As usual, I’m super excited to share today’s post with you. A few months ago, I posted a pretty picture of our front landscaping on Instagram, and a reader asked if I had an actual pencil and paper landscape design plan I could share with all of you. And I’m happy to say that, thanks to my very talented friend Amy from the DIY blog Delineate Your Dwelling (who happens to be a landscape designer by trade), I do now! Without further ado, here are Amy’s beautiful drawings, along with photos of our Mediterranean-inspired front yard landscape design.
We came up with this landscape design completely on our own after doing lots of research about which plants would grow well in our area (zone 8) in a south-facing planter in full sun. I also spent a lot of time looking at pictures of landscapes I really liked, and it dawned on me that I really like Mediterranean landscape designs. So much so that I’m not at all surprised when I see a new plant that I love and then find out that it says something like, “Great for Mediterranean landscapes!” on the tag. Yep, I definitely have a style. We have a great mix of tall, climbing, mid-height, and ground cover plants, as well as a beautiful variety of colors, textures, and leaf shapes. Our front yard starts to look really pretty in the spring when the scabiosa and lavender start blooming, through the summer when the purple alliums and orange crocosmia pop, and right into the fall when the feather reed glass gets a gorgeous golden hue.
We’ve changed a few things out since we first installed this landscaping back in the spring of 2016. We’ve moved the echinacea we originally had here out to the flower garden, replaced the tiny towers a couple of times (they’re finally doing well—hooray!), replaced the agapanthus with crocosmia (hoping the agapanthus will start to thrive in its new home in the backyard), and gotten rid of the blue-eyed grass entirely because it turned out to be way less cute than we thought!
Something I have struggled with since I started chronicling the construction of our house nearly six years ago is my desire to only share projects that are completely finished with you guys. For small DIYs and recipes, that’s a breeze. But with giant projects that last for years—like building a house from scratch, designing and installing landscaping, etc—they’re basically never finished, so I just have to let go of that idea and share things in the moment. This is what our front landscaping looks like right now, and we love it. Mostly. There are some plants that we adore that have really thrived and looked beautiful in their spots. And there are other plants that are fine but that we might switch out for something lower maintenance or a better fit for the space. I love the climbing roses near my porch, and if I were more patient and more dedicated to pruning them and making them look good, I’d leave them where they are. I think a rose-covered porch is stunning. But I know that I’m personally better suited to plants that don’t need patience, careful training, or regular pruning. I’m just not good at doing those jobs as often as I should—or ever!
I have to give a HUGE thank you to Amy for creating these beautiful landscape design plans for me. She knows more about plants than anyone else I know, and she’s actually launching a houseplant ebook tomorrow to help all of us develop our inner green thumbs. Be sure to check out her blog and get yourself a copy of her ebook, Happy Houseplants. If you’d like to see more about our modern farmhouse, click HERE. And let’s end with a shamelessly adorable picture of our Aussiedoodle pup, Curly.
I love it! Thanks to both of you for sharing! I’ll be planting some of these ideas for sure!
I love this! Just curious.. how many of each plant to did you plant to achieve the fullness and how long did it take for the plants to mature. This garden idea is exactly what I am looking for.
Hi Kelly! Big things like feather reed grass, jasmine, rock rose, sweet spire, climbing roses, and even lamb’s ear only have one. Smaller things like siberian irises, allium, and echinacea have 3 arranged in a little triangle. I would say by the third year, things looked really amazing! But even the second year was really good.
Just a quick question. What are the dimensions of your planting area here?
Hi Joy! The planting area is approx 7ftx24ft, give or take!
Hi, it looks so beautiful. What are the dimensions of the bed? Thanks!
Hi Heather! Our front beds are each about 7 ft deep and 24-25 feet wide.
Absolutely beautiful. What does this look like throughout the seasons? In winter is there much left? Thanks Rachel
Hi Rachel! Yes, there’s still quite a bit of green in the winter months. I would say about half of the stuff is evergreen, and a good portion of the rest doesn’t die back completely, so there are pretty, bare branches to look at all winter.
Very nice it’s what I’m going to do in my front yard
The design of this Mediterranean-inspired front yard brilliantly captures the essence of a coastal European landscape, offering a serene and aesthetically pleasing environment. The use of drought-resistant plants and earthy tones in the landscaping is not only environmentally conscious but also visually harmonious. This approach reminds me of the eco-friendly initiatives promoted by KrogerFeedback, where customer opinions help shape more sustainable and customer-focused services. The integration of stone paths and perhaps a small fountain would further enhance the Mediterranean feel, creating a tranquil outdoor space. The design seems perfect for those who appreciate natural beauty and sustainable living, much like the community-minded ethos KrogerFeedback encourages among its customers.
Beautiful garden, thanks for sharing! I live in the Southern Gulf Islands (zone 8) — I have a true mediterranean garden climate and deal with full sun, drought, and deer. I have many of these same plants in my other rock gardens but not so artfully arranged. I’ll be stealing ideas from the planting map so thanks to Amy as well. š