English Formal Garden

What is the intent of the English formal garden?
Its purpose is to present an idealized view of Nature. This style originated in England during the 18th Century. Its inspiration came from the panoramic landscape paintings of that time. It sought to create in microcosm the aesthetic equivalents of groves trees, lakes, rolling lawns, and pastoral vistas.

What geometry characterizes this style of gardening?
An English formal garden is built around a central dividing line that runs the entirety of its length. On either side of this line, plant materials and inorganic forms are equally balanced, giving the garden a sense of symmetry and order. Elements are typically arranged in interlocking geometric shapes. These can be squares, triangles, or rectangles. In the very center of a garden, a focal point is placed.

What focal points do English gardens use?
A variety of elements can be used as focal points. The exception to this is sculpture. English gardens are slightly less formal than their French and Italian equivalents and as such deviate intentionally from the practice of using sculpture as a centering device for garden design. Topiaries are often used, however, to add vertical impact and form to the scene. Another technique is to use a water feature as the focal point. In some English styles, a lush flower bed can also be used to center the design with color.

What types of vegetation are used in an English formal garden?
Climbing plants are often used to cover fences or boundary walls with greenery. Shrubs and trees often populate the interior designs and spill over slightly into the bed edges. This creates the sense of relaxed formality this style is known form. Herbs are often very popular elements to use in creating the rich geometry English design is known for. The interlocking patterns of the style are derivative of ancient Celtic art which is easily duplicated by plantings of colorful flowering herbs throughout the interior segments. Flower beds can also be used for this effect, or, as we have already mentioned, as focal points in the center of the garden. Common species include Columbines, Aster, Carnations, Cornflowers, and Black-Eyed Susans.

What types of inorganic elements are featured in an English formal garden?
Inorganic forms are found in three primary places: the central dividing line, the focal point (if a non-organic element is chosen), and in boundary fences or walls. Walls are intended to reflect the English love of containment and privacy. Masonry walls are often used for this effect. In traditional Tudor gardens, stone walls were often used, but in America, fences have been substituted in many cases.

The central path is usually either made of red brick or gravel, lined with small trees or shrubs that edge into the hardscape in order to create a sense of loose formality that is neat, but never stiff, per se. Because the path is more than decorative, but also a thoroughfare as well, people need to walk through and feel as though they are surrounded by vitality and life in a comforting and personable manner.

Larger English formal gardens may also use topiaries to create the equivalent of an arbor or pergola, although these terms do not strictly apply in the sense of the typical outdoor buildings we associate with these names. The intent is to create a shaded area (or two) where a small bench can be placed so people can sit and survey the garden from a comfortable position within its interior.

How important is water to the English formal garden?
Water is not an absolute must for this design, but it never fails to make a positive aesthetic impact. Because the first English gardens were inspired by sweeping landscapes with lakes, any number of water features can be used to emulate the presence of water in a natural setting. A small rectangular reflecting pool can compliment both garden form and home architecture. A birdbath or fountain can add vertical impact, or a natural pond can be placed in the center simply to lend a sense of tranquility to the moment.

Home Garden Landscaping Design

How would home garden landscaping design benefit me?
A professionally installed garden will add curb appeal to your home and transform your yard into a beautiful outdoor living experience. It will also serve as an island of tranquility that you can retreat from the stress factors of work life any time day or night.

I can’t seem to think of any good ideas for home garden landscaping. Where should I start?
Start by doing image searches on the Internet to see all the millions of gardens that are posted online from all over the world. Go back through your stacks of magazines and newspapers and circle the pictures of gardens that catch your eye. You may see only one or two things about a garden that you like. That’s ok. Keep in mind that many different types of gardens still often use the same plants and motifs to create design.

It is also a good idea to drive around Houston in the springtime and simply look at what people are doing in their yards. If you see a home that reminds you of your own, the garden design around that home will give you an excellent frame of reference in terms of what will best work with your home architecture.

Should I really hire a landscaper to install my garden for me?
It’s a good idea. Call us and sit down for a consultation and share your design ideas with us. We can help you refine those ideas into a detailed home garden landscaping that will work in relationship with other landscape elements, and, most importantly, the architecture of your home.

What if I have a limited budget to work with?
Home garden landscaping does not have to cost a fortune in materials to be aesthetically appealing. Sometimes less is more. We recommend that you observe the following guidelines when brainstorming ideas for your garden design.

• Think of your favorite types of plants and flowers. What looks pretty to you? Forget, for the moment, what other people are going to think about your garden. Your obligation is to please yourself with what you look at. Our obligation is to take what pleases you and make it appealing to your friends and family. Working together, we can accomplish this.
• Find pictures of homes similar to yours that have gardens visible in the scene. Understand that such pictures are a beginning frame of reference, not a recipe for duplication. However, it is important you share such images with our team so we can help you determine the nature and contents of your garden.
• Give serious consideration to having a garden installed that is more than something to look at. Any lawn services company can plant rose bushes or flowers around your trees. In fact, you can do such simple plantings yourself. Professional home garden landscaping offers you so much more than this. It offers you the opportunity to turn a garden into an activity center where people can spend an evening outdoors in celebration, conversation, or quiet retreat.

I never thought of a garden as an activity center. What are some examples of what you can create?
We can build custom patios as seating areas, lighted fountains in the center of courtyards, play areas for kids, and pathways for moonlit walks. The key is to make such areas easily accessible by combining custom pathways and walkway designs with landscape lighting.

Garden landscaping design

What is the purpose of garden landscaping design?
The intent of garden design is to provide peace of mind and aesthetic unity between the landscape and the architecture of the home. Gardens tie all things together, from hardscapes, trees, outdoor water features, and swimming pool design.

How should garden landscaping design make a person feel?
The most important thing is to make you and those you invite over feel a sense of warmth and invitation. Because vegetation is alive, it carries with it the very warmth of life itself. Sculpting vegetation into forms and patterns that magnify this warmth is the heart and soul of all garden landscaping design. Objects placed within the vegetation should add vertical impact and provide focal points so people will focus their attention on the rich sensory experience the garden has to offer.

Are focal points important to garden landscaping design?
Yes, because they give the eye something to rest on. This allows you to slow down and explore the rest of the garden. When you have company over, this is vital to the creation of a sublime and beautiful moment when your guests see your garden for the first time. The size, shape, or color of the focal point can attract their attention or help them navigate to other points of interest.

In the case of navigation, garden entryways are extremely important because they establish the mood of the entire garden experience. An entry can be something as simple as a wrought iron fence, or it can be much more complex, such as a masonry wall with an arched entrance. Sometimes pergolas and arbors are also used as entryways to very large and formal gardens to create a sense of drama and scale.

Is it true that a garden should have many different kinds of plants and flowers?
Generally speaking, Houston gardens do better when they consist of carefully selected plant materials that are arranged with appropriate designs. Too many different plants and colors of flowers hits the mind with more of a patchwork explosion of sense rather than a controlled, deliberate, unified field of aesthetic. This is the mistake most commonly made by do-it-yourselfers and cheap garden and lawn companies. They think more is better, and the more the merrier and better.

In reality, repetition of key elements is the secret to professional garden landscaping design. Just a few plant species interspersed with the right hardscape materials can them be used to generate repeating themes that reflect and compliment the architecture of the home and blend the garden with other features on the landscape.

Is repetition really all that importation in garden landscaping design?
Yes. It is extremely important. You see repetition in Nature itself, everywhere you look. Go to any valley, beach, mountain, forest, or desert, and you will see repeating shrubs, flowers, and tree growth with a symmetry that looks as though it has arranged itself. Nature’s beauty has been attributed by many to a simplicity that seems wise beyond human logic. In landscape design, we work to duplicate this simplicity by emphasizing geometry, pattern, and style with a less-is-more approach that is more subtle and suggesting than it is strong and overpowering.

Your Front Yard Landscape Design

A front yard landscape design speaks volumes. It clearly sends messages like “All are welcomed here” or “We like our privacy” and is the first thing that registers with people about your home. As professional garden designers, Exterior Worlds can bring all your landscape design elements together. We help you make decisions on lighting, plant placement, the use of various plant textures and the best focal points. Employing sound design principles and our years of horticultural expertise, we can transform your yard into an image of pleasure that greets you every time you pull into the drive.

One way to add a big wow factor to your front yard design is by selecting a theme. This concept works best when coordinated with the architecture of your home. For instance, rock landscaping accentuates a Southwestern style home or a home built in the style of a French chateau invites a formal garden.

However, a simple choice can make an impact in your front yard landscape design. Planting annuals puts sparkle in all outdoor environments. Any well-drained garden spot, including pots and urns, can be used, with the ideal location being one that is highly visible and thus lends itself to maximum effect.

Typically one of the most prominent features of the front yard, driveway designs include the circular drives and the straightaway drive, sometimes with an apron for additional parking. While driveway designs need to be practical above all, we can help you add a design element to them with your choice of materials, such as stone, brick, pavers, decorative concrete and combinations thereof.

A wrought iron driveway gate completes a driveway with its powerful presence. Wrought iron, sometimes called ornamental iron, has utilitarian value, too, since it is practical in matters of security. These gates let you control who has access to your property when outfitted with an automatic gate opener, remote controls, sensors and code entry keypads. Wrought iron gates work wonderfully well with fencing that is also made of wrought iron, a choice that brings unity to your overall design, and equally well with wood, stone and brick fences.

When planning your front yard’s design, Exterior Worlds likes to include the side yards. They may present an opportunity for a small garden design, which will further unite the different zones of your property into one cohesive look.

While the front yard landscape design is always important for your daily pleasure, it is particularly significant when you need to sell your property. Exterior Worlds are experts at creating what real estate agents call curb appeal in your Houston landscape. Studies have proven that professionally designed and maintained residential landscaping is a major player in adding value to your property. It is an investment in your pleasure now. It is also an investment in the future with an expected return, often several times over, when you sell your home. Let us use all the landscaping elements at our disposal to create a valuable and sophisticated front yard landscape design for you.

Yard Landscape Design Ideas

Plan, plan, plan—the beginning of any good yard landscape design. The end result will be a beautiful a vista that gives you daily pleasure. And it comes with a big pay-off in that attractive landscaping provides a return on investment when it comes time to sell your home. At Exterior Worlds, we think of this time, effort and money as the big three of a yard landscape design project.

One early decision on your part needs to be whether to hire a designer such as the ones you’ll find at Exterior Worlds. While you will find a range of fees for landscape designers, bear in mind that the artistic talent that they bring to the table can turn your place into a showcase. Trained in principles of design and best horticulture practices, these professional planners of yard landscape designs pay big dividends.

Early discussions will also center around which elements to add to your landscape and how to enhance what you’ve got. To begin with, you need to understand your environment. In general, your Houston landscape benefits from a relatively mild climate, nutrient-rich native soil (even though it does need amendments) and a variety of indigenous plants that are naturally lush and verdant. Also, landscape design tree elements cannot be over-valued. Trees give your yard height, shade, color, movement and interest. With consistent and reasonable maintenance, we have seen trees increase in value by as much as 400 percent over a 5-7 year period.

Water elements are another prized element in Houston landscaping. We have found that luxury pools are an expected amenity for upscale homes. Pools provide hours of fun (at any time of the year, but particularly in our hot summers), are a perfect setting for entertainment and delight the senses even when you’re not in them. If you own an older home, perhaps a pool renovation is in order, a project that requires considerable effort, but creates real value for your property.

A water fountain, such as a garden wall fountain or contemporary garden fountain is another visual and auditory treat. It gives a focal point to the eye and soothing sounds to the ear. Fountains are extremely versatile in landscape design. You can place them in front yards, back yards, in small, odd-shaped plots and at entry ways.

Masonry hardscapes unite your architecture with the landscape by projecting out into the yards, thus linking these two disparate zones together. Masonry that rises from the ground also adds a vertical element to your design. Examples of Houston masonry run the gamut from a minimalist brick planter or stone wall to an elaborate pool and patio area with an outdoor kitchen.

However, your ideas and schemes don’t have to be elaborate. At Exterior Worlds, we believe that some of the best yard landscape design ideas are simple and elegant. When we plan and execute a landscape design, we focus on the concept that the landscape is the framework for your house and, just like with artwork hanging on your wall, the frame serves the main attraction.

Masonry Design

What is masonry design?
It is the design of structures that are built with any number of masonry elements. These structures take on a life of their own. They add vertical impact the Houston landscape. They create unique aesthetic structures which can function as the boundaries of unique gathering places like courtyards and morning gardens. They can be used to create perspective in the form of architectural walls so that small yards look big and big yards look less intimidating because they are subdivided into zones of special interest.

Who does masonry design?
Ideally, it is done by professional landscapers who can integrate the many different types and forms of masonry into a more complex landscape master plan. The reason we recommend doing it this way is because landscape professionals will see to it that masonry forms are drawn to scale in proportion to the home and surrounding landscape elements.

Do professional landscapers also build the masonry forms themselves?
We build some of them. Most often, however, we find masonry contractors who specialize exclusively in construction. We bid out our master plan to these experts, and then subcontract them under our supervision. This way we can ensure that our plans our carried out as we intended, and that the physical aspects of the labor are handled by the appropriate specialists.

What are the forms you create with masonry design?
A hard stone, brick, or concrete product that contributes aesthetic to organic elements like lawns, flower beds, gardens, or copses of small trees is something you can consider a masonry form.

Is vertical impact really that important?
Yes. The Houston landscape is routinely criticized by people from all over the world as being too flat. Most people who were not born here come from places where there is at least some variation in the grade of the terrain. Some come from rolling hills; others from mountainous regions.

Many Houstonians who travel may have lived here all their lives for work, but secretly wish Houston had the mountains of Los Angeles, the hills of Tennessee, or the curved and winnowing grades of the Mississippi Valley States. While we cannot make mountains out of ant hills in Southeast Texas, we can alter your properties grade and add vertical impact with masonry design that lifts the terrain upward into multiple degrees of ascent and descent.

The end result of this is more variety for you and your guests, and more curb appeal for your home.

What should I think of first when I think of masonry design?
Think about the possibilities of stone. There is no structure on a landscape that cannot be built with stone. Keep in mind some types of stone cost more than others though, so be realistic about how much you can afford to invest in each particular landscape element you want.

Prioritize and choose other elements like concrete and brick for structures that are less prominent than others.

What are some popular masonry forms?
We can build you retaining walls, patios, walkways, courtyards, planters, and outdoor fireplaces, just to name a few. Because there are so many different materials we can work with, we can customize any of these basic design elements into structures that support the specifics of your home and landscape design.

Planting annuals in your Houston landscape

Planting annuals in your Houston landscape is a visual treat, the “fresh air” that a landscape design regularly needs. With each new season, they give you and all who travel past your property a renewed appreciation of the exterior landscapes. Annuals put color, texture and liveliness in your gardens. Purple pansies, orange daisies, pink begonias and red geraniums delight and captivate us when used as seasonal color because the human eye is naturally drawn to what is new.

Exterior Worlds uses the basic design philosophies of unity, repetition and balance when planting annuals, principles that are foundational to planting gardens of all types, shapes and sizes. There are many ways we accomplish these goals:

• We limit the color choices to those that work well together.
• Sometimes we may plant a single specimen throughout the gardens.
• Conversely, we may repeat a color across several different plant types.
• Always we consider the whole so that the overall scheme stays in balance.

Garden pots, containers and urns are perfect vessels for your seasonal color. For instance, potted annuals make a courtyard garden design really come alive. They add an architectural element to the ambiance. We have used a combination of pots and color to define a garden space or frame a view. By planting annuals in large-sized containers overflowing with color, we have also used them to create a zone, and, when you tire of that arrangement, we can always reconfigure the pots into another design.

We also recommend that you supplement the color that annuals bring to your yard with blooming trees, bushes, vines, grasses and other plant material. We like to mix up the blooming phases of your choices so that you get different spots of color throughout the year. For instance, native grasses provide movement and subtlety. We also use colorful, variegated foliage and berry-bearing bushes to bring variety without extra expense. In particular, planting roses is a prized way to add exquisite color to your gardens.

One note to the wise gardener: installing a drip irrigation system is a smart way to deliver water to your annuals, especially if they are in small or difficult spaces. Examples for their uses include beds between sidewalks or along a driveway, rose gardens, and containers such as decorative pots and hanging baskets. Drip systems let you to water the root systems instead of the flowers, something your annuals will truly appreciate.

When to plant annuals is a question we get a lot. The first consideration needs to be which annuals are appropriate for the current season, and by that we mean specifically the Houston climate. Attention must be paid to our mild winters, hot and humid summers and tendencies toward monsoon-like rains. The same answer is true for the question when to switch out to next seasonal color. In general, you’ve most likely waited too late if the current plantings aren’t surviving.

Make your Houston home and garden pop by planting annuals. In yards of all sizes, in garden beds, in wall planters, in pots, on patios, near the pool and spa, and at entryways—seasonal color breathes fresh life into your landscape design.

Design A Landscape

The first thing to do when you sit down with one of our people to design a landscape is to list your priorities. Do you want to host events outside? If so, you may want a backyard landscaping plan that caters to high-end Houston outdoor living, and you will probably also want a front yard landscaping plan that extends a sense of warm invitation to guests.

Then again, you may just want to relax and be alone with the sights and sounds of Nature. Think about what plants and garden designs will make you feel most at home and most at peace. If something crosses your mind that sounds “crazy” or “unrealistic”, do not hesitate to share that with your landscape designer. Nothing is crazy or unrealistic to us. It may need to be altered or customized, but never thrown in the trashcan of design altogether.

Be realistic, too, about your budget when you design a landscape. Not everything you want has to be done all at once. One thing you can count on from Exterior Worlds is honesty. If we think it is going to cost you too much money to implement all the desires you have simultaneously, we will help you budget out the project in phases based on your priority list.

In fact, a good many of our most renowned landscaping projects were implemented in phases. You can read about some of these in our Case History section. When we work on such a project in phases, we build the hardscapes and garden elements that are essential to the basic theme and aesthetic of your landscape master plan. If more sophisticated structures like outdoor kitchens are planned for the future, we can designate in the plan where these structures will go, and we can earmark a follow up date to construct them when funding becomes available.

This way you don’t have to wait to enjoy your landscape, and you also still have something to look forward to when the next phase of your plan comes on the horizon.

Something else that is essential when we design a landscape for you is some sort of lot survey or topographical map of your property. This will help us determine such things as slope, grade, and the location of some buried utilities. The Houston landscape is very flat and can flood very quickly. Rainfall is either extremely heavy or too absent for large portions of the year.

To compensate for these extremes, we have to create innovative, concealed, and highly effective drain and irrigation systems. We also have to work around things like tree roots and buried utilities in order to avoid doing any costly damage. That is why we need as much documentation on your property as possible whenever we sit down to design a landscape for you.

Finally, bringing pictures of any home or garden are a great way to design a landscape with an Exterior Worlds professional. Sometimes a photograph simply speaks to you in a way that you cannot explain. However, an expert can see immediately where key details of that picture can be extracted, customized, and inserted into the framework of your landscape master plan.

Driveway Landscape Designs

What is driveway landscape design?
Driveway landscaping can consist of both hardscape and softscape. Hardscape options include walls and fences, while your softscape driveway landscaping can consist of flower beds, ground covers, trees or shrubs.

What is the best style of driveway landscape design?
That depends on your home and your yard. The direction and shape of the driveway will always draw the eye toward other landscape elements of interest. If the home is characterized by a very orderly and symmetrical architecture, a straight driveway that runs to a side motorcourt and entry garden can lend itself well to a sense of majesty. If the home appears lower to the ground, and more spread out on the sides, then a circle driveway is an excellent way to keynote the entire property around a central focal point, such as a water feature or contemporary garden.

If the home is set far back from the street, then the driveway can be built to accommodate parking in the front, and a walkway can be built to link the parking area to the front of the home. This is a nice touch that adds a sense of grand entrance to homes in private neighborhoods.

What types of softscape can be combined with driveway landscape design?
Any type of hedge or shrub can be planted along a drive to decorate it with greenery. In most cases, it is best to use more than one shade of green in order to create fullness and dimension.

Flower beds are very popular addendums to driveway landscape design. You can choose to have flowers of a single color to compliment the color of your hardscape and home, or you can you have a layering of different colors designed by our gardening specialists.

An alley of trees is also a good way to ornament your driveway. Many different types of ornamental trees, including Red Maple, Pear, and Myrtle, work well with Houston landscape designs. Larger shade trees are very popular for longer driveways.

What kinds of hardscapes can be used with driveway landscape design?
Masonry walls and ornamental fences are two common hardscape elements used to augment the appearance of a driveway. Small walls add vertical impact to the sides of the driveway. They also help keep vehicles on the pavement and away from delicate plants. An ornamental fence or stone arch can be built at the entrance to the driveway to generate presence and formality.

What type of materials should be considered?
Popular materials range from concrete to asphalt, concrete pavers, brick and natural stone. Concrete is surprisingly more popular in Houston landscaping than you might assume. Thanks to today’s technology, what was once a rudimentary, practical building material can now be rendered highly decorative. Concrete can be stained with a wide variety of colors, and it can be treated in a number of ways to create very interesting textures and patterns in its surface.

Concrete pavers are a great way to create the look and feel of real stone and save a considerable amount of money on your driveway. Brick always lends itself to traditional, Colonial, and Old World themes, and asphalt is a great driveway landscape design to use in conjunction with modern and contemporary landscaping.

Should I light my driveway?
Yes. It is much safer to pull into a lighted driveway at night. Also, outdoor landscape lights are a great way to show off any flowers, shrubs, or trees that you have planted along your drive. These lights will also help increase visibility in your yard and improve the security of your property.

Landscape Design Service

Why is a landscape design service important?
An experienced professional knows the principles of landscaping and will be able to create an outdoor living experience for you that is unique to your property and complimentary to your home. This will go a long way toward expanding your lifestyle beyond the boundaries of your home interior. It will also add curb appeal to your house should you ever consider listing it on the market.

Could I save money by hiring a lawn services company?
Yes, but your yard will not look nearly as good. You need a professional landscape design service who understands principles like unity, symmetry, balance, scope, and scale. Developing a new look to your property requires more than simple gardening and lawn trimming services, as important as those things are. It requires an understanding of construction, advanced garden design, tree-protection, swimming pool design, and outdoor room construction.

What makes the services of a professional landscaper so much better?
First of all, we will take the time to study your home and property lot. The basic architecture of your house and the topography of your land often provides something of a template we can build upon. We also take the time to get to know you and understand your lifestyle. Getting a good picture of how you plan to spend your time outdoors helps us know what structure and hardscapes to build, and how to use garden design to add vitality to these forms.

Do we have any say in what goes into a plan?
Yes. Landscape design services are best accomplished in partnerships with the client. Try to think of all the many ways you plan to use your outdoor environment and write down the key points for our first consultation. Functionality will actually determine the size and scope of many outdoor structures, so planning ahead a bit is always a good idea.

Where can I get ideas on the decorative aspects of landscape design?
Any images that you find appealing can be used as raw material in a brainstorming session with our landscape design services team. You can cut out pictures from magazines, check out books from the library, or even bring photographs of neighbor’s yard. You can also check our case history section and look at previous projects we have done. You may find several items of interest there that could serve as inspiration for your home and yard.

When searching for inspiration, what should I keep in mind?
The most important thing to remember is simplicity. Isolate the geometric shapes, plant types, basic colors, and design patterns that appeal most to you. The good thing about working with Exterior Worlds is that you can hand us a collage of images and ideas that we can then weave together into a more complex, intricate, and truly custom design for your home.

Landscape Patio Design

Is landscaping the patio important?
Yes. Landscaping patio design has the ability to transform the entire look of your house and create a transitional space from the house to the greater portion of the yard.

What are some of the more important considerations when it comes to landscaping patio design?
We want to make sure that the grade is right in order to guarantee proper drainage during times of heavy rain. This will involve leveling off the earth or building retaining walls to keep a portion of the landscape back. Once the grade and elevation are right, we work very hard to create a foundation that will not shift in the soil of the oftentimes unstable Houston landscape.

Concrete makes a great foundation, and it can also be concealed to support more attractive materials like rocks, stone, tiles, and bricks.

How do you determine what materials to use in patio construction?
We base material choices on home aesthetic, surrounding outdoor architectural elements, overall theme of landscaping design, and on client budget. Materials should fulfill a practical purpose of providing a reliable surface on which to place furniture, stand, and sit. They must also be attractive enough to make a major contribution to residential landscape design.

How important are details?
Important enough that you need a landscaping professional to develop your landscape patio design. Since patios are focal points for gatherings and entertainment, even the smallest details offer opportunities to thematically connect to other points of interest in the yard. It is never a good idea to hire masonry contractors to build a patio that is has not been planned in relationship to both the home and surrounding outdoor forms. To do so is to create an island of hardscape that risks looking at odds with other creations.

Is space an important consideration?
Yes. We want to create living space that generates interest, comfort, and opportunities for exploration. If your yard is exceptionally large, we want to use landscape patio design to divide it into zones of activity. Several patios of different sizes may be needed to do this. Typically they are larger in size in order to match the vast space of the lot itself.

In smaller yards, we want to create the illusion of more space. This may involve building patios out of very small stones or bricks in order to emphasize the circumference and surface area of the form. Certain tricks of the eye can also be achieved by adding items like custom fountains or small masonry walls contribute to the impression that such patios are larger than they actually are.

Are plants important to landscape patio design?
Yes. Plants link hardscape to the yard itself and lend a sense of vitality that emphasizes the patio as a focal point of outdoor life. Even in contemporary landscape design, where vegetation is minimized, there is still a very great need for some kind of vegetation to add emerging presence to form.

A patio landscaping design that features plenty of lush green plants and vibrant colorful flowers breathes life into any space. You can install a mass of perennial plants, which require little maintenance. Spruce up your patio with bright potted annuals.

What are some other features to think about?
Water features are also pleasant addition to your patio landscaping design. Consider building a small pond or adding a waterfall if your space will allow it. There are small construction kits for these features available at popular building supply stores.

What type of furniture should I buy?
Find something that is weather proof first and foremost. Choose styles and colors that fit your lifestyle. Base your size selections on the amount of room you actually have on the patio. If you have limited space, aim for comfort and a nice look rather than extravagance.

Garden and Landscaping

What goal am I trying to achieve in garden landscaping?
Garden and landscaping services transform your property into a work of art. Like any work of art, there are key points of interest, unique variations of color, and calculated interplays of light and shadow. This makes your yard look multi-dimensional in its expression of beauty. It also provides you with more opportunities for Houston outdoor living, because the many elements that evolve from garden and landscaping services ultimately become hotspots for entertainment.

How important is my lawn in all of this?
Your lawn is like a canvas. It serves as the backdrop of your garden and landscaping design and establishes the degree of openness that your back yard or front yard communicates to guests. The more grass in your yard, the more a sense of vastness. The more hardscape and conscious cultivation of softscape elements, the more isolated points of interests become.

How many gardens should we have in a big yard?
It is not the number of gardens, but rather the way in which they are designed and arranged. When we work in a big lawn, we divide it into zones where different garden and landscaping designs can be developed.

There can be a garden pergola in one zone that leads up to an arbor, while in another zone, a hand-laid stone patio can overlook a lighted natural swimming pool nestled beneath forest-like trees. In still a third zone, a swimming pool with flagstone patio and lounge furniture can function as a transition area between the house and the rest of the back yard, while in a fourth zone, a small garden courtyard can surround a lighted custom fountain for special gatherings and conversations under the stars.

If my lot is very small, does that mean I can only have one garden in the back yard?
No. We also have garden and landscaping designs that work to make a smaller property look much bigger than it is. The key here is to use smaller hardscapes and smaller physical garden sizes to emphasize the grassy parts of the lawn. In places where shade trees may have killed patches of grass, we can plant shade resistant grass and flowering plant species to extend the greenery up to the bases of the trees. This goes a long way toward enlarging the perceived size of the property.
Can you plant trees near my gardens?
Yes, but only if we plan your garden with shade-resistant species. On a larger lot, you can have a veritable forest of large trees toward the back of your yard and still have plenty of room left over for formal garden and landscaping work. In smaller yards, you have to be choose between limited your softscape options to shade-resistant plants or planting a few trees in key locations where they will not interfere with garden growth. You may also want to consider smaller tree species like Japanese Yew or Japanese maple.

Estates Landscaping

What does “estates landscaping” mean?
It means the careful development of a landscape master plan with special materials and techniques in mind. Estates landscaping requires creativity, innovation, and impeccable construction methods. This is more than simple lawn and garden service. It involves very sophisticated grade and hardscape designs, unique and functional outdoor rooms, and exquisite gardens that express a unified sense of home and landscape.

What special elements go into estates landscaping?
Motifs are regularly borrowed from specific periods of history or specific cultures that have been emulated and admired throughout the world. Such periods include the Classical Age, the Italian Renaissance, and 20th Century Modernism. Popular cultural forms include the Italian, Mediterranean, French, and English. Designs can be strictly Old World and true to historical form, or they can be modified to suggest a period or culture in a personalized, contemporary expression.

What materials would go into estates landscaping?
This really depends on the size of your home and yard and the theme with which you wish to develop your landscape. Generally speaking, materials are going to be very unique and very high-end in nature. Larger properties will need more plants, stonework, and masonry materials than smaller landscapes will need.

What designs would this include?
Very large estates can have labyrinths or traditional parterre gardens that people can walk through. These areas can be illuminated with sophisticated outdoor landscape lights that will provide excellent visibility and special effects. Curved pathways that wind through garden courtyards, wooded areas, and small knot gardens planted with herbs are a great way to make the most of a large estate so that all points of interest can be enjoyed in something of a planned sequence.

What type of plants can be used?
Topiaries and sculpted shrubs are used for accenting entryways and outdoor rooms. Entry gardens are very popular forms to build on one side of a very large home. It creates a sense of transition from the front of the house to the backyard landscape and often screens the property with additional privacy. The walls of these gardens can actually be created from shrubs and smaller trees. This creates a barrier that adds a sense of privacy to the residence, and it also lends living vertical impact to the garden.

What other elements are to be considered?
Fountains, statues, and outdoor furniture are commonly used in estates landscaping to create a very sophisticated outdoor living experience. Other things that we can build include:

• A simple arbor with climbing, flowering vines growing around their wood or iron frame
• A loggia, which is an open air living room that you decorate with plants, furniture, and outdoor lights
• A pergola, which is a structure that has pillars and cross beams and supports climbing vines

What are the benefits of estates landscaping?
You will definitely add curb appeal to your by creating new functional space outside and improving the general overall appearance of your property.

Driveway Designs

A driveway serves many purposes. It is a utility feature that allows easy access and parking onto your property. It is your daily welcome mat as you drive into the garage. It is also a component of curb appeal. For all these reasons, Exterior Worlds believes your driveway design plays an important role in your residential landscape design.

A subset of custom hardscapes—the non-plant features of landscaping that are tailor-made for your site—driveway designs are essential to the way we live today. But while all design considerations need to be practical, it doesn’t mean driveways have to be mere slabs of concrete. Form can flow from function.

Examples of our driveway designs include:

• The common straightaway drive, valued for the ease it provides for driving in and backing out. Often a driveway apron is added for extra parking, for turning around, or for entry into a side garage.
• Another popular design has the driveway traversing the front of the property to end on the far side where the garage is situated.
• Circular driveways are also prevalent and practical, especially for properties situated on busy streets.
• Courtyard designs recall Old World living or contemporary life. The enclosed area can be four-sided or circular—but spacious enough to maneuver vehicles—and can be outfitted with a water feature, such as a classic fountain or an exterior wall fountain.

For anyone contemplating ranch landscaping or estates landscaping, you will have special driveway needs, which include parking for family and guests, safe access to public roads, sight distances, all-weather access, load-bearing requirements and turning radius. We would be happy to walk you through this decision-making process.

Yard drainage is one practical consideration that must be addressed since driveways increase your impermeable surface area. Rainwater run-off must be routed somewhere. Because of our expertise in this area, Exterior Worlds is an excellent choice as your residential landscape designer. We will ensure that your driveway doesn’t create problems—for you or your neighbors.

Once the practical design needs are met, you get to make some aesthetic decisions, such as the material choice. Your options include concrete, decorative concrete (stained, stamped, polished), concrete pavers, asphalt, brick and natural stone. As with all elements in your landscape, your choice should be influenced by the materials already present in your overall design and the architecture of your home.

You can also add extra features. For instance, driveway edging, either flat or raised, ratchets up the design impact. Complementary or contrasting bricks, stone or pavers can be laid on either side of your driveway in interesting patterns. The edging further defines the driveway and creates a transition area into the yard. Also an ornamental iron gate across the driveway provides extra security while it presents an impressive entrance.

While driveways are usually built to withstand the rigors of daily wear and tear, they will require some maintenance. Exterior Worlds can power-wash your driveway as part of your maintenance contract with us.

Clearly, driveways get noticed. They are your landscape’s first and impression, so make your driveway design a good one.

Call Exterior Worlds at 713-827-2255 to discuss upgrading your driveway.

Clean Landscaping

I understand clean landscaping is a form of contemporary landscaping. Why is it called clean?
Clean landscaping gets its name from the fact that it is a form of landscape design that is characterized by a lack of clutter. In some respects, we might say, it is the epitome of the “less is more” approach to landscape design in terms of both hardscape and softscape.

Clean landscaping features straight lines and curved radiuses. It also features both plant massing in some places, and a reduced plant pallet in others. In some applications clean landscaping can also mean form gardens of an organized nature.

Is this a popular form of residential landscape design?
As a form of design, not, but as an overall approach to design, yes. As a form, it is mostly found in modern and contemporary gardens. In commercial applications, where there is a need to differentiate commercial property from the surrounding Houston landscape, clean forms are not only more popular, but in many cases, mandatory for success of the landscape master plan.

Overall, our approach to design in general could be called clean regardless of the style we use because we are very selective and deliberate in what we construct. We avoid overkill and aim for impression more than extravagant expression.

What are elements of this style are almost always used?
Clean landscaping is always done with modern or contemporary elements. Materials tend to be inorganic, and vegetation is strictly controlled, if not contained altogether.

How is clean landscaping valuable to Houston landscape clients?
In addition to the aesthetic contribution it makes to a Houston landscape, the clean style of design can also be very valuable from a financial perspective. Its minimalist use of forms and vegetation requires less maintenance than more elaborate landscaping designs. This helps keep annual maintenance costs down.

What is the emotional sense one gains when one looks at a clean landscape?
The feeling of order and intention typically evoke a feeling of calmness. This is another reason that Houston office parks often prefer to have clean landscapes.

Is this a costly design?
No

Does clean landscaping involve using exceptionally high grade or unique materials?
No

Is clean landscaping generally done in one portion of a yard or an entire yard?
No. The desire of the client, or the design intent of the professional landscaper, is the driving force behind a clean Houston landscape. Homeowners who prefer this design style are lovers of the ultra-modern and contemporary. They want a contemporary landscape design style that speaks of futurism without overkill, and peace of mind without traditional forms.

Commercial clients are seeking to reduce overhead expenditures on Houston landscape maintenance without compromising the quality of their landscape design. Clean landscaping offers them a chance to create structure, order, and symmetry at minimal front end cost and even lower ongoing maintenance costs.

Is this style of landscaping highly supportive of displays of outdoor art and sculpture?
Yes. In fact, the ordered nature of clean landscaping supports the geometry of sculptures and art forms.

Swimming Pool Renovation Project

The Berry family of Houston, Texas recently hired us for a pool renovation project. The pool surface, plaster, tile, and coping required reworking. Originally, the Berry’s had contacted us to see of we could simply restore the pool. We told him that we certainly could, but after pointing out to him how the pool was actually working against his overall landscape design, we were able show him how swimming pool renovation would actually give them a better outcome than they had hoped for.

The original pool had some design challenges that prevented it from working harmoniously with the remainder of the landscape aesthetic. Part of the pool was framed by an architectural wall and by a partly brick and bluestone patio. The problem with this design was that the wall was too tall. It created a sense of separation from the remainder fo the yard, and it obscured the view of a beautiful arbor located just behind the pool. It also hosted a contemporary, sheer descent waterfall fountain that looked oddly modern and out of place in relationship to the traditional lawn garden design of the yard. Restoring this wall to its proper relationship with the landscape was the most important component of our swimming pool rennovation project.

We knew that the fountain had to go because the contemporary design did not work with the freeform swimming pool design or the residential architecture of the home. We felt that the wall would work better if it were one foot lower, and if it took on the appearance of a more deliberate vertical extension of the brick and bluestone patio. To create this façade, we had to rebuild the wall with bluestone columns that match the tile of the patio. These columns rose up in stately form behind the water and were capped at the top. Wiers jutted out from beneath the capstones and poured water into pool. These wiers were crafted with a thermal finish in a flame detail.

We continued our swimming pool renovation with an expansion of the brick coping. This drew greater emphasis to the body of water within its form, and helps focus awareness on the tranquility created by the fountain. We also removed the outdated diving board and replaced it with a diving rock. This was more attractive, and far more safe as well.

We then extended the entire pool and patio another 15 feet toward the right to give the area a more relaxed, sweeping feeling. We also changed out the spa coping that had a lot of problems. It had an odd shape, so we custom crafted brick interlace coping that would fit the oodd shape. We also expanded the brick coping all around the pool from the original 8 inches to a full 12 inches.

We then expanded the new forms of our swimming pool renovation into the rest of the yard. We began by building a sense of connection to an arbor that stood behind the pool. The arbor needed no remodeling of its own, but it had been previously obscured by the oversized wall. Because an arbor is both a seating area and an architectural focal point of outdoor landscape design, we wanted to generate an interest in its location, and create something that would invite visitors to venture beyond the hardscape into the world under the trees.

To accomplish this, we built a walkway out of bluestone stepping pads that actually extended across the surface of the pool. We also built a terrace and a dining area in front of the arbor to make it a place where people could spend an entire afternoon and evening under the trees.

Outdoor Landscape Design

Outdoor landscape design relies on more than one garden to create a realm of organic diversity in both the front and back yard. The function of a particular garden will often determine its style and location in the yard. If the garden is purely ornamental, it will often reflect the architectural style of the home as a historical, cultural, or thematic adjunct to exterior design. If it is a gathering spot that caters to specific types of events, its décor will reflect the activities that occur within the location. Care must be taken here to balance the amount of vegetation with the space needed to comfortably host a specific, anticipated number of guests.

Outdoor Fireplace Design
There is a tremendous creative freedom for the landscape designer who is in charge of building outdoor fireplaces. Because so many of these structures are stand alone landscape features, they can be built in any number of designs that interior wall design would not allow. Even when they are constructed as part of a wall in an outdoor room, outdoor fireplaces often feature uniquely shaped fireplaces and chimneys. This is because outdoor walls are normally built around the fireplace, rather than the fireplace being built into the wall as a secondary part of its structure.

Outdoor Living Design
Outdoor landscape design depends greatly on what professional landscapers refer to as a living design plan of outdoor space. This deals specifically with space management for activities. Forms can only be developed after we have first determined what people will be doing in their yards and how many guests they plan on inviting to their various events. The whole point here is to create support structures and room elements that support events from a veiled, practical perspective. Everything should look attractive and decorative, yet also fulfill a very functional role that is concealed under the surface of its beauty.

Outdoor Living Space
Living Space in outdoor landscape design is something of the inverse of outdoor living design. This deals with the development of specific areas, forms, rooms, and transitional spaces within the front and back yards. The key to success in this very complex aspect of residential landscape design is the generation of appropriate emotions in the various parts of the yard where people will be either standing, moving around, or sitting.

Outdoor Patio Design
Patio design is one of the most important components of outdoor landscape design. It is rare to find a homeowner that does not want some sort of patio in his or her back yard. Most, in fact, want several patios built throughout the landscape. Homes on larger lots go so far as to build small patios in the front yard as well.

While many companies offer basic patio construction services, our work is rather unique. Unless the homeowner absolutely insists to the contrary, we avoid building a patio right next to the exterior wall of the house. We want the hardscape to be pushed back from the home just far enough that green space can fill the area between. Even a few feet of organic presence of this sort can create a feeling of warmth and vitality in a setting that would otherwise be cold, brittle, and too rigid if the wall of the house simply made a sharp right angle to a patio below.

Space Matters
Space management and function are two major concerns that every landscape architect must always balance when undertaking outdoor patio design. No matter how large a yard is, there are only so many square feet to reasonably use for custom hardscape work. We do not want to build a patio too large or too small. The nature of the events that will transpire on its surface, along with the projected number of guests, provide our design team with vital information on setting the dimensions before the stones are laid or the concrete is poured.

High-end Landscapes

High-end landscapes give upwardly-mobile Houstonians opportunities to share their personal values and tastes in a tangible form. They magnify the joy of living by bringing the luxuries and amenities of custom interiors into an outdoor realm of Natural beauty and open wonder.

Outdoor Kitchens
Outdoor kitchens are found in almost all high-end landscapes. They give people more than just a place to prepare food. They also provide accommodations for seating and dining. Some are intentionally constructed with an outdoor lounge design. Others are made to look more like living rooms with fireplaces, stereos, and television sets that give guests audio-visual entertainment after a full-course, five-star meal.

Outdoor Fireplaces
Outdoor fireplaces add warmth and romance to high-end landscapes. During colder times of the year, a warm fireplace makes for a cozy island of comfort in a wet and frigid landscape. During warm months, when a fire produces too much heat, special lighting can simulate the appearance of the fire and bring romance and ambience to spring and summer nights.


Multiple Patios
Almost all homeowners want a swimming pool patio that will give them a decorative, functional, surface area for outdoor parties. A high-end landscape requires more than one patio though. It needs multiple patios to help create focal points of interest. Entry gardens can have patios by lighted fountains that let guests sit in front of illuminated water. Morning gardens can have patios just big enough for two people to sit and enjoy the morning sun together. Lighted ponds in the corner of the yard can be enjoyed by everyone from the comfort of a custom hardscape that wraps around its curves and follows the path of its mystical luminance.

Several Gardens
There are more garden designs than you can dream of. Not only are there styles like Japanese, Italian, French, and English gardens to choose from, but there are also many custom garden styles that you can develop to support specific architectural nuances and landscape design themes. Contemporary gardens and modern gardens also offer the eclectic homeowner an opportunity to express consciousness on abstract levels and freedom through avant garde form.

Custom Swimming Pools
The high-end landscape can play host to many different swimming pool designs. Not all high-end landscapes require what we would call luxury pools. However, any pool must evidence a high level of customization in spite of the ultimate shape and size of the pool. Custom copings, high-grade materials used to build patios, and special features like water jets, fountains, waterfalls, and spas make high-end pools into functional elements in their own respect.

Wooden and Wrought Iron Arbors
Arbors integrate human architecture into the fabric of tree growth. They are open-air shelters constructed between trees that offer unique vantage points from comfortable seating, fine flooring, and climate controlled interiors.

Entertainment Rooms
High-end landscapes are witness large numbers of people attending a variety of year-round events hosted by the homeowner. Outdoor kitchens alone may not offer sufficient square footage to comfortably accommodate such numbers. In such an event, we build one or two adjacent entertainment rooms replete with fine furnishings and advanced audio visual entertainment. Entertainment rooms such as this can also be built near swimming pools and spas.

Home Garden Design

Glorious home garden designs inspire us, essentially affecting how we experience our living environment. Gardens are places of rest, where we re-create in the most basic sense of that word. Gardens are about pleasure, sensual and tactile. They are ever-evolving—where you can see change each passing day, season, year.

A vital outdoor landscape design, created, installed and maintained by Exterior Worlds, opens up a realm of possibilities. We help Houston outdoor living come to life with a customized home garden design. We invest each plan with fresh and inventive ways that make your garden engage the senses. Our aim is to turn your garden into a place where plants—and people—flourish.

In contemplating a home garden design, we encourage our clients to think in terms of creating harmony with colors. For instance, we might combine yellow pansies, blue bachelor’s buttons and purple lavender, layered against each other. It is similar to mixing voices together, but instead of a chorus of bass, alto and soprano, you have a choir of color.

We also like home garden designs that celebrate our regional character, maybe highlighting tropical plants. We also think it is important to complement your home’s architecture. For instance, use a Tuscany garden theme to enhance a Mediterranean-style home.

While planning a garden, we discuss with clients which plants should lead the design. This idea embraces the philosophy that says there needs to be emphasis on both hardscapes and softscapes. This idea underscores the point that concrete, paved paths, fences and walls are necessary but also static. Greenery and plants enliven the composition. It is the soft, growing life against the hard, solid mass that captures our attention and imagination.

Other elements we might factor into our designs:

• Landscape lighting design. A well-designed lighting plan extends the gratification you derive from your gardens by letting you enjoy it at night. The introduction of wavering shadows, soft light and full darkness lets you take in the scene with new eyes.
• Custom fountain designs. With a variety of styles to choose from, including water wall fountains, and pool water fountains, water fountains create a wonderful ambiance in gardens. In selecting a fountain, we encourage our clients to be cognizant of their home’s architecture and other material choices they have made. Another water element idea is a pond landscape design which makes a beautiful addition to a backyard. Ponds, when stocked with colorful fish like koi, have the additional benefit of putting movement into your landscape.
• Rock landscape design. Rocks and stones bring unique qualities to a garden. They encourage patience and restraint in a too-busy world. They have an innate steadiness, counterbalanced by graceful fluidity. A stone landscape could provide the tranquility your soul seeks.
• Vegetable garden design. If your tastes run toward the functional and the aesthetic, you might consider a vegetable garden, something that makes sense in these ecologically-sensitive times. All the time, energy and effort you put into a vegetable garden is well worth it when you bite into a plump homegrown tomato or taste the sharpness of your very own green onions.

Exterior Worlds, for all your landscape needs.

Hardscape Plans

The term hardscape refers to any permanent structure on your landscape. Hardscape plans involve construction of both functional and decorative outdoor features. Color and texture are interwoven into many of these forms to compliment architecture and natural flora.

Any material, including stone, metal, bricks, and concrete can be used to build these outdoor elements. If not done properly, they can cost you an enormous amount of money to rebuild. However, if designed and constructed by professional landscape architects, they can increase your home value with a minimal amount of maintenance.

Hardscape plans frequently constitute up to 60-70 percent of a master landscaping plan. Due to the complexity and variety of forms this includes, it is important that you plan assiduously and work with an established landscape design firm such as Exterior Worlds. Our professionals are experts in architecture, irrigation, drainage, garden design, swimming pool remodeling, and outdoor building construction. Thorough knowledge of these many disciplines is necessary to create a truly superior and memorable Houston outdoor living experience for your friends, family, and neighbors.

Hardscape plans should establish the overall theme of the landscape and should be developed first before adding vegetation. It is important to work with an expert organization like Exterior Worlds to ensure that everything is drawn to scale and affords appropriate amounts of space to which to add gardens, flower beds, hedges, and even trees later in the project.

Ideally, hardscape plans should focus on making functional elements that also convey a high-level of aesthetics to the eye of the viewer. This requires a very thorough knowledge of materials in order to achieve the delicate balance between building something durable that works and something that simply looks good.

Even the most common concrete structure like porches and motor courts can be rendered visually appealing with techniques like brushing. Common bricks can take on an entirely new aesthetic when arranged in complex designs such as the running bond pattern that is popular around homes with a rustic look or historical period theme.

Other important functional elements of the hardscape plan include patios and walkways. Both forms are crucial to the success of home entertainment events. Patios provide gathering and seating areas, and walkways provide safe transit at night between outdoor buildings, swimming pools, garden areas, entry gardens, and courtyards.

• Fencing
• Decks
• Outdoor buildings
• Walkways
• Driveways
• Outdoor kitchens
• Retaining walls
• Built-in grill
• Patios
• Walls
• Sports Courts
• Driveways

Again, working with a professional landscaping company with an advanced knowledge of design will ensure that some of the more taken-for-granted elements can be built in a manner that immediately catches the eye and contributes its own unique sense of beauty and proportion to front yard and back yard design features.

Taking the time to communicate with an advanced team of professionals who will hold themselves strictly accountable to the highest standards of materials, design, and construction will ensure that your property value increases and remains an asset to both your lifestyle and your original home investment for many, many years that follow.

Small Garden Design

I’ve got the tiniest yard, but want to do something special with it. Help!
The overall design philosophy at Exterior Worlds states that the objective of any great landscape design, including small garden designs, is to create a space that is in relationship with your home and its surroundings. The essence of good landscape architecture is that your garden must functionally work together in every aspect and, at the same time, reveal your personal tastes and lifestyle.

As with all landscape design, the small garden design begins and ends with thoughtful, intelligent planning. Landscape designers or landscape architects can bring expertise and experience to this process. And always keep in mind: small does not mean limited. A small garden can still carry a big wallop.

What are the unique problems of a small garden design?
If you’ve recently remodeled your home, you may have changed its elevation or added a new room or otherwise reduced the size of your backyard and thus changed the spatial relationship of the house to the landscape. Perhaps your zero-lot line runs smack into the imposing three-story wall of a neighbor’s townhouse. Maybe your property is undersized and defined by boring straight lines. In other words: a small yard, but a big challenge.

Start by cataloging your assets and liabilities. For instance, list the large, immobile factors, such as a long fence-line, a stand of bamboo or an air-conditioning unit, and decide how you would categorize them—plus or minus. In this way, you test what is feasible for your site, with the ultimate goal of clarifying your landscape design options.

What are some of the architectural elements to put into my small garden design?

• Hardscapes. Pathways and gates can be used to help define a small space, break it up or create interest. Your deck design or patio design can increase your living space with an outdoor room. Material selections, such as patio pavers or gravel pathways, add texture, thus making the space more appealing.
• Luxury swimming pools or outdoor water fountains. Water features provide movement and pleasant sounds that increase your pleasure, whatever the size of your yard. Swimming pools can be custom-made to fit into small gardens and yards. We have, in fact, many clients who have created works of art with their smaller pools.
• Garden structures. Consider the use of a garden arch, pergola, rose pillar, trellis or antique architectural element such as a marble urn or stone bench.
• Irrigation systems and drainage systems. Our clients find that these systems save them money, time and worry. Sprinkler systems distribute water to plants during our long, hot summers and drainage systems carry away excess water when we get our famous downpours.
• Landscape lighting. If you’re looking for a touch of drama in a small yard, landscape lighting is your answer. In addition to the beauty it creates, our clients tell us that they enjoy being able to come home after dark and still enjoy their outdoor environment, courtesy of the landscape lighting design.

Home Landscape Designs

Home landscape designs by Exterior Worlds turn yards into outdoor living space. Functional structures and elements are developed with an aesthetic that is representative of homeowner interest, lifestyle, and entertainment preferences. Public space is developed according to events that the homeowner plans to host in the future, with care being given to the numbers of anticipated guests and their preferences for amenities and activities. Special areas are also set aside and developed exclusively for the enjoyment of the homeowner and any children they may have.

In order to create a home landscape design that people will want to visit as a preferred weekend destination, we have to first create a focal point for the entire aesthetic of the design . Without exception, this is always the house. As the central hub of lifestyle, and as the most prominent feature on the landscape, the house establishes the tone of the aesthetic and many contextual elements of landscape design. This is not to say that we develop the yard into an exact mirror image of the home, but rather create a complimentary visual that reflects key elements of home architecture and style in the many special environments that we created in both the front and back yard.

Open areas of the yard are often developed exclusively as decorative elements. Fountains, gardens, hedgerows, and flower beds remind us that while structure constitutes the form of home landscape designs, Nature still defines its essence and power. Enclosed areas are then developed that create environment through separation in a variety of forms.

Typically any area that is enclosed and separated from the remainder of the yard is called an outdoor room. Unlike indoor rooms, outdoor rooms do not have to have four walls and a ceiling. Any natural or manmade partition that separates all or even part of an area is enough to set aside space for specific purposes or events.

Sometimes we create nothing more than an open space for children to use as a private play area. In other cases, we may build a small wall around a garden and construct a custom patio with outdoor lighting to give guests a place to sit and talk. Hedges can be used to separate sports courts from more aesthetic elements and without diminishing the theme of the home landscape design. More advanced outdoor rooms, such as outdoor fireplaces and summer kitchens, quickly become the focal points of larger gatherings and celebration.

These environments are always highly customized to reflect both the home and surrounding landscape designs. No two outdoor rooms are identical, and no home landscaping design is ever generic. Each environment, regardless of size or material build, is always reflective of both the home and the property as a whole.