The Backyards Library

A little curiosity. A better backyard.

Gardens to explore, things to grow, and ideas for the way you live outside. Browse the stories or follow a collection below.

Find a story ↓

Find your next good idea.

Frost-covered branches and a bare tree over a winter garden path.

The Garden Notebook

The garden you see through the window

Design an outlook that matters even when you stay indoors.

From the notebook

A timber shade screen and overhead canopy frame white chairs and potted plants on a paved terrace

Project Feature

A compact Santa Maria yard finds its center

A pergola, a defined patio, and a restrained set of surrounding elements make the gathering place clear.

Pacific Outdoor LivingSanta Maria, California

Inside the project

Pale rounded planters make a group beside the garden planting.

Material Matters / Product noteVeradek

Veradek Demi: a softer outline for the planted terrace

Rounded forms and vertical ribs can anchor a patio. The plant’s mature shape and the water leaving the pot complete the picture.

The product note

Tea on a metal garden table beside matching chairs and flowering pots.

The Backyards Edit

Make a place for twenty quiet minutes

One comfortable seat can be the beginning of a much better relationship with the yard.

From the notebook

A cedar gazebo shelters cushioned seating beneath mature trees beside a stepping-stone path

Project Feature

A cedar gazebo gives a lawn a destination

A roofed sitting place becomes the organizing element in a West Nashville garden.

Gardens of Babylon LandscapesNashville, Tennessee

Inside the project

A low wall gives a raised planting bed a defined outer edge.

Material Matters / Product noteBelgard

The garden wall, finished: Belgard Tandem

A modular wall’s clean face is only one part of the design. Its task, caps, drainage, and construction need to be settled together.

The product note

People sharing dinner around an outdoor table beneath string lights at dusk.

The Planning Notebook

Room for company, space for everyday life

A flexible arrangement can serve both a quiet household dinner and a larger gathering.

From the notebook

An outdoor fireplace and lounge chairs meet the raised garden edge beside a covered porch

Project Feature

A city yard with room to stay awhile

A porch, fireplace patio, and garden edges reshape everyday use of a St. Paul property.

Mom's Design BuildSt. Paul, Minnesota

Inside the project

An extended awning shades a poolside dining table. Image from SunSetter’s product film.

Material Matters / Product noteSunSetter

A retractable awning and two ways to use the patio

SunSetter’s moving canopy makes shade adjustable. Map the afternoon sun and the attachment to the house before choosing fabric.

The product note

Overhead view of swimming pools, paths, buildings, and dense planting.

The Planning Notebook

Borrow the decision, not the whole backyard

A useful reference explains what you want to learn from a project.

From the notebook

A paved terrace with lounge chairs and a picnic table opens toward the lawn and planted garden

Project Feature

A quieter landscape starts below the surface

Reused materials and a revised drainage plan shape a garden near a marsh.

Southview Design

Inside the project

In this outdoor kitchen by Rolf Zürcher, Dekton Marmorio carries a pale surface across the working counter.

Material Matters / Product noteCosentino

Dekton in the outdoor kitchen

Seams, edges, support, and appliance openings turn a surface selection into a working outdoor kitchen.

The product note