The winner of this year's Gardenista Considered Design Awards Best Professionally Designed Landscape is Outer Space Landscape Architecture of San Francisco. 

The firm's project was chosen as a finalist by guest judge Carolyn Mullet, who said, "Modern in form, materials, and plantings. A garden that makes one think of easy entertaining and family fun."

N.B.: This is the last of seven posts spotlighting the winners of the 2015 Gardenista Considered Design Awards. Go to this year's Considered Design Awards page to see all the entries, finalists, and winners, and have a look at Remodelista's Considered Design Awards, too.

Outer Space Landscape Architecture's Design Statement: "This modern design incorporates clean lines and mass plantings, and maximizes space by utilizing all reaches of the property. The rear includes a bocce court, trampoline, zip line and sportscourt, dining areas, a kitchen with counter seating and a fire pit, extensive area for edibles, and bird, bee, and butterfly habitat."

Q: What does your firm specialize in?
A: We do mostly residential work, although we would love to get into other areas of the field. While we prefer working on modern projects, all of our designs tend to have clean lines that are softened or accented by textural plantings. We take pride in listening to our clients' needs as well as taking into account the project site to create gardens that our clients can enjoy as an extension of their homes.

Q: Who worked on the winning project? 
A: This project was a close collaboration with our clients and the architects, Russ Dotter and Wencke Solfjeld of Dotter & Solfjeld Design and Architecture. The garden was implemented by AT Landscaping, and photographs were taken by Michele Lee Willson Photography, as well as our clients' teenage son, who took the stunning photo of the front fountain (below.)

Q: What were your practical goals for the project?
A: We created the garden for an active family of five. Our goals included a statement entry, a driveway that would double as a basketball court, areas for entertaining and relaxing, areas for sports and games including a large playing field, trampoline, zip line, and bocce court, as well as a private contemplative garden at the front of the property and an extensive edible garden.

Q: What solutions did you find to your design problems?
A: The living room was designed with NanaWall doors that open both to the front and rear of the property. We wanted to create a serene, contemplative space at the front of the property, but wanted to create privacy form the entry and street. A gabion wall and small olive orchard provide a buffer from the street, and a frosted glass screen provides the needed privacy while being a design feature for both the entry and courtyard.

Q: What are your favorite features of the project?
A: While we love the gabion wall and the glass privacy wall, I think our favorite feature is the planting. We had so much fun working on different vignettes throughout the property. We love the multi-trunk Arbutus 'Marina' in a sea of Festuca mairei, which evokes the hills of California. The herbs, edibles, and perennials provide a habitat for birds and butterflies, and the front planting—full of grasses and striking succulents—provides texture and interest to complement the architecture. The best part of the planting is that our clients' teenage son collects leaves and flowers from most of the plants to create the most stunning floral arrangements. We are thrilled to have provided the canvas for his creativity.

Q: Where do you get your design inspiration?
A: We are fortunate to live in such a gorgeous area, and get much of our inspiration from the natural landscape. Also, every client and project is unique; we listen closely to their needs and desires, then use that as inspiration to tackle the design. And Pinterest—we spend far too much time on Pinterest.

Q: What is your favorite local shop or garden nursery? 
A: Without a doubt, Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood. They always have the best plants in ever-changing inspiring displays, a Ritual Coffee cafe, and if you're lucky, you can catch a glimpse of their resident snowshoe kitty, Cammy, soaking up some rays of sunshine.

Q: Which garden designers, gardeners, or landscape architects do you admire?  
A: We love, love, love Andrea Cochran. Her designs are innovative, yet always timeless, and always blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. We also love Bernard Trainor, and Piet Oudolf for his wizardry with plants.

More Stories from Gardenista

• Best Amateur-Designed Garden: Bettina Mueller
• Best Edible Garden (Tied): Rob Maday Landscape Architecture
• Gossamer Gardens: 12 Ideas for Landscaping with Mexican Feather Grass

What's the happiest way to confront the heat of August? Join us for a week of beach umbrellas, coastal cottage living, swimming pools, and secrets from gardeners in Greece.

Above: Visit this idyllic stretch of South Africa's coastline in Oystercatchers' Haven: A Whitewashed Hideaway. Photograph by Marie Viljoen.

Monday 

Above: Jump in, the water's fine. And the architecture is even finer. Meredith visits a California coast classic swimming pool in this week's Architect Visit.

Tuesday

Above: Feel that breeze? It's so much cooler at the shore when there's a little shade; we've rounded up our favorite beach umbrellas in this week's 10 Easy Pieces.

Above: Nobody knows how to handle heat better than a gardener in Greece, and we'll be passing along top tips in this week's Garden Ideas to Steal post.

Wednesday

Above: We did not work up even the slightest bit of a sweat making this week's DIY Project, an instant summer hammock.

Thursday

Above: Boardwalk? Sculpture? Climbing frame? Garden feature? It's Super Bench, and Christine has the story. Meanwhile, see more of our favorite outdoor seating in 10 Easy Pieces: Outdoor Benches.

Friday

Above: A beachfront cottage where you can put your feet in the sand indoors or out is our Outbuilding of the Week.

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• Table of Contents: Untamed Gardens

A few months ago, I rented a house with a group of friends in The Sea Ranch, the Northern California coastline community that pioneered a distinctly rugged version of modernism in the 1960s. (For a primer on the planned community, see Channeling the Spirit of Sea Ranch, Anniversary Edition on Remodelista.) When members of our group wanted to hit the gym on Day One, I felt confident that my exercise would be the walk there and back; for me, "gym" and "vacation" don't mix. Oh, how stupid I was. Upon spotting said "gym," my jaw dropped—and I proceeded to spend most of the next three days poolside, at the most beautiful recreation center I'd ever seen. 

Photography by Meredith Swinehart.  

Above: The Ohlson Recreation Center is one of three activity centers in The Sea Ranch. It is not a gym—the entrance shown here leads to tennis courts, a swimming pool, and locker rooms. It is not open to the public, but it is open to Sea Ranch guests, for a fee. 

Above: The center was designed by Berkeley architecture firm Moore Lyndon Turnbull Whitaker and completed in 1971. Like all buildings in The Sea Ranch, the recreation center was intended to integrate into the landscape rather than sit in imposition on top of it. Here, the tall, redwood-paneled center shelters the tennis courts from ocean winds. 

Above: Stairs lead from the single lower tennis court to two upper courts.

Above: Sliding barn doors divide the pool and tennis courts. 

Above: Large orange-red letters designate the men's and women's locker rooms, and hint at the surprise inside. (Both locker rooms are flooded with color.)

Above: The red letters and a neighboring spine board are the only sources of color on the building's exterior. 

Above: A tower rises from the center of the pool, separating the lap swim area from the children's wading area. The tower originally supported a water slide, but the slide and access stairs were removed.

Above: The main recreation center building approximates the shape of a very narrow barn. 

Above: Architect William Turnbull called the main recreation center building a "wind dam," which parallels a longstanding (and wind-breaking) cypress grove to the north of the plot. 

Above: Despite the architects' wind-breaking efforts, the Ohlson center has a reputation for being the windiest of the three activity centers at The Sea Ranch. Its pool is the only one with a seasonal closure, from November through April. 

Above: The ocean view through the trees on the short walk home from the recreation center. 

Above: A turn from the trees toward the house reveals magical summer twilight.

Above: Almost dark, almost home, I accidentally prompted a deer to go and get some exercise. 

See more California landscapes: 

• Steal This Look: A Deer-Proof Garden in Hollywood Hills.
• Designer Visit: Grow Outdoor Design's Drought Tolerant Garden in Bel Air.
• Architect Visit: The Medieval Mist and Mystery of Big Sur.
• The Landscape Designer Is In: A Modern Garden for a Midcentury Eichler Gem.

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• Best Outdoor Living Space: Earth Inc.
• Best Hardscape: Elliott + Elliott Architecture
• Outbuilding of the Week: A Chic Chicken Coop in France

When I moved four years ago from New York City to a houseboat in Sausalito, CA, I felt totally qualified to have my own floating edible garden. On the East Coast, I had installed rooftop container gardens and renovated brownstone backyards—and had even written a book called A Little Piece of Earth: How to Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces.

So I ambitiously installed espaliered apple and pear trees, along with figs and blueberry bushes. I hauled Mediterranean edibles like artichokes and olive trees up to my rooftop and, around the perimeter, I had grapevines. Then disaster struck. The wind killed the grapevines almost immediately. Many of the other plants limped along—the figs that started to sprout in springtime fell from the trees when the summer fog rolled in. My pear tree had constant leaf curl. The olive trees survived, but didn’t produce olives. The blueberries provided habitat to destructive moths. The artichoke leaves got leafy and full, and after six months, I had just one artichoke…

Photographs by Marla Aufmuth for Gardenista.

Above: I bought my own floating home last November and had to start all over. It’s a funky little fixer upper, but I love living on the water. Some mornings I wake up to sea lions roaring and light reflecting off the bay and dappling across my walls. I learned some hard lessons with my first garden. These days, for edibles, I grow herbs and leafy greens year round. I've got a great farmers' market nearby for other produce. And for my decorative containers, I use California natives and ornamental grasses. These plants stand up to the salty sprays, heavy winds, and occasional fog banks that settle over the water.

Above: I purchased two wine barrel planters from Goodman Building Supply in Mill Valley. A similar Cedar Outdoor Barrel Planter is $34.98 from Amazon. Because the houseboats are so colorful, I wanted to paint the planters Cobalt Blue. Luckily, I had a left-over can of paint.

Above: A sample pot of Cobalt Flame paint is $1.94 from Behr. I love cobalt blue because flowers and foliage pop so well against it.

Above: After painting, drill holes in the bottom of your planters to aid drainage. I also line the bottom of a planter with landscaper cloth or weed guard. This way, water can drain but it doesn't take too much soil. A 50-foot length of Pro Weed Mat is $26.95 from Gardener's Supply.

Above: A good rule of thumb for rooftop planters is that they should not weigh more than 20 pounds per square foot, yet they also need to weigh enough so they won't blow off your roof. Potting soil comes mixed with fertilizer and perlite, but I add more perlite or vermiculite to improve drainage and keep the mixture lighter. I also add peat moss to the mix to help it retain moisture longer. A 20-quart bag of All-Organic Self Watering Container Mix is $12.95 from Gardener's Supply.

Above: I fill the container up three quarters of the way with planting soil, and then start placing the plants. My favorite place to shop for plants is Green Jeans Garden Supply in Mill Valley a couple of miles from my houseboat. Have a tall, dramatic plant center and toward the back of the container. Then add a mix of color and texture for your middle plants, and cascading plants near the rim.

Above: I chose ornamental grasses along with California Fuchsia ($8.95 for a 4-inch pot from Annie's Annuals) and Yarrow ($4.50 for a 4-inch pot, available seasonally, from Annie's Annuals). Both of these flowers are California natives, and are drought tolerant. They can handle high winds; local bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds will feed on them.

Make sure that your rooftop containers are not flush against a surface. Insert shims under them for air flow.

I love my colorful new planters, but I'm moving much more slowly and cautiously with this rooftop. I do however catch myself shopping for window boxes for strawberry plants; I borrowed a cold frame to start seeds, and this year I haven’t been able at the farmers' market to find those Charentais Melons ($2.50 for a packet of seeds from Baker Creek), and those did grow well in a container. So I know my garden will expand over time. But I’m trying to contain my enthusiasm.

For more DIY projects with Maria, see DIY: Lavender Soda and DIY: Rose Petal Honey.

(N.B.: Maria's book, A Little Piece of Earth: How to Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces, is $18.04 from Amazon.)

N.B.: This is an update of a post originally published August 15, 2012 as part of Kitchen Week. 

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What Greek gardeners know: a Mediterranean climate requires you to embrace extremes. Dry summers. Wet winters. Hot sun. Oh, and little surprises from the sea (here's some salt spray and wind for you).

It's no wonder the classic Greek garden is designed, first and foremost, to stand up to the elements. Hardy plants, protective walls, and shaded patios are ubiquitous. These are scrappy gardens, designed to make do.

"In smaller villages, there was no tradition for a home to have a backyard, there was no soil even," says architect Eleni Psyllaki, a native of Crete and founder of the design blog My Paradissi. "The place that people had when they went outside was the street. They had to put pots with plants in the street. That's a typical garden."

Psyllaki, whose garden comprises a cluster of terra cotta pots outside her window, has made a study of the modern Greek garden—and understands that it's not necessary to compromise style to achieve sturdiness. Here are her 10 essential elements of a typical Mediterranean garden:

Photography by Eleni Psyllaki except where noted.

Neutral Backdrops

Above: Stone walls, archways, and a pale backdrop are typical features of a Greek garden.

If you have hot summers, whitewashed walls and light-colored stone facades function as effective scrims to reflect the sun's heat and create a serene structure for a garden. 

Olive Trees

Above: A non-fruiting olive tree. Photograph by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista.

The goddess Athena got a whole city named for her after she jammed her spear into the earth and turned it into an olive tree. Or so the myth goes. If true, she deserved the honor. Olive trees, in addition to being one of the most beautiful and graceful plants you can introduce to a garden, are endlessly useful. They're drought-resistant; they're long-lived, and their wood is prized for its beauty and durability. And then there's the oil.

Non-fruiting varieties (as seen Above) are descendants of the Mediterranean Olea europaea. Useful foils in a garden, their gray-green leaves and bark complement most other colors. Warning: if you live in a cold climate, you should grow yours in a pot and bring it indoors to enjoy a sunny southern exposure during the winter months.

Colorful Accents

Above: Succulents and drought-tolerant perennials are in the foreground; cypress trees are trained against the wall in the background.

Against a gray-green backdrop of herbs and drought-tolerant perennials, a pink or red flowering plant makes a dramatic statement. Pelargoniums, poppies, and perennial herbs are hardy choices. All it takes to pop is one.

Drought Tolerant Natives

Above: Check with local nurseries to find what qualifies as a drought-tolerant native in your growing zone. Whenever possible, opt for perennial herbs. They'll do double duty as ground cover and as a lure for pollinators. In a Mediterranean climate, rosemary, thyme, sage, chives, and parsley will run rampant. 

Rosemary as a hedge? See Architect Visit: Barbara Chambers at Home in Mill Valley.

Potted Plants

Above: Archaeologists know this is what the ancient Greeks had at home (rather than private gardens). Be sure to water them well. "Clay pots are a help," says Psyllaki. Clay retains moisture to keep roots hydrated longer in a hot climate. "We have a lot of pottery, and craftsman make such pots as a tradition."

Terra cotta

Above: When you think of ancient Greece, you think of .... pottery. (OK, Doric columns too; but not everyone has room for one). Much of what we know about how the inhabitants of ancient Greek civilizations lived can be attributed to the shards they left behind for modern archaeologists to mull.

The benefits of clay pots are many. There's pretty much nothing that looks bad sitting next to one in the garden. And they make container gardening foolproof. Their porous nature makes it nearly impossible to over water a plant. Our favorites have the soft, aged coloring of antiques. We like these Aged Terra Cotta Flower Pots.

Citrus Trees

Above: Lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines. These are fruits you want to grow if at all possible. If you live in a Mediterranean climate, plant a tree in your garden immediately. If you have a small garden, you can espalier it against a fence or prune it to keep it contained. In a colder climate, get two or more of the same variety and keep them in pots so you can bring them indoors in the winter and pollinate them by hand (a paintbrush is involved). There are crazier hobbies. For detailed instructions, see DIY: Potted Indoor Citrus Trees.

Symmetry

Above: Remember the mythological Minotaur in the maze? The maze had a a perfectly pruned, symmetrical layout. Symmetry is a concept the ancient Greeks invented. In a modern garden, mirror-image beds create the same effect. See Garden Visit: A Modern CA Garden Inspired by the Classics.

Bougainvillea

Above: Perennial in zones where temperatures don't drop below 30 degrees, bougainvillea behaves like that friend-of-a-friend who comes to your party and eats all the appetizers. The only way to neutralize it is with sharp pruners. But you're still grateful it showed up.

Shade

Above: "It is typical to have a shaded terrace, covered in ivy or jasmine, to protect you from the sun," says Psyllaki. "We have a lot of winds here, and if you are protected from the sun, the wind will cool you down and make it comfortable to spend time outdoors in the hottest months."

Awnings, canopies, and pergolas constructed of natural materials such as wood and bamboo are popular weather-resistant choices to support the weight of vines. For inspiration, see Steal This Look: A Greek Bamboo Canopy.

For more inspiration, see our other Garden Ideas to Steal posts.

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• Best Professionally Designed Landscape: Outer Space Landscape Architecture
• Best Amateur-Designed Garden: Bettina Mueller
• Best Edible Garden (Tied): Rob Maday Landscape Architecture

Don't let the date on the calendar fool you, there's still plenty of time for lounging on the beach. Extend your time on the sand with one of these classic shade umbrellas.

Above: A Frankford Wood Pole Beach Umbrella is $189.95 from Beach Store.

Above: A Messina Parasol designed for Danish label Skagerak has an adjustable wood base that tilts to keep you shaded as the sun moves across the sky. It's €225 from Ambiente. Sold separately, a concrete and steel Capri Parasol Base is €329.

Above: With a luxurious diameter of 118 inches, a Karlso Hanging Umbrella from Ikea is made of fabric that blocks 97 percent of ultraviolet rays. It comes with a 102-inch-long pole and a stand but must be "finished" with four concrete support blocks purchased "at a DIY store." It's $99.

Above: With a diameter of 7.5 feet, an octagonal Beach Umbrella has a shade made of heavy duty marine-grade fabric and a wood pole made of ash. The collar tilts to adjust to the movement of the sun overhead; $347 from ATG.

Above: With a eucalyptus frame and a 9-foot circular parasol, a Barlow Tyrie Napoli Umbrella has nickel plated brass fittings and is $1,525 from Didrik's.

Above: On sale from Pottery Barn, a 6-foot round Solid Color Umbrella with a eucalyptus pole comes in five colors including natural (Shown) and is marked down to $79.99. 

Above: A Tuuci Hexagon Shade has a flatter shape than most dome umbrellas. With marine grade hardware and a "sharkskin" reflective fabric, it is available in three colors including Natural (Shown) and is $1,535 from DWR.

Above: A Maui Umbrella with a diameter of 9 feet comes with a base and can fit into an umbrella hole in a table or be used as a freestanding shade umbrella; it is on sale for $349.99 from Room & Board. 

Above: A 9-foot Wood Market Umbrella with a hardwood pole is $128.99 from All Modern.

Above: The classic 9-Foot Round Sunbrella has an FSC-certified eucalyptus wood frame with a Sunbrella shade in Sulfur; $359 from Crate & Barrel.

Headed to the beach? Take our New Favorite Beach Towel along and don't forget the 5 Things You Must Know About Sunscreen.

N.B.: This is an update of a post originally published August 20, 2013 as part of our To the Beach week. 

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Located 34 miles southwest of Amsterdam is Katwijk aan Zee, a beach town on the North Sea where Dutch firm Kust Architects has placed 10 stylishly simple beach cabanas on the white sand. The cabanas are available for rent; each can accommodate from four to five people and comes equipped with a kitchen and wi-fi. 

While we feverishly try to dream up an excuse to host a Gardenista retreat in one, we've sleuthed the elements to create the look. 

Above: Each cabana, designed and outfitted by Kust Architects, has a color palette that ranges from blue to blue (make that from periwinkle to aqua). Photograph courtesy of Vtwonen. 

Above: An oversized Microcotton Luxury Towel (bath sheet size) comes in periwinkle and is $71 from Scandia Down.

Above: The hanging light fixture on the veranda is the Z1 Cotton Lamp, designed by Nelson Sepulveda and manufactured by Ay Illuminate. It's $510 from Bodie and Fou.

Above: Each cabana is furnished with Fermob Stacking Armchairs. A set of two can be purchased from French Bistro Furniture for $1,430. Photograph courtesy of Style Park.

Above: A bamboo block like the one on the porch can be used as a stool or a side table. We like this vintage Woven Stool, from Etsy seller Solstice Home, $49.

Above: Can a beach hut be complete without a hammock? The Classic Single Ocean Hammock is on sale for $135 from One King's Lane. 

Above: Perfect for hauling beach supplies and little ones, a sturdy Steel Crate Wagon can be found on Amazon for $283.

Above: To turn your wagon the right shade of sea blue, give it a coat or two of exterior paint. Benjamin Moore's Buxton Blue is $69 per gallon. For more of our favorite seaside hues, take a look at Palette & Paints: Coastline-Inspired Blues.  

Above: Complete the look with a few tufts of beach grass. For more information about purchasing American Beach Grass, see Vans Pines Nursery. Photograph by Royal Broil. And if you're planting a seashore garden, see more of our favorite coastal plants at 10 Easy Perennials for the Seaside Garden.

For more coastal inspiration, check out our slew of Beach Style posts, and take a look at another waterfront oasis in Just Open: A Hidden Beach Hotel in Oaxaca.

June 24, 2014 as part of our Life Aquatic week. 

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We all have an idea about Greece and there is bound to be something ancient in it. Yet visiting can be so different from imagining. In landscape architect Thomas Doxiadis' version of Greece, new angles combine with ancient contours. The 40 acres of landscape and habitat he helped design on the island of Antiparos is what you would hope to find after dreaming about these islands in the Aegean Sea:

Photography by Clive Nichols.

Above: When the Greek developer Iasson Tsakonas bought this section of Antiparos, he had a singular vision: minimum impact on the existing landscape, while making room for eight houses, each with pool and sea view. Though the local vegetation is ground-hugging, it was important that one building did not interrupt the view from another. Tsakonas called in landscape architect Thomas Doxiadis, which was a good move.

Above: Doxiadis teamed up with architect Terpsi Kremali for this project, and they brought in a group of talented young architects and designers, who worked on the 40-acre project as a whole. The local vernacular in housing is one-story dwellings made of local stone. Even though the scale and size is so much bigger here, the houses still seem to rise out of the earth.

Above: To avoid destroying the local order of stone walls and vegetation in the buiding process, it was only permissable for machinery to move around on the footprint of the actual dwellings. Earth from the foundations was used to shore up and restore the terraces which had supported farming over the ages.

In her book Mediterranean Landscape Design ($44.54 from Amazon), Louisa Jones (with photographer Clive Nichols) brilliantly describes a movement, across southern Europe, of new visionaries who have been able to re-purpose land which has moved out of its traditional use. Particularly vulnerable are agricultural areas which just happen to have a marvelous view.

Above: "We were all in love with the landscape," says Thomas Doxiadis in Mediterranean Landscape Design. This is the Greek phrygana, the natural state of these islands after millennia of grazing, forest clearance, and fires. The land is productive for growing lower down the slopes; higher up it is well-suited for grazing. The vegetation here is made up of the prickly Centaurea spinosa, Sarcopoterium spinosum, and pot marigold Calendula arvensis.

Above: Stone is integral to the terracing of this terrain and for enclosure. Individual roads leading to each house are actually new, though they blend in perfectly with the curves of the countryside. They remind us of how lovely roads can be.

Above: The development is called Oliaris. Much stonework was called for, carried out by mainly Albanian craftsmen.

Above: Planting around the house is naturalistic in the most deliberate sense. The pattern of vegetation on the hilly slopes has been examined by Doxiadis' team: groupings, drifts, and plant density seen in the surrounding landscape have been mimicked around Oliaris. "Nothing is arbitrary," Thomas says. His studio has been propogating its own selected plant varieties for the site as they are not the kind of thing you'd pick up in the local garden center.

Above: The houses here shimmer into the background, whether that is of land or sea. Limestone complements the lines of the infinity pool shown here; the sea blue is the color of the shutters which are so often chosen around Greece, on white houses. This landscaping is as elemental as it gets.

Fancy a walk through prickly bushes of the Mediterranean? See Hike of the Week: Camino de Cavalls, Menorca.

NB: This post is an update. It originally ran on May 20, 2014 as part of our Greek Isles week. 

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Nap season is upon us. Prepare yourself by making this easy DIY hammock. Then climb in.

Whether you're looking for a quick fix or inspired to whip out the sewing machine and install metal grommets into canvas, this utilitarian DIY hammock is the way to go for outdoor lounging.

Above: The Le Beanock Hammock in white canvas is $570.

It's considerably less expensive (and perhaps just as satisfying) to make your own version. Here's how:

Above: A large 20-by-20-Foot Canvas Drop Cloth is $151 from Gemplers; a 12-by-12-Foot Drop Cloth is $39.95 from Tarps Plus. Consider doubling up on the canvas for your DIY hammock by splitting the large drop cloth in half, or sewing two smaller pieces together.

Above: Source four Stainless Steel Grommets with Washers in a 3/8-inch size; $16.20 for 12 from Ahh. 

Above: The 3/8-Inch Zinc-Plated Steel Chain is $94.97 for a box of 30 feet from Home Depot.

Above: The Nite Ize Stainless Steel S-Biner is $2.94 from Home Depot.

For more DIY hammock inspiration, see:

• Swing from the Trees.
• 10 Easy Pieces: Nap-Worthy Hammocks.
• Object Lessons: The Classic Hammock.

N.B.: This is an update of a post originally published June 11, 2012.

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An hour's drive north of Houston is Peckerwood Garden, with seven acres of rare and vanishing plants—many of them desert specimens that architecture professor John G. Fairey brought home from the high mountains of northern Mexico during more than 80 plant-collecting expeditions over the past 30 years. 

Fairey, an architecture professor at Texas A & M University, bought the Peckerwood property more than 40 years ago. He gradually created his oasis of a garden, figuring out through trial and error which plants would thrive in a inhospitably windy, dry climate. Unfazed after a tornado uprooted all the trees on the property in 1982, Fairey started again from scratch.

In the 1980s he got the idea to collect rare native specimens from Mexico, where little or no attempts have been made to catalog the flora since the late 19th century. Over time Fairey's plant collection has grown to more than 3,000. Most are native to Texas or Mexico and many have not been grown in cultivation before.

Although Fairey lives on the property, he has created the non-profit Peckerwood Garden Foundation, supported by the Garden Conservancy; for a schedule of dates when the garden open to the public, see Peckerwood Garden.

Photography by Marion Brenner.

Above: Fairey's house is a two-story, corrugated steel sided building with a shady patio. it is surrounded by a dry garden in gravel.

Above: a palette of blue and gray leaves looks cool even under the hellishly hot Texas sun.

Above: A fountain empties into a reflection pool.

Above: At the end of a gravel path edged by Satsuki azaleas is an art gallery shaded by a pergola.

Above: In front of a pergola is boxwood 'Graham Blandy' and 'Golden Sword,' a variegated yucca.

Above: Near a creek, Fairey has created a woodland garden with dappled light.

Above: Oaks and cypresses grow along the creek's shoreline.

Above: An acorn on an oak tree.

Above: A courtyard paved in pea gravel and flagstone; Texas artist John Walker's side-by-side sculpture is titled "Positive and Negative."

For more of our favorite Texas gardens, see:

• House Call: Sara Story at Home in the Texas Hill Country.
• A Rose for All Regions, Texas Edition.
• 11 Ideas to Steal from Drought-Tolerant Gardens.

N.B.: This post is an update. It originally ran on June 27, 2013 as part of our Dry Gardens week.

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• Landscape Architect Visit: Thomas Doxiadis on Antiparos
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• Best Professionally Designed Landscape: Outer Space Landscape Architecture

When you build a backyard shower next door to a 25-story apartment building in downtown Toronto, questions are going to arise. Like, how can it possibly feel private?

Cue the huge maple trees. They ring this shower, providing a canopy of shade—and discretion. The shower's stacked-slat walls—reclaimed hemlock, from a farmyard pen—allow air to circulate and create natural support for cantilevered ledges. Designer James Dale of Toronto-based Earth Inc., who says he has a propensity to "talk back but later apologize," says: "It's very urban, but there's a park nearby, and we wanted to bring that feel into the backyard." Here's how to get the leafy look:

Above: Reclaimed hemlock slats, crisscrossed so they can dry quickly, create a framework for the enclosure. For a large selection of vintage wood slats, visit Natural Wood Restorations or Keystone Vintage Lumber. Image via Earth inc.

Above: The key is to use slats wide enough to provide solid support for cantilevered shelves. Image via Keystone Vintage Lumber.

Above: After laying a limestone floor, Dale used leftover "dinner plate" stones as shelving. "Basically, gravity will hold it in," he said. To see a selection of landscape stones, visit Golden Isles Granite.

Above: An alternative to traditional pillar candles, Flameless Outdoor Candles run on batteries; a little water won't snuff them out. They're on sale for from $10 to $79, depending on size, from Pottery Barn.

Above: The Rotera lantern holds a tea light and is 8 1/2 inches tall; it's $3.99 from Ikea.

Above: Dale used vintage plumbing. "These were Victorian designed faucets and brass heads, where all the pieces had been refinished," he said. A Marlin Outdoor Shower With Foot Shower is $599.95 from Signature Hardware. In a cold climate, disconnect the water lines each winter to thwart pipe-bursting freezes.

Above: Train English Ivy to climb around the shower fixture; a 4-inch pot is $6.99 from JM Bamboo via Amazon. 

For more vine varieties, see Alternatives to Ivy: Vertical Growers.

Above: Pottery Barn Classic 820-Gram Weight Bath Towels are made of Turkish cotton; sale prices range from $4.99 to $28.50, depending on size.

For more of our favorite outdoor showers, see:

• Summer Sale: A Stylish Freestanding Outdoor Shower.
• Hardscaping 101: Outdoor Showers.
• Steal This Look: A Charleston Pool Pavilion with an Outdoor Shower.

This is an update of a post originally published May 17, 2012.

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• Architect Visit: A Nordic Lido in Copenhagen
• Steal This Look: Beach Cottage on the Dutch Coast
• California Coast: Gym and Swimming Pool as Modern Masterpiece

Boardwalk? Sculpture? Climbing frame? Garden feature? It’s Super Bench—purportedly the longest bench in the UK, perhaps in the world.

Sometimes it takes another scale to shake up our preconceptions. With the ability to seat more then 300 people along a beach promenade in Littlehampton, Studio Weave’s 1,063-foot-long bench is a playful adaptation of a seaside boardwalk, hovering gently over its habitat while integrating with its surroundings. We think the concept also could work in a home garden, what about you?

Photography via Studio Weave, except where noted.

Above: The Longest Bench's design is an homage to the slat construction of seaside boardwalks.

Above: As it runs alongside the beach, the longest bench takes on different forms, echoing its surroundings.

Above: The bench is constructed with wood and painted metal. Image via Flickr.

Above: At points along the beach, the longest bench folds in on itself and becomes climbing frame.

Looking for more garden bench inspiration? See 82 images of Garden Benches in our Gardenista Gallery.

N.B.: This is an update of a post originally published on July 17, 2012 as part of our A La Plage week.

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Designed by architect Fredrik Pettersson, the Kastrup Sea Bath is a sculpture for bathing that juts into the Øresund, a busy waterway connecting the Baltic Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. "My idea was to achieve a sculptural, dynamic form that can be seen from the land, from the sea, and from the air," Pettersson says.

Scandinavians are known for their tolerance for frigid waters, and swimming outdoors is a common form of exercise for young and old. (I've witnessed this Scandi fortitude: As a child, my Swedish nanny's family visited us in Seattle and swam laps in the Puget Sound in February.) But at the Kastrup Bath, a fondness for frigid waters is not required. The Øresund is shallow at the site of the bath and the water is (relatively) warm. A lifeguard is on duty during the bath's busiest hours, but there are no age restrictions, night swimming is allowed, and you're free to practice your forward pike from the 16-foot high diving platform.

The bath is a mere 15-minute train ride from Copenhagen on the city's new subway line, and was created to revitalize the dilapidated Kastrup waterfront. During the winter off-season (when daylight in Copenhagen lasts for a mere seven hours at its briefest), the bath still makes itself useful; its 100-yard boardwalk is open for year-round strolling and is lined with benches open for year-round chatting. For more, visit the site of designers White Arkitekter.

Photography by Ole Haupt, except where noted.

Above: The structure is dramatic when seen from afar, and was designed to be viewed as a sculpture from land, sea, and air. Photo by White Arkitekter.

Above: Upward-facing flood lights provide both safety and drama at night. Photo by Erco Lighting.

Above: The structure is made of Azobé decking, an African species known for its resistance to seawater.

Above: We're not sure a 16-foot high public diving platform would fly in the US, but kudos to the Danes for their daring.

Above: Locker rooms feature nautical-inspired colors.

Above: A changing room, like the rest of the bath, is designed with wheelchair accessibility in mind.

Above: On a warm summer day, the bath is a busy place. But even on brisk early mornings, Danes young and old are here for exercise. Photo by Lindman Photography.

Browse more high-design swimming holes: 

• The New Modernism: 20 Best Minimalist Swimming Pools
• Landscape Architect Visit: Bernard Trainor's Most Beautiful Swimming Pool
• Steal This Look: A Charleston Pool Pavilion with an Outdoor Shower
• Outbuilding of the Week: Tiny Pool House, Big Views in Sonoma

More Stories from Gardenista

• Steal This Look: An Airy Outdoor Shower
• Steal This Look: Beach Cottage on the Dutch Coast
• California Coast: Gym and Swimming Pool as Modern Masterpiece

Are you the kind of person who defines summer by the feel of sand between your toes? In Portugal, an hour south of Lisbon on the Sado River estuary, there's an unusual inn where you can put your feet in the sand whether you're on the beach or in the living room. 

Casas Na Areia is a compound of four cottages. They were originally intended as a weekend getaway for owners Joao and Andreia Rodrigues, but they evolved into a small hotel. The designer, Lisbon architect Manuel Aires Mateus, was strongly influenced by the simple lines of the area's traditional buildings. He chose his construction materials accordingly—until it came to the interior of one cottage, where he did something surprising and unconventional. He made the floor out of sand. 

Photography by Nelson Garrido.

Above: The main cottage holds the inn's common space, with a living room and dining area. The signature sand floor is soft on the feet and can even be heated in cool weather; it reinforces this place's strong connection with nature.

Above: The cottages seem to float on the sand. Two of the four are made of wood and reeds, the other two of white concrete.

Above: Guests can ride horses on the beach and enjoy some of the best bird-watching in Portugal; storks and flamingos are frequently sighted. Close by, the Sado River estuary is home to a colony of dolphins. There are also Roman ruins to visit.

Above: The swimming pool, flanked by a deck. Instead of formal gardens, wildflowers and grasses sprawl naturally over the dunes. The place seems timeless.

Above: The simple, stylish furnishings are in keeping with the minimalist architecture. The "Bigfoot" table, from e15, comfortably accommodates eight sandy-footed people.

Above: The exterior of the wood-and-reed cottage that holds the inn's living room, dining room, and kitchen.

Above: The inn sleeps eight in four double bedrooms, each with its own private bath. No worries about tracking sand into bed: The floors in the bedroom cottages are made of concrete. 

 Above: All four cottages have roofs thatched with grasses harvested from the banks of the Sado River. 

Above: Antonio Pinela, a local craftsman, built the cottages in 2010. Every six years the thatched roofs will have to be renewed.

Above: Casas Na Areia is the perfect vacation compound for a family or group of friends. There's plenty of privacy, but everyone can be close to each other and to the outdoors.

Above: If you go, tell your traveling companions they can leave their slippers at home. They'll want to be barefoot to enjoy the sensuous feeling of walking in sand indoors.

Read about a more conventional beach hotel in Remodelista's Just Open: A Hidden Beach Hotel in Oaxaca and see another take on a tiny beach cabin in Gardenista's Rustic Living on the Beach in Uruguay.

July 11, 2014 during Summer Bunkhouse week. 

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Let's be real: What do you really need for outdoor summer fun? Not much—a lawn and some sun, and you're nearly there. But in case you're in the mood to class it up, here are ten good-looking summertime diversions. 

Above: This playful Bocce set by Brooklyn-based Fredericks & Mae is made of wood, cotton, paper, and silver and is painted by hand; $320.

Above: Don't lose these. The Leblon Beach Bat Set by Frescobol Carioca is made in Brazil of up to 13 mixed woods per paddle, finished with surfboard resin and a choice of six neoprene grip colors; $297.97.  

Above: Currently on sale for $149.95 (down from $198) at Terrain, these J. Franklin Field Day Horseshoes arrive in a flat wooden carrying case with leather handle for easy (and attractive) storage. 

Above: A Belgian Dart Set from Best Made Company is handmade in the US; $122.

Above: The Official-Size Cornhole Game is made of plywood with collapsible legs for easy transport; $90.99 on Amazon. 

Above: We love this all-wood version of ladder golf from L.L. Bean, but the stylish set is out of stock. A good alternative is this Ladder Golf Set from Amazon; $69.95. Photographs by Meredith Perdue. 

Above: These solid pine 3.5-inch Yard Dice are cut and branded by hand in Minnesota. They come in a jute carrying bag with instructions for ten lawn games; $68 at Terrain. 

Above L: This Tan Leather Lemon Ball Baseball is handmade in New Jersey with black waxed linen laces, based on original baseball designs from the 1800s; $38. R: The Handsome Dan Leather Football is made with brown rawhide leather, natural rawhide laces, and red nylon string; $130, both from The Lodge. 

Above: Our favorite frisbees are the myriad vintage ones available in secondhand stores and on Etsy, like this Hi-C 1975 Junior World Frisbee Contest Disc from PoorLittleRobin; $12.

Above: Blogger mom See Jane Blog designed this game for her kids and gives step-by-step instructions for making your own. Cost? Free.

For more diversions for what's left of summer, see: 

• Croquet: The Ultimate Lawn Game.
• DIY: Wild Lawn.
• Bye, Bye Birdie.
• Recipe Roundup: The Perfect Picnic Menu.

N.B.: This post is an update. It originally ran on June 10, 2013 as part of our American Beauty week. 

More Stories from Gardenista

• 10 Easy Pieces: Shade Umbrellas
• Announcing the Winners of the 2015 Gardenista Considered Design Awards
• Required Reading: Charlotte Moss's Garden Inspirations

Julie and the Remodelista editors spent the week picking favorites. Here's the best of summer design:

Above: Christine visits The Ultimate Indoor-Outdoor House, where ceiling fans, an outdoor fireplace, and a hanging daybed all contribute to a year-round summery vibe.

Above: Sarah discovers a Magic Fly Repeller.

Above: For Julie, Basketweave Pendant Lights telegraph summer.

Above: Janet investigates the pros and cons of butcher block countertops in this week's Remodeling 101 post.

Above: Christine discovers LA-Style Dining in London, Sunshine Included.

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• Table of Contents: Heat Waves
• Current Obsessions: Down Under
• Trending on Remodelista: Modern Summerhouse

Here's a look at what we loved this week.

• Above: Designer Wendy Bellissimo's California home flaunts enviable curb appeal, Labradors included. 
• Five compact patios for small-space dwellers. 

• Above: Our post-gardening ritual involves citrus soap from Garden Apothecary. 
• In need of a new planter? Enter to win $100 to Terrain.

• Above: How to replace a lawn.
• Gardeners in the UK are on caterpillar watch.

Instagram and Pinterest Pick of the Week

• Above: We're following Eliza Gran (@elizagranstudio), a housewares designer based in Venice, California. 

• Above: If your Pinterest feed needs more fresh recipes, consider following McEvoy Ranch's Farm-to-Table board. 

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• Trending on Remodelista: Best of Summer
• Table of Contents: Heat Waves
• Current Obsessions: Down Under

We're luxuriating in late-summer landscapes. Join for a week of classical garden urns, knot gardens, and insider tips from Sissinghurst Castle:

Above: For more of this grand sprawl of a garden, see Garden Visit: The Unique Charm of Glyndebourne in Sussex.

Monday

Above: Perennial grasses create smudgy swaths of color against a green velvet backdrop of English countryside in this week's Landscape Designer Visit.

Tuesday

Above: We round up classically curved amphoras to hold rainwater in this week's 10 Easy Pieces post.

Above: What would Vita Sackville-West do? We have the answer straight from Sissinghurst Castle in this week's Garden Ideas to Steal post. In the meantime, you can get insider gardening tips from Required Reading: Vita Sackville-West's Sissinghurst.

Wednesday

Above: Yellowing and shriveled leaves may mean trouble for Josh's marijuana plant in this week's installment of our ongoing series, The Marijuana Plant and Me.

Thursday

Above: In this week's Pots & Planters post, we discover cloches with a mossy patina, an elegant way to protect tender garden plants. Meanwhile, see more of our favorites in 10 Easy Pieces: Glass Cloches.

Friday

Above: A fairytale forest hut is our Outbuilding of the Week.

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• Current Obsessions: California Curb Appeal
• Trending on Remodelista: Best of Summer
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When Kate and Mark Edwards returned from Hong Kong to move into his mother's house in England and modernize its garden, they asked around for a landscape designer. A family friend had a son in the business. Done. 

Kate Edwards rang him up, thinking the fellow sounded as if he'd do a fine job in the garden. At the other end of the phone was Tom Stuart-Smith, a giant of British landscape design who after winning three Best in Show medals at the Chelsea Flower Show kindly stopped competing to give others a chance.

Anything for a family friend, Stuart-Smith said, and headed out to Herefordshire (about a two-and-a-half hours' drive to the northwest of London) to take a look at the 2-acre property surrounding the Edwardses' Regency-style house. He offered a few ideas, and the garden turned out more than fine:

Photography via Tom Stuart-Smith.

Above: Landscaped to be seen from above, Stuart-Smith's design created a level playing field for lawn games.

When a delegation from The Hampstead Garden Suburb Horticultural Society came to see the garden recently, Kate Edwards cooked lunch and served the visitors in her 18th-century dining room. Then "we all were invited to view it from the owner's bedroom," Jill Ambrose reported in the society's newsletter. "The lower garden has a large rectangular lawn (for playing cricket) with huge hardy perennial beds on each side and, at the far end are hedges designed like wriggly worms with prairie-style planting in between."

Above: A clipped beech archway connects the lawn to the upper garden.

Above: A Stuart-Smith signature, waves of Miscanthus sinensis 'Malepartus' (maiden grass) create movement and a soft smudge of background color. Throughout the garden, large swaths of grasses lead visitors on a journey from one level to the next with what he calls their "bold rhythm and simplicity." 

Above: Large garden beds of herbaceous plantings, anchored by clumps of perennial grasses, surround the stuccoed sandstone house. In the background are seedheads of Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' (R), Veronicastrum, and blue asters (Center).

Above: After Phlomis russeliana (Jerusalem sage) finishes blooming, its pom-pom seedheads provide winter interest in the garden.

Above: Another favorite Stuart-Smith grass is Calamagrostis brachytricha (Korean feather reed grass).

Above: "The planting design makes for ease of maintenance and gives a dramatic textural effect when viewed from the first floor rooms of the house," says Stuart-Smith.

Above: On the highest level of the garden, hedges of boxwood co-mingle with Hakonechloa macra (Hakone grass) in an undulating vermiculation which Stuart-Smith designed as an homage to the tracery patterns worms leave beyond as they move through soil.

Above: The three-tiered garden includes the lawn for games, a swimming pool, and a tennis court.

For more inspiration from Tom Stuart-Smith, see:

• 9 Garden Ideas to Steal from England's Tom Stuart-Smith.
• Designer Visit: At Home in Jurassic Park, in North London.
• On the Market: £17 Million Cotswolds Estate, Vegetable Garden Included.

More Stories from Gardenista

• 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst Castle
• Outbuilding of the Week: Portugal's Casas Na Areia
• Longest Bench Along the Beach

Although the company is based in the Berkshires in Massachusetts, Campo de' Fiori specializes in mossy, aged terra cotta pots with a decidedly foreign flavor. (In fact, owners Robin Norris and Barbara Brockbader won the right in a poker game to reproduce a particular Victorian design that originated at Balmoral.)

One of our favorite Campo de' Fiori designs is a handblown glass domed terrarium; in a two-piece set, a footed terra cotta saucer comes with a glass cloche. Three sizes are available:

Above: Terrariums in three sizes (from 13 to 17 inches high) are available at prices ranging from $122.50 to $272.50 from Campo de' Fiori.

Wondering what to plant in your terrarium? See:

• Gardening 101: How to Plant an Open Terrarium.
• 10 Easy Pieces: Glass Cloches.
• Gardening 101: How to Make a Closed Terrarium.

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