The first is landscape designer Andrew Grossman's garden. He shares the progress of his garden at his blog titled 'A Year in My Garden' — even though he admits that this garden was fully 12 years in the making.
Andrew has created many artistic design elements (my favorite is the checkerboard planting!) in his garden and if you are interested in seeing it in person, he is opening his garden for the Garden Conservancy's Open Days program this weekend (June 18th, 2011). He lives in Seekonk, Massachusetts, and you can find more details here. Alternatively, you can take a better look online here.
On the smaller, more-achievable-in-a-few-weekends side of the landscape project spectrum, the second garden is in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn. It was created by removing concrete, cutting it to nice squares and mixing it with bricks, and then putting it back in a much nicer way. The new scheme is not only more decorative, but allows ample space for all those potted (and eventually unhappy) shrubs and trees to lay their roots into the earth, spread out and beautifully make themselves at home. This garden makeover was originally featured at Brownstoner and you can see more images of it there.
And finally -- for that special lucky someone amongst us who might someday win the lottery, there is ample inspiration to be found in Atlanta based designer Alex Smith's portfolio. This mountain top garden is certainly in the 'aspirational category' but there are some beautiful ideas that can be applied anywhere. Why not try punctuating your beds with boxwood, it gives a clear and uniform organized look that can be quite relaxing. Or perhaps there is inspiration to be found in the way he has edged all the beds in (what appears to be) thin chipped edge granite paving stones turned on their sides. More images and ideas from Alex can be found here and here as well as here.
(Re-edited from a post originally published 06.15.11 - NM)
• SUBMIT YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE OR PROJECT
(Images: brownstoner , studio 'g', Andrew Grossman and Alex Smith)
Small Cool Lessons: Discovering Small Space Design Ideas That Really Work
Beatriz's Fun & Functional Workspace
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sheex Bedding
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
Gorgeous pictures! I've been daydreaming a lot about my backyard recently. We've been busting concrete out, and hope to put in a reclaimed brick patio soon.
I wonder how long it took to do all of those transformations. I would love to do something with my backyard but I just don't have that kind of money. :S But, it's nice to daydream with such nice pictures. :)
wow...thats all I can say...wow
The first two truly are lovely transformations...
But the last one: It's rather disingenuous to show photos of a construction site as the "Before" (Who wouldn't appreciate the after as an improvement over a construction site?) when the real before appears to have been a lovely natural wooded/sloped lot.
Ooh, this makes me so happy that I'm starting school in the fall - horticulture/landscape design! Yessssssssss.
I've been searching for a yellow for the exterior of my historic home. Can you please let me know what color and what company
you got your yellow paint for home.
@howlingwolfgirl: If you don't invest time (I mean years), then you would need lots of cash to get this look. It's surprising how many plants a garden can 'swallow up'. Those 'in a few weekend' transformations require a huge budget for labour and all those mature plants.
The first house is adorable both before and after!
@SusanBforcolor: B.Moore does a line of historic colors and in yellow I particularly like Hawthorne yellow HC-4 and Marblehead gold HC-11. Yellow can be a tricky color to get right so good luck!
www.ChristinaMarieInteriors.com
The first house...Wow!!
It takes years and lots of work to get there, I know, I'm working on my yard. (I shop for bargain plants on my wish list and try to find sales. Just got some junipers and blueberries for $4 each at Home Depot recently... small cheap plants take longer to look great as they mature, but they often die off less as they adapt to their new location better...) Another great source is garden club plant sales...
I just got an email from an area grower with an article attached that says a new study has indicated that a benign microorganism in soil can increase serotonin production and function something like a natural antidepressant, increasing your sense of well being! So go dig in the dirt!
Those are some gorgeous makeovers. Feeling inspired.
When can I move in?!
nice. m