top of one of the air vents, with a galvanized tub pulled underneath to catch the water.
In large planters surrounding the terrace, Klausing grows tomatoes, beans and culinary herbs. On warm evenings, he’ll even host outdoor movie screenings where guests can sit on floor cushions and watch films projected onto a portable outdoor screen.
In large planters surrounding the terrace, Klausing grows tomatoes, beans and culinary herbs. On warm evenings, he’ll even host outdoor movie screenings where guests can sit on floor cushions and watch films projected onto a portable outdoor screen.
5. Second-Story Deck Becomes Mount for a Basketball Hoop and Swing
It can be challenging to integrate an elevated deck and a lower-level garden and easy to let shadowy under-deck areas go to waste. New Eco Landscapes turned that challenge into an opportunity in the design of this New York City garden behind a family of four’s multistory home.
The upper railings of the deck become a mount for a basketball hoop for at-home practice for the family’s two kids, and a swing chair mounted below the deck provides a spot for the parents to relax.
The brick and cut-stone paving pattern was designed to suggest a basketball court and create a dynamic design when viewed from above.
It can be challenging to integrate an elevated deck and a lower-level garden and easy to let shadowy under-deck areas go to waste. New Eco Landscapes turned that challenge into an opportunity in the design of this New York City garden behind a family of four’s multistory home.
The upper railings of the deck become a mount for a basketball hoop for at-home practice for the family’s two kids, and a swing chair mounted below the deck provides a spot for the parents to relax.
The brick and cut-stone paving pattern was designed to suggest a basketball court and create a dynamic design when viewed from above.
The yard’s efficient use of space also makes room for a barbecue and open space for play.
Tell us: Have you turned a challenging existing feature into a garden design asset? Show us in the Comments below.
Planning a landscape project? Find your inspiration and choose a landscape designer on Houzz
Planning a landscape project? Find your inspiration and choose a landscape designer on Houzz
A mass of steeply sloped serpentine rock running through this backyard could have been enough to throw a wrench in a family’s backyard gardening plans. But with the direction of landscape architect June Scott, homeowners Alyssa and Erik Reponen were able to turn this challenging feature into an integral part of their redesigned Los Angeles backyard.