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15. Take movie night outdoors. Turn your yard into an outdoor movie theater. A full outdoor theater is a commitment, but for an occasional family-and-friends movie night, especially if you aren’t fussy about quality, you can get by with a portable screen, white sheet or wall; a reliable projector or favorite movie player; speakers that can compete with ambient nighttime sounds from traffic noise or windy gusts; and some comfortable lawn chairs or lounges.
Locate your screen in a spot that’s relatively free from adjacent lighting, and set up the projector and sound system. Also, be aware of how your location will affect your neighbors. You don’t want to blast them out with loud sounds or project something unsettling, such as a horror flick, to the neighborhood. Then just add popcorn and enjoy.
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8. Deborah Gliksman, Urban Oasis Landscape Design, Los Angeles
Focus on natives. Some of Deborah Gliksman’s favorite shrubs from California are the tall ‘Dark Star’ ceanothus (Ceanothus ‘Dark Star’, zones 8 to 10) and the smaller ‘Valley Violet’ ceanothus (Ceanothus maritimus ‘Valley Violet’, zones 8 to 10). Gliksman also recommends ‘Aromas’ sage (Salvia ‘Aromas’, zones 8 to 10), bush anemone (Carpenteria californica, Zone 9), ‘De La Mina’ Cedros Island verbena (Verbena lilacina ‘De La Mina’, zones 8 to 10), globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua, zones 6 to 9) and St. Catherine’s lace (Eriogonum giganteum, zones 9 to 11). “They’re all stunning shrubs,” she says.
For perennials, Gliksman often uses yarrow (Achillea millefolium, zones 3 to 9), monkeyflower (Mimulus spp.), penstemons and Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana, zones 6 to 10). For ground covers, she loves ‘Silver Carpet’ aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia ‘Silver Carpet’, zones 8 to 10), ground currant (Ribes spp.) and seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus, zones 8 to 10).
What not to plant. Gliksman advises against using invasive plants. Besides possibly taking over your garden and even your neighborhood, she says, they can compete with native species and threaten biodiversity.
Your turn: What are your favorite low-maintenance plants to grow in your garden? Tell us in the Comments.
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2. Plant a Fruit, Veggie or Herb You’ve Never Grown Before
Whether you plant ‘Green Globe’ artichokes, heirloom tomatoes, purple beans, alpine strawberries or hot peppers, try growing something new this season. Most likely, you’ll be surprised, even delighted, by how it grows and tastes — and inspired to use the new produce in summer meals.
Kitchen garden already maxed out on space? Pot up a few containers with unusual herbs such as Thai basil, shiso, lemongrass, Vietnamese coriander, chocolate mint, chervil or lemon verbena and have them inspire your recipes.
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In front of the treehouse, Prassas created a mound of meadow grass — Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica, zones 3 to 8). “I wanted to create a soft meadow for the kids,” Prassas says.
“This is a shady garden and naturalistic play space. I wanted to add shade-tolerant plants with lots of textures and different-colored leaves,” Prassas says. “These include ferns, hostas, grasses and sumacs that make it more interesting for the kids. Another plant I included is witch hazel, which flowers when nothing else is flowering.” The witch hazel species he planted is Autumn Embers vernal witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis ‘Autumn Embers’, zones 4 to 8).
Woody plants Passas added to the garden include ‘Little Henry’ Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica ‘Little Henry’, zones 5 to 9), cutleaf staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina ‘Laciniata’, zones 3 to 8), Snowmound spirea (Spiraea nipponica ‘Snowmound’, zones 3 to 8), bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora, zones 4 to 8) and a variety of hydrangeas.
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What Is Regenerative Gardening?
Broadly, regenerative gardening is about leaving the soil and garden environment in a better condition than the one you found it in. It happens when garden owners “contribute to restoring a landscape, big or small, back to health,” landscape designer Melanie Hick says. “We regenerate [landscapes] by helping biodiversity, such as installing sand beds and habitat poles for solitary bees, improving soil and improving planting to support birds.”
Broadly, regenerative gardening is about leaving the soil and garden environment in a better condition than the one you found it in. It happens when garden owners “contribute to restoring a landscape, big or small, back to health,” landscape designer Melanie Hick says. “We regenerate [landscapes] by helping biodiversity, such as installing sand beds and habitat poles for solitary bees, improving soil and improving planting to support birds.”
“Fertilizers, lime, manures and pesticides can suppress the regenerative powers of [landscapes],” says Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society. Instead of using these elements, regenerative gardeners add plants such as cover crops, or “green manure,” which are fast-growing and can be mixed back into the soil; add clover and other legumes to supply nitrogen, a vital plant nutrient; and feed compost made from garden and kitchen waste to the soil organisms and plants.
“Regenerative gardening is about working with natural processes, not against them, taking a holistic approach to garden management to foster a healthy and thriving ecosystem,” landscape designer Harry Holding says. “From soil restoration and habitat provision to water management, it’s about looking at all the systems in the [landscape] and allowing them to link up to create a synergistic whole.”
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This dreamy property in the coastal mountains south of San Francisco already had a pool, lawn areas, gardens and mature trees, including a large Japanese maple and many oaks. The homeowners wanted to make the landscape design more refined, cohesive and colorful, so they hired landscape architect Lisa Howard of Bay Tree Design. At the top of their wish list was providing lots of places where their four boys, ages 4 through 12, could play.
The new design has patios, seating areas, container gardens and more. “My clients love to entertain large groups, but [they] also wanted cozy spots for smaller groups to gather,” Howard says. She created outdoor rooms so guests could spread out during parties. New garden areas allow the homeowners to grow fresh flowers for parties, and herbs for garnishing homemade pizzas.
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3. Update Your Planting
Adding a few plants to your yard is a great way to revitalize the space — and it doesn’t have to cost too much, says Wayne De Klijn, owner of AQL Landscape Design. When you’re choosing new plants, it’s important to pick a theme so the garden doesn’t look visually chaotic and disconnected, he says. De Klijn suggests choosing plants based on their region. “Or you might choose a theme based on color, such as all-white flowering plants,” he says.
It’s important to consider your region’s and backyard’s conditions when choosing plants. “The right plant in the right position will thrive,” Pezzimenti says. Soil preparation is also key. “Cultivate the soil before planting, and make sure it’s fluffy. This will give your new plants a great start,” he says.
The quality of plants you buy will also affect their success. “Be sure to purchase quality plants from a reputable nursery,” Pezzimenti says. “Check [that] the plant stock looks healthy and that roots are not pot-bound.” Prices for plants vary greatly; for an affordable option, purchase plants in seed form, cuttings, bulbs, tubes or small container sizes, he says.
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The team paid close attention to water needs with plant selection, as required by the homeowners association, choosing low-maintenance varieties, pollinator attractors and plants with year-round interest. Two choices were black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia sp.) and coneflower (Echinacea sp.), which are drought-tolerant and attract bees. “We are the Lilac City, so there are some lilacs we planted to nod to that,” Barton says.
They also had to consider some less desirable critters. “There is a lot of wildlife and deer, so we had to plant things that the deer won’t chew on,” Barton says. Lavender and grasses were the team’s top picks.
Outdoor lighting, including tree lights, step lights and lights nestled among the boulders, highlight key features of the home exterior and landscape. Barton notes that the lights are especially welcome in winter, when the yard is more often enjoyed from inside. “It gets you excited for the holidays,” he says. “It’s nice to look out into the landscape and see that depth, and see that snow light up with the landscape lighting.”
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Site plan: A big part of the design was figuring out walkways and how to create different experiences around the property.
On this plan, the lake is at the top and the driveway is at the bottom. A rectangular paver path leads from the driveway to the entry. A grass path on the left leads to the lake-facing side of the house. Around the far side of the garage, on the right, is a bluestone path. Cutting gardens and edible plantings are represented by the boxes to the right of that path.
Toward the top of the plan, off the back of the house, is a large patio that overlooks the lake. The little nook on the left side of the patio is an art garden. There are two stepped paths leading from the patio down to the lake. The one on the left leads from the playroom down to a playground area. The one in the center leads down to the dock.
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Przygoda-Montgomery, who designed the shaded patio in Oro Valley, Arizona, seen here, says that a way to assess whether your yard is guest-ready is to actually host something. “If people are left standing awkwardly or are unsure where to gather, it’s a sign that the space needs better flow and a better furniture arrangement,” she says.
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