The homeowner asked me to redesign the planting scheme in the front and back yards, paying particularly interest to texture, form and color. We added some stone spheres in the front to give the space a lively contemporary aesthetic and added boulders in the back, cut into the edging, to create rhythm in order to pull the eye from one end to the other. The homeowner, who is a conifer and Japanese maple lover, was open to the idea of creating a conifer/zen retreat on the highest point of the property in the backyard.