How to Design a Colorful Garden Remodel with Inviting Outdoor Rooms

A well-planned garden remodel transforms an ordinary yard into a vibrant extension of your home. When Lidy and John Baars purchased their 1960s Pueblo Revival ranch in Huntington Beach, California, they fell in love with the back garden space and immediately envisioned its potential. Over two decades, they carved colorful garden rooms out of a compact eighth-acre lot, creating multiple seating areas, lush flower beds, and a drought-tolerant front courtyard. Their story offers practical lessons for anyone looking to undertake a colorful garden remodel that balances beauty, function, and budget.

Whether you have a sprawling property or a modest suburban plot, the principles behind their transformation apply at any scale. By treating outdoor spaces as rooms, choosing durable materials, and selecting plants that thrive in your climate, you can create a garden that delivers year-round enjoyment.

Planning Your Garden Remodel as Outdoor Living Space

The Baars approached their garden remodel by thinking of the backyard as a series of connected rooms rather than one open lawn. As Lidy explains, she designed different areas with seating where people could enjoy a glass of iced tea or a meal together. This colorful garden remodel philosophy turned a small property into a versatile entertaining space. Before you break ground on your own project, consider these planning steps.

Assess Your Existing Space and Sunlight

Start by evaluating what you already have. The Baars property came with six park-size trees that heavily shaded the backyard. Their first task was trimming back the tree canopy to capture enough sunshine for growing flowers. They reduced the tree count to just two: a ginkgo and a navel orange. This single decision unlocked enough light to support a thriving flower garden.

Define Garden Zones by Function

Walk your property and identify where different activities naturally fit. The Baars created these distinct zones:

• A pergola-covered dining area with a long farm table for parties
• A low composite deck with a vintage patio set for casual seating
• A tree bench encircling the ginkgo for quiet reading
• A garden house that serves as a home workspace and storage
• Flower beds along the fence perimeter for seasonal color
• A front courtyard with pea gravel and drought-tolerant plants

Establish a Realistic Budget and Timeline

The Baars worked on their garden over many years, prioritizing what mattered most. They started with the backyard because the house was only 1,450 square feet and they intended to use outdoor space extensively. The front yard makeover came later, triggered by the 2013 California drought. This phased approach allowed them to spread costs and adjust plans as their needs evolved.

Structural Considerations and Material Choices for Longevity

Garden structures take a beating from weather, especially in coastal climates. The Baars learned this firsthand when salt air destroyed their original wood deck, prompting John to rebuild it using composite boards. Understanding remodel code requirements is essential before adding permanent structures to your garden.

Decking Materials: Wood versus Composite

John rebuilt the existing deck using composite boards after salt air destroyed the original wood. Composite decking offers several advantages for garden remodels near coastal areas:

If your property is within a few miles of the coast, composite decking is usually the smarter long-term investment despite the higher initial cost.

Pergolas and Shade Structures

The Baars home came with an existing pergola covering the back patio. This structure became the anchor for their main dining area. When designing a pergola for your garden remodel, consider these factors:

• Orientation matters: align the slats to block midday sun while allowing lower-angle light
• Climbing plants such as roses or trumpet vine add seasonal shade and visual interest
• Consider retractable canvas covers for adjustable shade during hot months
• Pressure-treated wood or metal provide better longevity than untreated lumber

The Garden House as a Multipurpose Structure

John designed and built a 10-by-10-foot garden house as a 50th-birthday present for Lidy, incorporating flea-market finds such as salvaged doors and windows. Originally intended as an art studio, it later became the workspace for her French antiques business. This flexible approach shows how a well-built garden structure can adapt to changing needs. For guidance on installing windows and doors in such structures, refer to advice on installing garden shed windows and doors.

Designing Colorful Planting Beds and Garden Features

The heart of any garden remodel is the planting scheme. The Baars back garden features a serene palette of white, pink, and blue flowers. Foxglove spires and blue larkspur mingle with billowy pink evening primrose and violet petunias. In their native Holland, Lidy notes that every house has a pretty and well-kept garden, and this European influence shows in her meticulous plant selection. Before diving into plant choices, reviewing a pre-remodel walkthrough of a similar project can help you anticipate challenges.

Choosing a Cohesive Color Palette

Lidy limited the back garden blooms to white, pink, and blue tones for a cohesive, calming effect. This approach creates visual harmony even when many plant varieties are present. Steps to develop your own palette:

1. Pick two to three main colors that complement your home exterior
2. Add one accent color for contrast, such as deep purple or soft yellow
3. Include silver and green foliage plants to provide texture between blooms
4. Test combinations by visiting local botanical gardens or nurseries
5. Adjust seasonally by rotating annuals while keeping perennials as anchors

Drought-Tolerant Front Yard Transformations

The 2013 California drought forced the Baars to rethink their front yard. They replaced a traditional lawn with a Provence-inspired landscape featuring a circular pea-gravel courtyard framed by white fencing. The plant palette shifted to silvery-leaved Little Ollie olive trees, variegated Silversheen pittosporum, Spanish lavenders, ball-shaped Japanese boxwood, and masses of fragrant rosemary. This drought-resistant approach meant they could save water in front and redirect it to the cottage garden in back.

Container Gardening for Flexibility

The Baars make extensive use of containers throughout their property. John grows a collection of fuchsia in hanging containers, while mophead and lacecap hydrangeas, lavender, cascading cranesbill geranium, and cymbidium orchids are potted around the garden. Container gardening offers these benefits for a garden remodel:

• Plants can be moved to optimize sunlight exposure as seasons change
• Potted specimens can be brought indoors during frost for tender species
• Containers add vertical interest at different heights and levels
• You can change arrangements without disturbing permanent beds

Creating Functional Outdoor Rooms for Entertaining

The Baars designed their garden specifically for hosting guests. Nearly all of their loved ones have celebrated at least one birthday in the garden, including Lidy mother, who enjoyed a sit-down dinner for 80 hosted by the couple. This ambition drove every design decision, from the long farm table beneath the pergola to the pea-gravel patios that define distinct gathering spaces.

Multiple Seating Areas for Different Occasions

John installed pea-gravel patios edged in brick to define the corners of the backyard as distinct garden rooms. On the left side, the gravel hugs a platform of composite decking holding a vintage patio set for intimate conversation. To the right, on another patch of gravel, the garden house sits with its own seating nearby. Key seating options included:

• Long farm table under the pergola for large group dining
• Vintage bistro chairs in varying colors that can be moved or folded for storage
• A tree bench circling the ginkgo for shaded relaxation
• A painted bench that John built to replicate a vintage one Lidy sold through her antiques business
• An IKEA patio set at the center of the front courtyard for morning coffee

Lighting and Hardscape Paths

The Baars used pea gravel as a unifying hardscape material throughout both the front and back gardens. This material choice is practical for several reasons. It drains quickly, requires no mortar or special installation skills, softens the look of pathways, and provides a pleasing crunch underfoot that signals movement between zones. Edging the gravel with brick keeps it contained and adds a tidy finished appearance.

Attracting Pollinators and Wildlife

A well-planned garden remodel benefits more than just the homeowners. The Baars garden attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators through careful plant selection. Summer-flowering butterfly bush draws hummingbirds, while climbing and shrub roses seal the cottage look. Flowering shrubs such as butterfly bush, rose of Sharon, viburnum, and hydrangeas soften the garden edges and offer a lush backdrop for shorter plantings. Adding pollinator-friendly plants is one of the easiest ways to bring life and movement into a garden.

The Baars 20-year garden remodel journey demonstrates that a beautiful outdoor space does not require unlimited money or a massive property. By treating the garden as a series of rooms, choosing durable materials that withstand local conditions, selecting a cohesive plant palette, and designing for real-life entertaining, any homeowner can create a colorful garden that grows better with time. As John puts it, gardens never stop changing. Tastes evolve, some plants work out and others do not. No garden is ever truly finished. If you are adding a dedicated structure to your property, a step by step installation guide can help you complete the work with confidence. Start with what you have, make changes as your needs shift, and enjoy the process of watching your garden evolve into something uniquely yours.