Southern California's climate is ideal for outdoor living. With warm summers and mild winters you can enjoy the outdoors year-round. Heading to the beach or community pool is always an option, but why not avoid the crowds by having your own outdoor living space installed in your backyard. Popular features to include in a Southern California landscaping project are swimming pools, fire features, outdoor kitchens, sport courts and more.

Think of your property as an opportunity to extend your living space. With the amazing work landscape professionals do it is like adding a room onto your home. You can have an outdoor fireplace, a fully equipped kitchen with commercial grade appliances, and comfortable furniture that looks like it belongs inside. But if you aren't ready for a huge project you can start by increasing your curb appeal with new landscaping plants and some containers. You may also want to consider removing unused lawn in favor of drought-tolerant landscaping.

Get these tipsIn this section you'll find tips from landscaping professionals on:

• Vanishing edge swimming pool design
• Selecting plants for Southern California's Mediterranean climate
• Using low-voltage lighting to illuminate your landscape
• How to address driveway drainage in a unique and natural fashion
• Creating colorful mosaic walls in your garden
• Having a custom metal patio cover installed
• Enhancing the privacy of a front courtyard
• What water-wise groundcover to grow amongst paving
• How to take advantage of a hillside
• Creating the look of a Spanish Hacienda in your backyard
• Dividing a large yard into distinct outdoor rooms
• Making good use of a side yard with a bocce ball court
• Positioning a basketball court so that the sun won't be in your eyes
• What materials to use for a modern pool deck
• Incorporating built-in seating into your landscape
• Using permeable paving to reduce runoff
• Installing a custom spa in a small yard
• Removing your lawn to cut back on water use
• What colors, décor, materials, plants and fabrics are best for a Modern garden
• How to design a mid-century modern garden
• Using your front yard as an outdoor living space
• What colors, décor, materials, plants and fabrics are best for a Mediterranean-style garden
• How to create shade in a sunny yard
• What plants grow best in direct sunlight
• Protecting your home from wildfires with fire-resistant landscaping
• Creating a colorful, low water garden
• Which plants grow best around a swimming pool

Spend some time researching and gathering ideas for your landscaping, and you'll be well on your way to having a beautiful Southern California landscape. A landscape professional can help you turn your ideas into reality.

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