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Landscape architect rendering of a garden plan of the courtyard garden at Southern Living Idea House

Courtyard Garden Plan

  1. Home
  2. Courtyard Garden Plan
  • By Southern Living Plants Staff
  • August 6, 2019
Bring life to an outdoor living area, & soften hardscapes, with this garden plan

Every landscape has a space that serves as the central hub of activity, often including areas for al fresco dining, socializing, and hobbies. These outdoor living spaces call for a certain level of privacy and intimacy as achieved through incorporation of fences, pergolas or other hardscape elements. Plant material can also be used to enclose a space while offering various degrees of seclusion.

The Courtyard Garden includes both built structure and plant material to create an inviting but private living space. Richly layered foliage serves to soften the fence encircling the garden on two sides. Plant materials step down from the tree canopy to an understory of shrubs in varying heights. The façade of the house, which lines the other two sides of the courtyard, is again softened through layering of plant material, including a specimen tree. Outdoor rooms often have hard floors, such as stone or paving, which can be lightened with textural groundcovers.

Download the Garden Plan PDF

Plant List

Chef's Choice Rosemary Beyond Blue™ Festuca
Soft texture and cool color create a luxurious carpet that unifies the space and softens the stone floor.
Design-a-Line Cordiline
Rich, evergreen color and unique architecture create a strong anchor for the adjacent flower bed and offer winter interest when the flowers fade.
Jubilation™ Gardenia
A compact version of the Southern favorite fits perfectly in the courtyard’s confines. Fragrant flowers add to the room’s ambiance.
‘Meerlo’ Lavender
A more adaptable lavender for mixed beds, the intense fragrance helps homeowners unwind after a long day.
Yewtopia® Plum Yew
Provides a perfect deep green backdrop for the adjacent silver-, white- and blue-foliaged plants in the bed.
Platinum Beauty™ Lomandra
A mass of graceful foliage creates a soft bed for the focal point while also brightening the shaded garden floor.
Miss Scarlett® Illicium
Height and evergreen foliage contribute to the courtyard’s privacy while vibrant blooms provide seasonal color.
Southgate® Breeze™ Rhododendron
Some plants fill multiple roles in the garden. This heat-tolerant Rhododendron provides enclosure and offers stunning spring blooms.
Chef’s Choice Rosemary
Threaded from one bed to the next, this plant visually unites the four distinct sections of the garden.
Mojo® Pittosporum
Bounded by heat-absorbing stone, this space calls for a tough plant and Mojo® fits the bill. The compact habit ensures a perfect fit.
Terra Oakleaf Hydrangea
Dwarf Fothergilla

 

 

Southern Living Plants Staff

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Plants Featured In The article

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Illicium

Miss Scarlett® Illicium

Illicium floridanum ‘JCJC’ PP24640
Pittosporum
Close up view on Mojo Pittosporum foliage that is medium green with large cream colored margin

Mojo® Pittosporum

Pittosporum tobira ‘CNI Three’ PP16188
Plum Yew

Yewtopia® Plum Yew

Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Plania’
Festuca

Beyond Blue™ Fescue

Festuca glauca ‘Casca11’ PP23307
Hydrangea
Large white tightly formed Hydrangea bloom head of Tara Hydrangea from Southern Living Plant Collection

Tara® Hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia ‘BIV01’ PP30565
Gardenia
Jubilation Gardenia bloom cluster amongst shiny dark green foliage

Jubilation™ Gardenia

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Leeone’ PP21983
Lavender
Lovely Meerlo Lavender in a small glazed pot sits poolside

‘Meerlo’ Lavender

Lavandula allardii ‘Meerlo’ PP25559
Rhododendron
Medium pink buds and light pink flowers sit atop large green leaved foliage

Southgate® Breeze™ Rhododendron

Rhododendron hybrid ‘Janet Blair’

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