10 Ways to Transform Your Outdoor Space

Clustering plants along a building’s foundation walls and even up the front steps blends a structure into its natural surroundings and makes it more welcoming. Here, a humble potting shed gets the inviting look of an English country cottage, with vine-covered walls and a profusion of flowering plants. Unmatched containers, overflowing with velvety petunias, trailing yellow and white million bells, and a small coleus up top, lend an informal feeling. The rich purplish hues repeated in the container plantings lead the eye—and visitors—right up to the door. Stone pups stand sentry, furnishing the entrance with an added dose of friendliness.