Lacy cards, beauty-queen-worthy bouquets and beribboned boxes of chocolate often symbolize romance, especially around Feb. 14. But when it comes to gardens, romantic expression can be subtler and more wide-ranging. It can mean a single secluded alcove or an array of intimate nooks, or it can focus on fairy-tale flowers or foliage from the deepest woods. It can be whimsical, mysterious or something all its own. See how dreamy blooms, lush greenery, winding paths, fountains and more have made these five yards true romantics. Let us know in the Comments if any ideas might help your yard speak its own language of love.
Before Photo
That lantern hanging from the branches is purely decorative, by the way. Ambient light from the surrounding buildings provides enough illumination to keep added light fixtures to a minimum.
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Before Photo
2. Secret Romance
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Bea and Tom Schumacher
Location: Pasadena, California
Size: 4,570-square-foot (425-square-meter) backyard; 4,500-square-foot (418-square-meter) front yard; 700-square-foot (65-square-meter) parking strip
Design-build team: Isara Ongwiseth, lead designer, and John Cook, landscape installation manager, both of FormLA Landscaping
Before: Little protection from the searing sun left this yard in Southern California parched. It had no destination areas, either, and was a pain to mow and water. The homeowners hired FormLA Landscaping to create a series of outdoor rooms that would require less maintenance and offer a beautifully immersive experience.
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The new water-conscious plantings foster a hideaway feel with their lushness, while their colors and textures offer an ever-changing feast for the eyes year-round.
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3. Artful Romance
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their daughter and their cat
Location: Ballard neighborhood of Seattle
Size: 1,500-square-foot (139-square-meter) side yard on a 5,400-square-foot (502-square-meter) lot
Landscape architect: Board & Vellum
Landscape contractor: Sage and Stone
Before: A fencing project for this Seattle side yard turned into a full redesign. The homeowners wanted more privacy without feeling completely walled off, and they wanted to be able to use and enjoy the expansive area more — not easy, given its noticeable grade change. Design firm Board & Vellum came on board to create a leafy outdoor oasis with just the right amount of seclusion.
String lights and glowing path lights conjure a magical vibe after the sun goes down.
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Native evergreen huckleberries (Vaccinium ovatum) and ‘Winter Sun’ mahonia (Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’) elsewhere in the yard draw hummingbirds, butterflies and other winged creatures, enhancing the already idyllic retreat.
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Before Photo
4. Reimagined Romance
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Photographic artist Jo de Banzie and her husband
Location: Muswell Hill, North London
Size: About 1,130 square feet (105 square meters)
Landscape designer: Jilayne Rickards
Before: Though lacking character and charm, this North London backyard held plenty of promise. As it had already been landscaped, designer Jilayne Rickards worked as much as possible with what was there, including the patio area and gravel seen here. She also sourced additional items secondhand, and nothing went to the landfill.
Caution: Bamboo can be invasive; opt for a clumping variety and consult guidelines for your area before planting. (A trench and root barrier keep the bamboo here in check.)
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5. Ranch Romance
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Steve and Debra Cummings
Location: Santa Paula, California
Size: About one-fifth of an acre on an 80-acre ranch
Landscape architect: Kiesel Design
Landscape installer: Haney Landscape
Before: Among scraggly trees on an 80-acre avocado ranch in California’s Santa Clara River Valley sat this plain rectangular lawn abutting a livestock pen. The property has been in the owners’ family for generations, and they recently tapped Kiesel Design to turn this area into an outdoor destination filled with visual delights — using Houzz ideabooks to share inspiration.
Across from the covered deck seen here lies an artistic fountain carved from a sandstone boulder, where birds drink and play. Down the path a bit sits a dining area with seating for six. And farther along, a natural gas fire feature made of Cor-Ten steel and lava rock anchors a seating area that would do a campsite proud.
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These two “after” photos show only small portions of the garden, which stretches to about a fifth of an acre. It focuses on water-conscious and pollinator-attracting plantings but includes a variety of blooms too, including roses — all in a vivid palette of purples, oranges, pinks and greens and in a range of stirring scents.
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1. Rustic Romance
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple active in the arts
Location: North London
Size: 1,012 square feet (94 square meters)
Landscape designer: Georgia Lindsay Garden Design
Landscape contractor: PerlaRose Landscapes
Before: A tall tree of heaven growing up from the ground floor and a dumbwaiter connecting to a kitchen one floor below were two big advantages of this North London terrace. It also got a lot of wind and had no apparent purpose, however. The homeowners took the recommendation of a neighbor who’d found Georgia Lindsay Garden Design on Houzz and hired the firm to design an inviting escape worthy of the view.