After: This photo, taken from the same vantage point as the previous image, showcases the new dining area’s lush, wild feel. The plantings highlight a variety of tones and textures, along with plenty of year-round interest, all in a calm palette requested by the homeowners. This is where the skill of a good landscape designer comes in. The planting beds are relatively small and filled mostly with foliage, but Boyle’s clever mix of leaf shapes, sizes and shades creates a beautiful display.

“Because it’s such a small space, the texture was incredibly important,” she says. “It’s all about the different greens and mix of shapes. The flowers come and go — they’re quite transient. Apart from an existing red rose and camellia, both of which I kept, the flowers are mostly white and surrounded by all these lush greens.” The sweet gum (Liquidambar sp.) on the right was existing; Boyle added a multistemmed one on the other side to match it, “so you frame that space,” she says.

“I planted quite heavily, but that was because we wanted to create this green haven,” she says. “I like to create a rhythm, so I have three [Japanese maples] in a triangle, and three Tasmanian tree ferns [Dicksonia antarctica, zones 9 to 10], which give a jungly feel and a lovely canopy while still allowing for stuff [to grow] underneath. Their trunks add nice texture, which is offset beautifully against the rest of the planting.” Boyle installed root barriers so the plants won’t spread to other yards.

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