Contemporary Garden with a Rockery Ideas and Designs

Hortulus Animae llc - Mindful Garden Design

Deck gardens
This is an example of a large contemporary side xeriscape full sun garden in New York with a rockery, decking and a wood fence.

Elegant Entrance

The Narrow Lane

This is an example of a small contemporary side partial sun garden for spring in Boston with a rockery and decorative stones.

Australian Native Front Yard

City Botanics

Inspiration for a medium sized contemporary front xeriscape full sun garden in Sydney with a rockery and brick paving.

Outdoor Living Room with Pizza Oven

Beall's Nursery & Landscaping

Forty tons of Ohio stone boulders were installed to expand the yard and support the large patio space. The homeowner requested a unique gas fire feature, so we expanded on the idea creating a custom fire table with oversized cap for cocktails in the evening.

Hickory

Morgan Howarth Photography

Photo of a contemporary back partial sun garden for summer in DC Metro with a rockery and natural stone paving.

Steep Grade Here!

Aria Alfresco

This outdoor living space is built on a steep grade, so access to each living area was necessary by installing natural siloam slab steps.
Photo of a medium sized contemporary back garden in Denver with a rockery and natural stone paving.

Drought Tolerant front yard

Becky's Creative Landscape & Design

Euphorbia, aloe and other succulents happily grow together next to boulders in this rock garden. Becky Barritt
Design ideas for a small contemporary front xeriscape full sun garden for winter in Other with gravel and a rockery.

Modern Oakland Vista

Sarah Herman Landscape Design

Formerly unused hillside was transformed into an upper viewing patio to take advantage of the beautiful San Francisco Bay view.
Medium sized contemporary back xeriscape full sun garden for summer in San Francisco with a rockery and concrete paving.

Outdoor Stairs Of Boulders

Big Rock Landscaping

Outdoor staircases are required in a slopped yard, but they can be a stunning focal point rather than an eye sore.
Photo of a contemporary sloped garden in Salt Lake City with a rockery, decorative stones and a metal fence.

Atelier 216

Z Builders

An elegant, eco-luxurious 4,400 square foot smart residence. Atelier 216 is a five bedroom, four and a half bath home complete with an eco-smart saline swimming pool, pool house, two car garage/carport, and smart home technology. Featuring 2,500 square feet of decking and 16 foot vaulted ceilings with salvaged pine barn beams.

Leschi Residence

Mohler + Ghillino Architects

Open glass corner connects interior stair to the garden. Guest suite above garage is beyond. photo: Ben Benschneider
Contemporary garden in Seattle with a rockery.

Sophisticated Drought Tolerant- Mulholland Estate

Bosler Earth Design

Winding river rock stream around drought tolerant plant materials.
This is an example of a medium sized contemporary xeriscape garden in Los Angeles with a rockery and decorative stones.

Residential Native Garden

Regenerative Designs Australia

Bonnie Jenkins Photography
Photo of a medium sized contemporary front xeriscape full sun garden in Sunshine Coast with a rockery and gravel.

Our Work

Sunny Seattle Construction

Design ideas for a contemporary back partial sun garden in Seattle with a rockery.

Santa Barbara Drought Tolerant

Montecito Landscape

Contemporary back xeriscape garden in Santa Barbara with a rockery.

Xeriscape & Landscape Design

Aria Alfresco

Xeriscaped Planting Beds and Dry River Bed Make This Landscape Design Unique and Beautiful
Medium sized contemporary back full sun garden in Denver with a rockery.

Glenwood Cemetery

Ash and Line

Photo of a small contemporary partial sun garden for summer in Houston with a rockery and gravel.

Special Features

Alderwood Landscape Architecture and Construction

Inspiration for a contemporary back garden in Seattle with a rockery and natural stone paving.

Urban Retreat near Downtown Miami

Botalia Designs

This is an example of a small contemporary front partial sun garden in Miami with a rockery and gravel.

Kirkland Residencial Garden

Kim Rooney Design

Photo of a medium sized contemporary front driveway full sun garden in Seattle with concrete paving and a rockery.

Contemporary Garden with a Rockery Ideas and Designs

A beautifully designed contemporary garden is as important as the emphasis we place on the designs of our interiors. After all, our grounds (however modest) frame our homes and contribute to first impressions not only of our houses, but also of the households within. Options for garden designs can be as elaborate or low maintenance as your lifestyle and preferences permit – consider both your aspirations for how it should look and how much time you can invest in garden maintenance. Consulting a gardener or landscape designer will ensure you have a garden that suits your lifestyle, the local climate and soil conditions. But don’t forget that with Houzz your first stop can be collecting images of garden ideas and designs you love in order to inspire your garden plans and potentially share them with a landscape gardening professional.

How do I come up with a contemporary front garden design?

The priority for a front garden is kerb appeal. Begin by considering the area immediately around and leading up to your front door. You may want to opt for front garden designs that blend well with the style of your home – for example, abundant foliage and flowerbeds will perfectly complement a period property, whereas man-made materials, geometric shapes and contrasting textures are great ideas for a contemporary garden design. Even if your front garden is a small space, keep it tidy – if you have more space, make the most of it with garden ideas and features such as a manicured lawn, gravel driveway, water feature or garden fencing. If you don’t have the time or commitment to devote to gardening, then neatly pruned hedges, statement paving, hanging baskets, garden benches and outdoor lighting are all decorative, low maintenance garden ideas for your contemporary front garden design.

How should I design my contemporary back garden?

Back gardens typically offer more space than front garden designs and serve a more recreational purpose, so it’s important to know how you want to spend time in your garden before you design it in order to build in the features that you will enjoy. If you love relaxing in the garden and dining al fresco, think about patios, decking, garden furniture and BBQs. For the more horticulturally-inclined, incorporate flower beds, greenhouses or vegetable garden designs. Your landscape gardening professional can help you install structures such as sheds, pergolas and gazebos that complement your garden design, and artfully-placed garden ideas such as lawn edging and lighting will add definition to your chosen design.

How do I create a low maintenance garden?

The great news is, gardens aren’t exclusively for the green-fingered. Whether you’re not horticulturally-inclined or simply don’t have the time for a bit of landscape gardening, you can still have a contemporary garden design that looks the way you want by making some smart design choices. While many of us favour low maintenance gardens like urban gardens, roof terraces and patio gardens, lovers of greenery don’t need to sacrifice grass for paving slabs. Whatever you want from your garden, there are a variety of gardening solutions that can be built in to make life easier. For example, labour intensive features such as vegetable patches, greenhouses and flower beds can be optimised with an automatic irrigation system. These can be offset with fuss-free garden ideas such as hard landscaping, including gravel, paving or decking, and hard-wearing evergreens that require minimal upkeep. You might even consider replacing your garden fencing with slow growing hedging, which can be maintained less regularly than wooden fence panels. If having a lawn is important, there are different types of grasses in varying degrees of durability and maintenance. You may choose to take a more relaxed approach to your lawn – “wild” garden designs can have great charm if the grasses and flowers are chosen carefully. If you prefer a manicured lawn, it’s a good idea to invest in a “mulching” lawn mower that will recycle clippings and remove the need for cleaning up. Finally, there isn’t a more low maintenance garden lawn than artificial grass which can look highly realistic and keep your garden looking green. Garden ornaments are a great way to add interest to your low maintenance garden design – go for smart garden ideas such as solar garden lights which are both decorative and functional. Find some of the most popular design ideas on Houzz.

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