Archive for Landscape Styles

Spring Landscape Transformations 2 of 3

Posted by Landscape Design in a Day 
· May 12, 2025 

Hi everyone! I’m Carol Lindsay, Portland landscape designer since 1992.  In those years I have seen just about every front and back yard situation you can imagine.

I’m excited to share several landscape transformations right here in NE Portland. March brought us a rare run of sunny days, and it was the perfect time to visit clients and check in on a few newly installed front and back yards. If you’re curious about how outdoor spaces transform—and maybe dreaming about your own back or front yard makeover—read on for three stories of small changes with big impact.

Lawnless front yard south of Laurelhurst in Portland with simple and well integrated hardscape design. Plants are still being installed in april of 2025.

2. Famous Trees Meet Fresh Style: The Lawnless Revolution

Before front yard landscape design with old steps and picnic table by front door w black cat on porch
Before photo has no path from the driveway to the front door and has a lackluster front walk near Laurelhurst neighborhood in Portland.

Another recent project had me working with some seriously committed garden lovers. These clients have a  wide front yard parking strip that’s kind of a local legend thanks to its giant street trees and fascinating plant collections! When they decided to go with a lawnless landscape design—something that’s getting more popular in N.E. Portland—they called me to help make the transition stylish and sustainable.

Driveway to Front Door Walk

One challenge: they needed a new path from the driveway to the front door, but we didn’t want it to compete with the main entry path. Enter some beautiful, custom hardscape work (shoutout to Brian Woodruff of Mortar and Petal for the install!) with gorgeous boulders anchoring the path. Even with the new plants still tiny and filling in, the bones of this landscape design already feel right.

I always tell clients:  you have to wait for plants to grow to get the effect of the newly installed design, but a hardscape (paths) with good flow, structure and a little drama (natural stone boulders), well, it feels good from day one.

This new landscape design was born out of the desire to prevent the waste of water on lawn.  Going lawnless can have order and attractive front entry appeal with a good design.  I will share more photos as this garden matures.  They just got one of their anchor trees planted.

Front Yard Entry Hardscape Landscape Design uses large square concrete pavers for Path to front door of Portland bungalow south of Laurelhurst neighborhood in NE Portland
Interesting front entry walk with access path from driveway is great to use even without all the new plants installed.

Ready for Your Own Refresh?

I love helping people create outdoor spaces that work for their real lives, whether that means welcoming birds and pollinators, making room for pets, or just setting up a comfy spot for coffee in the sun. If you’re in NE Portland and dreaming of a change (simple or dramatic), let’s talk! I’ll be with you every step of the way, from fine-tuning the perfect design to cheering on your new plants as they grow.

Want more inspiration or a free phone chat about your yard? Drop me a message, or use my contact form and let’s make your outdoor space your new favorite place.

Happy spring, everyone!

— Carol Lindsay, specializing in city places and spaces…..Landscape Designer since 1992

P.S. If you love “before and after’s,” keep an eye out for updated photos next summer.

Categories : Before and Afters, Customer Testimonials, Deck Design, Dog and Cat Friendly Gardens, Garden Tips, Landscape Styles, Low Maintenance Landscape Examples, No lawn back yard, No Lawn Front Yards
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Spring Landscape Transformations 1 of 3

Posted by Carol 
· May 6, 2025 

Hi everyone! I’m Carol Lindsay, Portland landscape designer since 1992.  In those years I have seen just about every front and back yard situation you can imagine.

I’m excited to share several landscape transformations right here in NE Portland. March brought us a rare run of sunny days, and it was the perfect time to visit clients and check in on a few newly installed front and back yards. If you’re curious about how outdoor spaces transform—and maybe dreaming about your own back or front yard makeover—read on for three stories of small changes with big impact.

Lawnless front yard south of Laurelhurst in Portland with simple and well integrated hardscape design. Plants are still being installed in april of 2025.

1. Back Yard Bliss: Down to Earth (Literally!)

Deck in tiny NE Portland back yard before re design
Before Photo Deck in tiny NE Portland (Irvington Neighborhood) back yard lacked privacy and useable space. It takes experience to make this into a back yard paradise.

First up, I want to talk about back yard transformations. Sometimes, the design solution is crystal clear—this Irvington neighborhood landscaping project was one of those cases. My clients had an old deck that perched high above their small yard, which made the space feel kind of awkward. They spent time on the back deck but wanted something different. They wanted to feel like they were in their yard, not hovering over it.  Then bad news struck – the supports for the deck were rotted and the deck had to go.

They contacted me looking for help with a small and tricky back yard transformation.

Creating Good Flow in Small City Back Yards

My extensive experience with small city back yards and understanding how to create good flow allowed me to quickly create a layout that would work well.  Re designing how the two sets of stairs came down into this garden was key to the success.  We (Rich & Angela, my clients) all worked together on the design and landed on a new ground-level patio that’s just the right size. Suddenly, this once-awkward back yard feels more spacious, balanced and comfortable—and the sitting area feels deliberate, not just squeezed in.

Landscape design for tiny NE Portland Irvington Neighborhood back yard includes steel planters, and stairs up to deck
New deck, dramatic steel planters and steps bring us down to the ground level in this tiny NE Portland back yard. Cascade Fence and Deck and Mortar and Petal were installers for this design.

Private Sitting Area and Garden Make a Beautiful View Inside and Out

Now we finally get to enjoy the plants and the dapples from the huge magnolia tree overhead in complete privacy.  I loved adding thoughtful details—like a cozy seating nook and a view-focused arrangement—that make a space feel special. The steel planters along the new steps into the garden add drama and another place for plantings.  The clients loved it so much, they moved all their furniture inside the house to face the new garden!

They’ve told me it’s completely changed the way they experience their home, inside and out. That’s a designer’s dream come true!  Stay tuned for photos showing the planters filled and our small plantings filling in.  PS  My client treated the steel planters to get the rich red rust color within a few weeks instead of waiting for a few years.

Testimonial

We had a super-nice, and personal experience with Carol as we went through the design process. She listened to our needs and quickly had a strong sense of what we were trying to achieve. The final delivered drawings and planting lists are exactly what we need to move our new garden design forward.

— Rich and Angela NE Portland Irvington Neighborhood

Ready for Your Own Refresh?

I love helping people create outdoor spaces that work for their real lives, whether that means welcoming birds and pollinators, making room for pets, or just setting up a comfy spot for coffee in the sun. If you’re in NE Portland and dreaming of a change (simple or dramatic), let’s talk! I’ll be with you every step of the way, from fine-tuning the perfect design to cheering on your new plants as they grow.

Want more inspiration or a free phone chat about your yard? Drop me a message, or use my contact form and let’s make your outdoor space your new favorite place.

Happy spring, everyone!

— Carol Lindsay, specializing in city places and spaces…..Landscape Designer since 1992

P.S. If you love landscape design “before and afters,” keep an eye out for updated photos next summer.

Categories : Before and Afters, Customer Testimonials, Deck Design, Dog and Cat Friendly Gardens, Garden Tips, Landscape Styles, Low Maintenance Landscape Examples, No lawn back yard, No Lawn Front Yards
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Low Maintenance Ornamental Grasses for Your Portland Garden: Part 1 of 3

Posted by Carol 
· November 2, 2024 

Creating Stunning Landscapes with Ornamental Grasses: Expert Tips from a Landscape Designer

Low maintenance ornamental grass, Fescue Elijah Blue in Portland front yard with colorful low water sedum groundcovers.

Drought tolerant and colorful N.E. Portland front yard boasts ornamental grasses like Blue Fescue.

As a landscape designer, one of my favorite elements to incorporate into a garden is ornamental grasses. Not only do they provide year-round interest, but they are also incredibly low maintenance and many are drought-tolerant. Grasses visually tie the plants in the garden together and add a calming influence.

I’m excited to share some insights and tips on using grasses in Portland landscapes and how to keep them looking their best.  The grasses I am talking about today are available at most garden nurseries and are perfect for creating a striking, low-maintenance landscape.

Fescue Grass: Elegance in Blue

Festuca glauca – Blue fescue is a stunning choice for any landscape. It’s soft blue hued blades add a touch of elegance and contrast, especially when paired with vibrant perennials like sedums. (They work with so many low water plantings.)  Here are some important tips you need to keep your fescue looking its best:

  • Planting: Space them further apart than you might think – at least 24 to 30 inches. This allows them to grow and shine without overcrowding.  Low ground cover plants (under 5 inches) can be planted close by and creep right up to the grass.
  • Maintenance: Mostly, you’ll just need to comb out the dead foliage in the spring with the occasional spruce up as needed.  When they get too big or start getting floppy, split them (very few people do this anymore), or just replace them entirely. They typically look great for about 3 -5 years assuming you didn’t overwater or over fertilize them which can cause rapid growth. I’ve never fertilized mine.
  • Water Needs: Once established, fescue has low water needs.  Figure out how you will water this area much less than other areas of your landscape.  If you can’t cut back the water using your irrigation system without damaging other plantings, try re configuring your overhead spray irrigation or close off the section of drip tube by replacing it with tube that has no holes in it.  (The term ‘established’ means the plant has been in one place for a full year or two.)
  • How to Kill this Plant:  Water it every day in the summer, over fertilize it, or plant it in a low place where winter water will puddle which will cause root rot.
  • Companion Plants: In this garden I used sedums, hens and chicks, and lower water perennials like Rudbeckia (black eyed susan) which are excellent companions.  The low sedums and succulents fill in around the grasses and add bursts of color. Other low water perennials such as colorful salvias, penstemons and blanket flower (Gaillardia) work well as do dwarf pines or other low water dwarf conifers.

Low Maintenance Reality

Even though you may need to replace fescue every 3-4 years, I still consider them low maintenance.  Sometimes I use fescue as a temporary planting, removing them once long term plantings such as dwarf evergreen shrubs have filled in and reached a more mature size.   Other times I deliberately use fescue for the long term vision with the client knowing they will be planning to replace them as needed.

Additionally,

Continue reading about Portland low maintenance ornamental grasses in the garden in our upcoming Part 2.

Contact us

Hilary and I love plants.  We love making planting combinations that work well together both from a cultural needs and visual spice point of view.    Our knowledge can integrate your landscape plantings and take them to a new level of attractiveness and durability.

 

 

Categories : Design Basics, Drought Tolerant Garden, Garden Tips, Landscape Styles, Low Maintenance Landscape Examples, No Lawn Front Yards, Plants I Recommend
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Update on Back Yard Design for Irvington Neighborhood Baby Boomers – Part 2

Posted by Carol 
· March 18, 2024 

Combining Hardscape Design With An Irvington Neighborhood Custom Landscape

Irvington neighborhood hardscape & custom landscaping.One Level Landscape Makes the Most Powerful Change

All of these adjustments worked seamlessly, creating a relaxed and comfortable all weather environment for our clients.  I think creating a one level landscape was the most powerful change.  Combined, these changes made a significant difference in how it felt to use the covered sitting area.

Now my clients use this area regularly and enjoy the cool shade on hot days.  Its also the perfect spot to use for an outdoor office since you can keep your electronics dry.  Catching up on e-mails over a nice cuppa joe in a beautiful back yard oasis is very enjoyable for my clients.

Privacy Solution for Home Office

Refresh a hardscape with bamboo privacy planters in Irvington neighborhood custom landscape.

Planters with mature clumping bamboo make fast privacy screen for home office.

In this particular project, privacy for the office was a critical aspect. With a three-story house neighboring the backyard, a traditional arborvitae or yew hedge wouldn’t work due to height constraints. We wanted to create a soft green leafy view from the office window, ensuring complete privacy without the need for window treatments. That’s where the evergreen clumping bamboo came in. We strategically placed planters for the bamboo to provide privacy from the neighboring house’s windows.

Over time, the bamboo grew tall enough to fulfill our client’s privacy requirements. The only surprise we encountered was that the bamboo leaned more than expected, likely due to the fact we were facing south and the bamboo instinctively leaned toward the light.  Their gardener Annie Wotek fashioned some mostly invisible staking to rectify this problem.

Designer and Installer Collaboration Creates the Best Designs

The installation was another collaborative effort between myself, D and J Landscape Contractors and Victor Vincelli.  Victor figured out how to use the existing small porch with a few modifications rather than build a new one.  He made the custom cover for the firepit and the planters for the privacy screen.  His thoughts on how to work with the design to the best outcome for the clients was helpful as always.  Donna Burdick and I worked together to adjust the design for the inevitable changes that come up during the installation phase.  I also conferred with her before I finalized the choice of hardscape materials.  I want to be sure a flagstone or paver is available and that the installer is comfortable working with that material before I present it to the client.

Hardscape combined with custom landscape in Irvington neighborhood side yard.Design Success Tip

Don’t fall in love with a patio paver or any material that is back ordered, or pick a paver or stone product that is difficult to cut or install. There are so many trusted, easy-to-work-with materials out there.  We know how they weather and how to install, and that is what I want for my clients. I’m happy to let other designers try something brand new for their clients.

Professional Grade Products

The collaborative effort between the designer, contractor, and clients ensured a successful installation, and the use of professional-grade materials installed by experienced hands guarantees the design’s longevity and value.

As a landscape designer, seeing our success and the transformation of a property after only a few years brings me a deep satisfaction and joy. This back yard landscape design has lived up to its potential and provided our clients with a serene and enjoyable space.

 

Contact Us

Combining hardscape pavers & cedar planter box for custom landscaping in Irvington neighborhood.

Carol Lindsay, Landscape Designer, and clumping bamboo after 1 year.

Do you want a collaborative and professional landscape design where you choose your own installer?  We are happy, very happy to refer you to trusted installers and the design we created for you is yours to install on your own or with your favorite installer.  Let’s get creative together.  Contact us

Categories : Before and Afters, Design Basics, Landscape Styles, Low Maintenance Landscape Examples, outdoor living, Privacy
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A Stylish Mid Century Inspired Front Yard Landscape in Portland’s Ardenwald Neighborhood part 1

Posted by Carol 
· November 16, 2023 

A Mid Century hardscape front yard landscaping in Portland.

An amazing transformation after the design process with Landscape Design in a Day and a whole lot of work from the DIY homeowners.  New hardscaping and brilliant planting scheme completely transforms this front landscape.

Hardscape Landscaping Design Leads the Way for the Perfect Mid Century Welcoming Front Yard.

Are you tired of your front yard lacking curb appeal? Is it downright unattractive?  Do you want a space that is not only beautiful but also eco-friendly but can’t imagine how to do that on your own?  Look no further than our friendly Portland based landscape Design in a Day.

Our clients wanted a great landscape design for this mid century home in SE Portland.  They decided they didn’t have what it took to envision a front yard landscape worthy of the house.  They knew there was a fabulous design just waiting out there but needed a designer even though they are typically all DIY.

This blog is fun to write because I get to brag about both the  Landscape Design in a Day designer, Alana Chau and the talented clients, Val and Holli who hired us.  With their DIY spirit and skills and our expertise as landscape designers, we were able to create a front yard that well exceeded their expectations.

Ardenwald neighborhood clients wanted a Mid Century landscape design. (Before Photo)

This Portland front yard needs a landscape design that will open up access to the front door and a whole new planting scheme that is low water, pollinator friendly and matches the modern style of the home.

Hardscaping Landscaping Style was Modern but Informal

When Val and Holli reached out to us, they had a clear vision for their front yard.  A real front walk was a must have.  No more walking up the driveway to get to the front door.

Plant Preferences were Natives and Drought Resistant Plantings

They wanted to incorporate native plants to attract birds and pollinators, create a rain garden, and improve the approach to their house. They were ready to tackle the installation themselves, but they needed help with the design aspect. That’s where we came in.  After talking with them I selected Alana Chau to be their designer.  She has an affinity for modern style design and a love for mixing our native plants with low water Mediterranean plants like lavender and ornamental grasses.  And she creates magical designs that fit her clients and make them happy.

Mid Century hardscape landscaping in Portland with colorful plantings.

Billowing colorful plants create exciting entryway. These plantings are also low water and pollinator friendly.

Hardscape Design

One of the first changes Alana suggested was reimagining how to approach the front door from both the street and driveway. By creating a new entry path from the public sidewalk using poured concrete slabs in rectangular shapes, we were able to give the house a mid-century modern look while connecting it to the neighborhood.  The spaces between the large slabs add an informal touch which was very important to the success of the design. Our clients didn’t want formal.  She also added pavers on the side of the driveway for attractive and easy to use, dry-foot access out of the car.

Mid Century inspired hardscape landscaping in Portland's Ardenwald neighborhood.

Low fencing works well with Mid Century House landscape design because the house has a strongly horizontal and low line.

Layout of the New Welcoming Front Walk

Working closely with Val and Holli, she presented several different layout options that would transform their front yard. We wanted to give their house a welcoming entry walk while incorporating their wish list items. After much discussion and collaboration, they all chose their favorite layout, which included a sitting area for two, designated planting spaces and a fence.  The low fence integrated the house and the land and also highlighted the new entry walkway beautifully.

Mid Century hardscape design in Portland Ardenwald neighborhood.

The path for the larger portion of the yard creates attractive structure and also give us places to stand to care for the plants. A front yard chockful of plants with no paths is very awkward to maintain.

Drought Resistant Colorful Plantings

As for the plants, we selected a variety of drought-resistant colorful plantings, including some native plants to bring their vision to life.

See our next blog where we will share about the exciting plants selected for Val and Holli’s design and a peek into their DIY experience.

Client Testimonial

Thanks to you and Alana for making the transformation of our front yard possible!  It was a terrific experience and the results are way beyond anything we could have ever designed ourselves.

Val and Holli – Ardenwald Neighborhood in SE Portland

 

Contact Us

We love to work with clients who want something special for their front yard.  Let’s do this together using our Landscape Design in a Day Process and discover the best design for you and your home and our community.  We prefer to create a design that fits your need for lower maintenance and also supports our environment in these times of climate change.  Contact us.

 

Categories : Before and Afters, Customer Testimonials, Drought Tolerant Garden, Garden Tips, Landscape Styles, No Lawn Front Yards
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