These homeowners have a beautiful hill country property and were looking to match the aesthetic of the home with an updated landscape design. The primary goals for this project included completing the landscape left unfinished around the existing pool, replacing as much lawn as possible with native plants to attract pollinators and birds, and reimagining the front yard hillside. Custom entry stairs and a bridge were added with steel raised planters to give dimension to the sloping walkway to include a formal path to the front door for guest parking at the street. The bridge gives a clear path over a dry creek drainage system made with river rocks, giving excess water a clear path to follow that avoids important areas of the home and landscaping. We added a custom address marker as well as a few bubbling boulder water features in the front and back yard to provide interest and water source for wildlife.
This mid-century ranch makeover was designed to create an exciting outdoor living space to compliment the homeowners’ in-ground pool and outdoor movie theatre. We wanted the unique style of the home to extend into their outdoor space. Architectural plants paired with the movement of softer flowers and grasses blend into a visually striking and relaxing space for this young family to entertain and enjoy! Texture was a big influence in this landscape with a mix of hardscape and foliage to fuse the space into a modern rustic charm. Windmill palms, cacti, and yuccas were paired with flowering perennials and ornamental grasses to provide seasonal bursts of color and amplify the southwestern ambiance.
Cafe lights and hitching-post towel racks were selected for a cozy and eccentric Austin flare. Artificial Turf was installed to replace the pre-existing pea gravel to soften the landscape and create a more pet-friendly backyard for their dog to play in. An outdoor kitchen with a raised countertop for extra seating was built within access of two doors for hosting and cleaning convenience. With this backyard makeover, the hosting possibilities are endless!
We have had the pleasure of working on multiple projects for this property over the past few years! It has been great to watch the property change and turn into the native oasis it is today! The most important aspect of this property that the owner wanted to maintain was that all the plantings were native to Central Texas. The back of the property was filled with native plantings around the pool, and the property owner wanted a cohesive look with her beds in the front yard that had become overgrown. We removed the old plants and added in some of the same native plantings that were found in her back yard. Yaupon Holly was added along the property line to provide extra privacy from the neighbors and flowering natives were clustered to make the property more pollinator friendly!
Another request from the owner was that we make the property more inviting during the evenings. We added in some outdoor lighting to highlight the trees, as well as lighting that illuminated the pathway up to the house and around the back of the property. This added a dreamy element to the space, making the property more inviting to guests.
[caption id="attachment_17904" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image from Hyde Park Modern Retreat - Front Yard[/caption]
A well-planned landscape can foster community not only for ourselves, but for our landscape as well.
Natives. Most often looked to for their durability and natural stamina in our climate, but a delicious benefit that can be overlooked is the relationships they nurture with wildlife.[caption id="attachment_10844" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image from Oak Hill Country Estate[/caption]Curating a palette of native plants can invite some of our most beloved guests into our gardens. Tubular, nectar-rich flowers can attract hummingbirds flitting from snack to snack. Flat rocks and a wide arrangement of blooms lure in butterflies for rest and sustenance.[caption id="attachment_15618" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image from Hyde Park Adaptable Landscape[/caption]Tiny tree houses, feeders and soft flowing water appeal to many kinds of birds and Fall is a wonderful time to witness an array of them on their annual migration. These are the guests to our homes that fill us with surprise and wonder.[caption id="attachment_16152" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image from Barton Springs Cottage Community[/caption]The restorative quality of nature is a treat that can be integrated into your landscape. Our choices in design can draw or deter desired wildlife to make a seasonal refuge in our gardens or venture elsewhere. With the right combination of plants and placement, you can become a steward to species that bring you peace and joy.[caption id="attachment_14585" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image from Boulden Creek Retreat[/caption]Another beautiful part of using native and adapted plants is it's an excellent way to stay connected to our environment. There is an aesthetic to our local plant palette that is unique to our area and it's creatures.Everything has a purpose, everything plays into the whole. When crafting a space where plans and plants come together in a unique and complimentary goal we get to experience the seasons through their interactions within our landscape including blooms and wildlife.[caption id="attachment_14491" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image from Zilker Native Chic[/caption]
When people talk about making renovations to their house what they are ultimately thinking is resale, resale, resale. Even before the show "Fixer Upper" hit the scene it seemed like every city had their own version of the "Flip or Flop" formula. Invest in key areas of the house and end up with a profit, mainly by updating the kitchen or bathroom, updating appliances, or simply adding a fresh coat of paint. However, not many of these shows seemed to address the landscaping even though you can reap the same returns on investment! So, naturally, we're here to fix that.[caption id="attachment_13456" align="aligncenter" width="352"] Before Native Edge[/caption][caption id="attachment_13461" align="aligncenter" width="350"] After Native Edge[/caption]While trying to figure out exactly what a single potential homeowner might perceive as valuable in a landscape is tricky, there are definitely some key characteristics that on average are looked at more positively than others.For example, in a paper published by the Virginia Cooperative Extension called,The Effect of Landscape Plants on Perceived Home Value they found that people ranked "design sophistication" as the most important factor that increased the value of the home outweighing plant size and diversity of plant material type. More specifically, "the preferred landscape included a sophisticated design with large deciduous, evergreen, and annual color plants and colored hardscape." Additionally, across the seven states surveyed they found that the change in value from a home with no landscape (lawn only) to a home that was well-landscaped ranged from 5.5-11.4%. That means that a home worth $200,000 with no landscape could be worth $11,000-$22,800 more after new sophisticated landscaping!The best part about investing in landscaping is that it only gets better with age. As plants start to reach their mature heights, and get established, you really begin to see designs come to life.
After their brand new construction was completed, this family had a beautiful and comfortable home that truly fit their needs. However, this new construction lacked an outdoor living space, which left the backyard feeling stark and bare. With this blank slate, we were able to create a relaxing environment for this family to enjoy.
Faced with the challenge of using every square-inch of this small space, Native Edge was able to design a landscape that left this family worry-free. We incorporated a low maintenance composite decking system, modern raised metal planters, and a bubbling urn water feature to tie this peaceful landscape together. The poor drainage of the lot gave us the opportunity to create a striking cat walk and drainage feature, which left ample room for their vegetable and herb garden hobby. There is even a nook for the family dog to enjoy!
[igp-likes] Instagram LikesWhat an awesome day of caring with HomeAway at Out Youth to spruce up the safe space for the LGBT+ teen community! What an great organization for a great cause! #lgbt #homeaway #outyouth #landscapedesign #giantjenga #jenga #landscapeconstruction #atx #atxlife
[igp-likes] Instagram LikesWhat time is it? Game time! With coloring completed its time to get this bad boy scanned! So excited to show these clients how to make the most of their yard space... And cut back on maintenance and water needs of course :) #landscapedesignbuild #nativeedge #handrendering #custompouredconcrete #rainwaterharvesting #firefeature #sustainablematerials #austininspiresus #colorandcontrast #shadetrees #forestcity
[igp-likes] Instagram LikesWhew! Spaces came together and plant selection is finally complete.... Time to ink! 🏚+= #designerlifestyle #droughttolerantlandscape #austininspiresus #nativestrong #handdrawnwithlove
What we love most about our landscapes is having fun! That is why it is always so great to be a part of a project with such personality! These homeowners were a fun couple, with great history - picking up electric art and sculptures along the way! Every piece having it’s own story! When we started on our landscape design here, we knew we had to be able to tell a story throughout the landscape. We created this landscape as a frame to a photo on the wall; to only showcase the customer’s great finds and adventures. We used simple, timelines materials in order for the landscape style to transition with the homeowners throughout the seasons, and throughout the years to come!
Before Native Edge[/caption][caption id="attachment_13461" align="aligncenter" width="350"]
After Native Edge[/caption]
