How to Create a Small Yard With Big Impact

Even the shutters connect with the landscape via a custom cutout of a watering can and the same shade of green as the fence and arbor. Like any wood feature meant to withstand the elements, these should be made of rot resistant stock such as cedar and stained, rather than painted, to fade over time rather than peel. Ours are finished with S-shaped shutter dogs in black iron, echoing the hardware details on the house and garden gate. This one is set off by climbing roses, including a pink-flowering 'Constance Spry' that arches over the window and can be seen from the dining room table.

The nearby trellis, a ready-made design from a local nursery, is made of cedar and has been left to go gray, eliminating any maintenance. Tall shrubs sit below the roses, including dwarf cranberry viburnum, which has white flowers in spring, a deeply edged leaf, and red berries in winter.