This landscape plan showcases a total landscape makeover for this home! The dream backyard makeover includes terraced retaining walls with a water feature that snakes it’s way through the terraces, where you can even walk over it via a rock bridge as you climb the natural stairs to the terraced yard above. The recirculating stream showcases two water falls, and ends in a low-maintenance pondless vault buried below. The landscape design also includes a seating bench built into the lower retaining wall, a firepit, and an outdoor kitchen concept. The kitchen includes a grill, sink, mini-fridge, trash compartment, and doors for storage below the counters.
The softscape plan includes a rich plant palette of deciduous shrubs and ornamental trees, herbaceous perennials, as well as evergreen trees and shrubs. With four seasons of interest, this lush landscape is a playground for the senses with a variety of foliage and flower color, texture, and form.
The perimeter of the landscape includes a dry creek bed and planted swale to help direct water around the upper terrace to the outsides of the retaining wall, to allow water runoff to continue down the more gradual slope below. Moss rock boulders are also incorporated throughout the dry creek and the landscaping to help naturalize the aesthetic of the beds, and create a visually pleasing contrast in texture against the lush softscape.
Utilizing areas of river rock as well as dark brown mulch in the planting beds is not only visually interesting, but helps balance the cost of river rock and the maintenance of mulch. A little bit of both makes a beautiful compromise.
As the camera pans to the front landscape design, the plan focuses on creating visually balanced curb appeal with four seasons of interest – plus a trio of bubbler fountain rocks to greet guests and hint at the water feature beyond. The bubbler rock fountains utilize a pondless basin that is low maintenance, safe, and beautiful. The water feature blends into the surrounding landscape with strategic placement of plants, smaller boulders, and the design of the river rock area of the landscape bed.
Moving around the side of the home, the walk-up well from the basement is given access to the backyard via a stepping stone path with gentle curves that create interest for the eye as well as pockets for landscape plants. The planting area in front of the walk-up well also help to provide security as they subtly camouflage the basement access to casual passers-by.
This was a fun landscape plan to design for my client looking for a master plan that can be built over time! I hope you enjoy this walk-through video as much as I enjoyed making it.