Outdoor living spaces are a gardening trend. But on a sweltering summer day in Houston, living is certainly easier if that space includes a swimming pool.

When Susan and Tom Imre renovated her late grandmother's home, they wanted to preserve the feeling of the 1930s era in which the two-story, Tudor-style house was built.

The large oak boldly anchors the Stewart family's corner lot in West University Place, its heavy branches quietly canopying the deep green mass plantings of liriope and Asian jasmine.

Circles and squares, lines and planes may have befuddled some in high school math, but in the garden geometry can be a powerful tool for establishing order, correcting proportions and putting matters into perspective.

Fertile Ground

The four big trends in landscaping: Curb Appeal, The Year-round Yard, The Sanctuary, and Bringing the Indoors Outdoors are reviewed with insider tips
for every stage of the process.