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.

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Find your next good idea.

A hand reaches toward dried flower heads on upright stems, with leafy shrubs and orange fruit behind.

The Garden Notebook

The garden after the flowers

Faded flowers, upright stems, and the shapes that carry a garden into its next season.

From the notebook

A curved counter follows the edge of an elevated deck beside a gabled porch and a long exterior stair

Project Feature

A curved bar gives a deck its social center

Covered and open areas share a hillside deck with a distinctive gathering edge.

SelectDecksSewickley, Pennsylvania

Inside the project

Gray Fiberon Good Life decking with a textured wood-grain surface

Material Matters / Product noteFiberon

Fiberon Good Life: choosing a quieter deck finish

Two visual approaches within one decking family make a useful sample comparison.

The product note

A small round wooden table with flowers and a serving tray sits beside a raised herb bed on a deck.

Life Outside

Sunday lunch, with the doors open

A simpler menu, a generous table, and enough preparation for the host to sit down too.

From the notebook

A screened porch opens onto a raised deck, with a short stair connecting it to the lawn

Project Feature

A porch and deck with several ways into the yard

A gabled screen room connects to an open deck and several garden routes.

Fence & Deck ConnectionAnne Arundel County, Maryland

Inside the project

Square Veradek Corten steel planter with a rust-colored finish

Material Matters / Product noteVeradek

Veradek Corten: a planter that changes with the garden

A weathering finish belongs in the material palette from the beginning.

The product note

Woven chairs surround a table on a porch with a timber ceiling and broad views of leafy trees.

Life Outside

The porch between house and garden

Give the doorway, the view, and the everyday visit a place in the room.

From the notebook

Synthetic turf curves between a pool terrace, palms, and the garden boundary

Project Feature

A Moorpark pool garden rethinks the lawn

A documented synthetic-turf installation addresses a specific household’s lawn problems.

Southwest Greens of Southern CaliforniaMoorpark, California

Inside the project

Ooni Koda 2 pizza oven on an outdoor table as a family prepares food

Material Matters / Product noteOoni

Ooni Koda 2: room for the next pizza

A compact gas oven still needs a complete preparation and serving arrangement.

The product note

Small terracotta pots of yellow daffodils stand among moss and birch logs in an indoor display.

The Garden Notebook

Plant a small spring in a pot

Choose the flowers, settle their winter care, and leave room for what happens after bloom.

From the notebook

A green backyard pickleball court and net sit between a red-earth slope and mature trees

Project Feature

Two kinds of play share a Sedona backyard

A pickleball court and putting green turn an outdoor area into a dedicated recreation setting.

Southwest Greens FlagstaffSedona, Arizona

Inside the project

Weber Slate 30 outdoor griddle with side shelves and storage below

Material Matters / Product noteWeber

Weber Slate 30: supper on a flat top

A griddle changes how food, tools, and people move around the cooking area.

The product note