backyard retreat
Apalachicola, FL 32320
Instead of a trip to New Zealand, our client chose to invest in a vacation at home — a lush, tropical backyard retreat made for stepping outside, slowing down, and leaving the everyday behind. The front garden grounds the home in its surroundings with a natural, woodland feel that reads as established from the start, while the backyard shifts into an entirely different mood: a resort-like escape built on a rich tropical palette. The spaces connect so the move from front to back feels like one intentional journey rather than two separate gardens.
project goals.
Root the front garden in a natural, woodland feel that looks established from day one.
Add structured foundation planting and room for seasonal color to give the garden shape through the year.
Give the backyard a lush, tropical, resort-like character.
Tie the spaces together so the move from front to back reads as one intentional journey.
“A backyard that draws you outside, slows the pace and feels a world away.”
conceptual drawings.
We loved working on this project with a client who has a wonderful eye for design. What began as a typical Apalachicola lot became a landscape that wraps around the home, creating a series of connected outdoor spaces. She took the plan we created and truly made it her own, adding details and ideas that brought the landscape to another level.
the completed space.
the finer details.
-
Limestone gravel defines the parking area, offering a permeable, low-maintenance surface that ties into the site's natural palette. Belguard’s Catalina Grana pavers in Napoli pair with the existing pool deck — repainted concrete matched to the new material — creating a seamless transition between old and new hardscape. The client's own furnishings and garden ornaments layer in personality, giving the space a collected, lived-in feel.
-
Along the street-facing corner, Brodie juniper, beautyberry, Simpson's stopper, and wax myrtle work together to create a layered privacy screen, softening the transition from street to yard. Around the house's foundation and transition areas, camellias, podocarpus, viburnum, and philodendron add year-round structure and soften the line between architecture and landscape. Poolside, palms, Spanish olive, vitex, oleander, and other plantings bring texture, movement, and a tropical feel to the outdoor living space.
-
Fakahatchee grass and muhly add movement and texture throughout, while lantana, agapanthus, rosemary, and gaura are woven in for pops of color and seasonal interest. Together, they soften the hardscape edges and keep the garden feeling full and alive year-round.
