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Landscape Blog

Design Ideas from Expert Landscape Planners
Plants & Planting Design

Need planting design help? Home Outside’s Garden Bed Design service to the rescue!

Did you know that a plant may not flourish in your garden just because your…
Home Outside
Home OutsideNovember 11, 2020
FeaturedHome Outside Projects

A New Hampshire Vacation Home—Creating a Landscape for Multiple Generations

The Design Challenge The Home Outside design team has noticed a trend since the Covid…
Home Outside
Home OutsideOctober 28, 2020
FeaturedHome Outside Projects

A Sustainable and Beautiful Landscape Makeover for Southern Brazil

The Design Challenge One of the joys of doing remote design is that we get…
Home Outside
Home OutsideSeptember 25, 2020
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Home Outside’s Backyard Landscape Design Services

With a glowing fire and fairy lights overhead, this backyard living room epitomizes the magic…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 27, 2020
home-outside-planter-design-proven-winners-annuals-begonia-heliotrope-licorice-sweet-potato-vineFeaturedLandscape Design AppLandscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting Design

Try This: Colorful Container Planting Design

Planter Design Inspiration Need some guidance and inspiration to brighten up your outdoor living room?…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 21, 2020
FeaturedHome Outside Projects

A Big, Fun Pool Terrace Design for a North Carolina Backyard

The Design Challenge It wasn’t a particularly small backyard, but these Charlotte-area clients were having…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 12, 2020
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Home Outside’s Front Yard Landscape Design Service

Creating a Welcoming Face for your Property When it comes to our homes most of…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 6, 2020
FeaturedHome Outside Projects

A Backyard Landscape for a Midcentury Modern Home

The Design Challenge This Mid-Atlantic family of four had a beautifully renovated modern home with…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 1, 2020
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsUncategorized

Home Outside’s Virtual Landscape Design Services

  There are many reasons why getting landscape design help for your yard through a…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJuly 17, 2020
Garden Furniture and AccentsLandscape Design Ideas & Tips

Father’s Day Gift Ideas (for Dads Who Love to Be Outdoors!)

Here are a few Father's Day gift ideas from the Home Outside team. Sure, a…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJune 18, 2020
FeaturedHome Outside Projects

Landscape Design for an In-Town Backyard

The Design Challenge This small Ontario backyard needed a makeover. The husband has great DIY…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJune 5, 2020
Videos

Free Landscape Design Lecture Video

Home Outside founder Julie Moir Messervy is the author of nine books about landscape design.…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMay 13, 2020
Home Outside Designers

A Message from Julie Moir Messervy

Hello, friends! Our whole Home Outside team sends you our best in these strange and…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMay 7, 2020
FeaturedLandscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting DesignSustainable SolutionsUncategorized

Four Easy Ways to Increase Your Front Yard Curb Appeal While Decreasing Your Carbon Footprint

In addition to being an attractive addition to your front yard, a tree that will…
Home Outside
Home OutsideFebruary 18, 2020
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Garden Planning: Home Outside’s Landscape Book Recommendations

There's no time like midwinter to start planning the changes you'd like to make to…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJanuary 10, 2020
FeaturedNews

#GivingTuesday2019

Defined as a global generosity movement, Giving Tuesday has gained popularity over the past several…
Home Outside
Home OutsideDecember 3, 2019
cutting garden designFeaturedPlants & Planting Design

Time to plant (and get a discount on Renee’s Garden seeds)!

By Jana B., Home Outside designer It’s Memorial Day Weekend! In Vermont, we're celebrating because…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMay 24, 2019
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Open Air Rooms: Containing Boundlessness

By Julie Moir Messervy. Photos by Grey Crawford from Outside the Not So Big House…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMay 14, 2019
FeaturedHome Outside Projects

Landscape Design for a Backyard Office Space

The Design Challenge This homeowner renovated a small outbuilding to accommodate an office space on…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJanuary 11, 2019
Plants & Planting Design

Indoor Plants & Greenery for the Holidays

This time of year, it’s wonderful to bring holiday lights and greenery into the house…
Home Outside
Home OutsideDecember 17, 2018
FeaturedLandscape Design Ideas & Tips

How to Make an Entrance: Lighting!

The season of holiday entertaining and visiting is now underway, and nothing makes your home…
Home Outside
Home OutsideNovember 21, 2018
News

Give the Gift of Gardens (Or Gift It to Yourself!)

It’s fun to decorate your property for the holidays. But wouldn’t it be even more…
Home Outside
Home OutsideNovember 6, 2018
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Oh, Rats! Rodent-Proofing an Urban Garden

There's a nasty little fact of city life that no one wants to talk about,…
Home Outside
Home OutsideOctober 24, 2018
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsSustainable Solutions

A Beautiful, Drought-Tolerant Garden: Xeriscaping for Water Conservation

Xeriscaping (from the Greek word xeros, meaning 'dry') means landscaping so that little or no…
Home Outside
Home OutsideOctober 19, 2018
Home Outside ProjectsSustainable Solutions

Landscape Problem Solved: The Hellstrip

Some people call it the "hellstrip": that narrow patch of space between the sidewalk and…
Home Outside
Home OutsideOctober 16, 2018
News

Vermont Tech Jam Awards: Help Make Home Outside a Winner!

How the seed of an idea grew into one of Vermont’s Best Startups… The seed…
Home Outside
Home OutsideOctober 11, 2018
FeaturedGarden Furniture & AccentsLandscape Design Ideas & Tips

Residential Landscape Design: A Deck Immersed in Greenery

Photo from Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love by Julie Moir Messervy (Taunton Press, 2009). Photo by…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 28, 2018
FeaturedGarden Furniture & AccentsLandscape Design Ideas & Tips

Outdoor Living: Screened Porch Inspiration…And a Plan

The Inspiration A well-designed screened porch can serve as protected outdoor dining, living, and play…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 27, 2018
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Don’t Track That Dirt Inside! Outdoor Shower Inspiration

There is a freedom that comes from showering in the out-of-doors. For those lucky enough…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJuly 12, 2018
landscape master planFeaturedHome Outside Projects

Planning a Home Renovation? A Landscape Master Plan Can Help!

How can getting landscape advice help when you're renovating your home? A landscape design expert…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJuly 9, 2018
Home Outside Projects

Home Outside Project: Family-Friendly DIY Backyard

A backyard landscape designed by Home Outside is in the running for "Best Outdoor Living…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJune 27, 2018
FeaturedGarden Furniture & AccentsLandscape Design Ideas & Tips

Party Central: A Firepit Garden for Summer Nights

This outdoor living area is a cozy harbor, backed on one side by a neat…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJune 4, 2018
screen capture showing outdoor wedding layoutLandscape Design App

Planning an Outdoor Wedding: Home Outside Can Help!

Are you planning an outdoor wedding or other celebration? Home Outside's mobile app can help you…
Home Outside
Home OutsideApril 27, 2018
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Need Just a Little Landscape Design Help?

Maybe you don't need a whole property plan—perhaps you just want to get a landscape…
Home Outside
Home OutsideApril 20, 2018
Southern California landscape planHome Outside Projects

Home Outside | Southern California Landscape Design

Note: Check out our fun interactive project gallery pages! You may want to open the…
Home Outside
Home OutsideApril 3, 2018
pond with bouldersFeaturedLandscape Design Ideas & Tips

Using Stone in the Landscape

Used correctly, stones can act as both focal point and backbone of any landscape. They…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMarch 26, 2018
News

Online Landscape Design Now at Your Fingertips

Home Outside has a new home online! We're excited to announce that we just launched…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMarch 23, 2018
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Recommended Reading: New Landscaping Ideas That Work

As winter winds down, we could all use a little garden inspiration. How about 200+…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMarch 9, 2018
Landscape Design AppLandscape Design Ideas & Tips

Online Expert Landscape Design Help at a Price You Can Afford

By Julie Moir Messervy, Founder & President of Home Outside Wherever I go, I see…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMarch 7, 2018
FeaturedGarden Furniture and Accents

Garden Products We Love: All-Weather Garden Containers

Lunaform, located on the coast of Maine, makes all-weather garden containers, planters, fountains, and birdbaths.…
Home Outside
Home OutsideFebruary 16, 2018
Home Outside Projects

Extend Your Living Space: Patio Renovation

A great way to extend the living area of your home is to expand it…
Home Outside
Home OutsideFebruary 15, 2018
Home Outside Projects

A Small Suburban Backyard Landscape Design

Ready to transform that boring backyard into the landscape of your dreams? This family had…
Home Outside
Home OutsideFebruary 5, 2018
Home Outside Projects

Tiny Urban Garden Design: Big Ideas to Details

These Brooklyn residents wanted a clean, contemporary, yet friendly and welcoming front garden for their…
Home Outside
Home OutsideFebruary 5, 2018
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting Design

Plants We Love: ‘Spilled Wine’ Weigela

There are many good reasons that the ‘Spilled Wine’ Weigela was named the Landscape Plant of…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJanuary 26, 2018
News

Home Outside Wins a Best of Houzz Award!

Home Outside has won a Best of Houzz Service Award for 2018! We’re delighted by…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJanuary 18, 2018
FeaturedLandscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting Design

Plants We Love: A Cream and Lime Garden

This Vermont garden designed by JMMDS (the landscape design firm that owns Home Outside) features…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJanuary 16, 2018
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting Design

It’s Seed Catalog Time!

In our Vermont studio, it’s 35°F out today and SUNNY! It practically feels like summer…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJanuary 9, 2018
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Recommended Reading: Big Dreams, Small Garden

Do you ever feel envious of picture-perfect garden-porn landscapes that few of us can afford…
Home Outside
Home OutsideSeptember 5, 2017
Garden Furniture & Accents

Landscape Inspiration: A Stylish Fire Garden

From time immemorial, fire has been a vital part of our outdoor landscapes. Originally used…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 30, 2017
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting Design

Planting Design Tip: Swathes and Swoops and Drifts and Rivers

Oh, the siren call of nurseries and garden centers in spring! It is so tempting…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMay 1, 2017
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Online Landscape Design Help for a Large Property

The Home Outside online design service isn’t just for small properties. These rural Vermont clients had a…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMarch 10, 2017
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Landscape Design Tip: Study the Flow in Winter

If you live in a northern climate, the best time to study the flow of…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJanuary 10, 2017
Home Outside Designers

Who Are the Home Outside Designers?

There’s no such thing as a template or cookie-cutter design at Home Outside; every landscape we…
Home Outside
Home OutsideDecember 16, 2016
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Bold Backyard Landscape Design

Create a Floating Effect in the Landscape In this backyard landscape, each material – metal,…
Home Outside
Home OutsideNovember 18, 2016
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting Design

Landscape Design Inspiration: Grasses Shine in Fall

Fall is when grasses really shine. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’) and firetail mountain fleece (Persicaria…
Home Outside
Home OutsideSeptember 10, 2016
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Landscape Design Tip: Back Up Your Seating!

When placing a seat or bench in your landscape, “Create a sense of security around…
Home Outside
Home OutsideSeptember 1, 2016
Landscape Design AppLandscape Design Ideas & Tips

App Tip: How to Create a Property Base Plan with a Map Image

Did you know that you can use the Map Tool to import a satellite image…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 9, 2016
Landscape Design AppNews

Home Outside News: 2016 Vermont Road Pitch Award!

The Stowe Reporter called it “a cross between Shark Tank and speed dating,” which doesn’t sufficiently convey the…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 5, 2016
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Landscape Design Tip: Soften Straight Lines with Plantings

A client asked us, “I have a lot of straight lines in my landscape. Is…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJuly 22, 2016
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Path Materials: Why We Love Peastone

Our Home Outside designers are often asked for recommendations for path materials. The options can be overwhelming,…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJune 24, 2016
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Urban Garden Design: An Intimate Terrace Garden

At the heart of this open-air room is a beloved crabapple tree, visible from the…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJune 13, 2016
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Coastal Massachusetts: A Sideyard Transformed into a Firepit Garden

We turned an unused side yard into an outdoor “fire garden” for a couple that…
Home Outside
Home OutsideApril 15, 2016
Landscape Design AppNews

Best of Houzz Award for Home Outside!

We’ve been fortunate to work with homeowners all over North America to transform their yards…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJanuary 25, 2016
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsNews

A Pool Terrace Garden in Vermont

The work of JMMDS, the landscape architecture and design team behind the Home Outside online landscape design service,…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJanuary 21, 2016
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting Design

Sow Now, Eat Later!

With only the hardiest kale and parsley growing in our vegetable gardens in November, our…
Home Outside
Home OutsideNovember 30, 2015
Landscape Design AppLandscape Design Ideas & Tips

DIY Landscape Design: Drawing Your Property Base Plan

With our Home Outside service, JMMDS can create landscape plans for people who live far from our Vermont studio.…
Home Outside
Home OutsideOctober 17, 2015
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Stone Walls in the Landscape

Many of us are lucky to live where natural stone is plentiful. Whether flat or…
Home Outside
Home OutsideAugust 27, 2015
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsSustainable Solutions

Water-Conserving Landscape Design for California

In “Try Rock Gardens to Soften the Look of Drought-Friendly Yards,” reporter Suzanne Sproul describes how…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJune 30, 2015
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting Design

Using Trees for Formality in the Landscape

Trees provide a sense of formality as in this allée of hornbeams (Carpinus fastigiata). Their graceful…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJune 8, 2015
News

Get a Dream Landscape…Wherever You Live!

The landscape architects and designers of JMMDS, the design studio behind Home Outside, are at it again!…
Home Outside
Home OutsideApril 10, 2015
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Landscape Design Tips for Snowy Climates

L: WINTER OBSERVATIONS ARE ESSENTIAL TO GOOD LANDSCAPE PLANNING: YOU CAN MAKE NOTE OF THE…
Home Outside
Home OutsideJanuary 16, 2015
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting Design

Plants We Love: Anemones

One of our garden favorites is stealing the spotlight right now. Anemone tomentosa“Robustissima” has cool, silvery pink…
Home Outside
Home OutsideSeptember 5, 2014
Landscape Design Ideas & Tips

Screened Porch Season Is Nearly Here!

A well-designed screened porch can serve as protected outdoor dining, living, and play space, or…
Home Outside
Home OutsideApril 25, 2014
Landscape Design Ideas & TipsPlants & Planting Design

Landscaping Don’t: The (Over)Mulching of America

The images above show the progression of a suburban landscape from bare mulch to lush…
Home Outside
Home OutsideNovember 11, 2013
Sustainable Solutions

Sustainable Landscape Design: A Meadow in Your Front Yard

No reason for an energy-consuming lawn when you can enjoy a prairie or wildflower meadow…
Home Outside
Home OutsideMarch 15, 2013

Contact Us

Home Outside
17 Rockingham St, Unit E
Bellows Falls, VT 05101
[email protected]

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