Mid-Century Landscape Makeover - Ludington, MI

This Ludington, Michigan landscape redesign brings a fresh mid‑century sensibility to a 1960 ranch home. Clean geometry, sculptural plantings, and a restrained palette of grasses, flowering shrubs, and perennials create a cohesive look from front to back. A new half‑circle patio, privacy plantings, and subtle Zen‑inspired elements complete this modern yet welcoming outdoor environment.

This client discovered our recent mid‑century projects online and reached out for a landscape design for their 1960 ranch home. As with most of our out‑of‑state projects, the client provided the measurements and photos needed to build the base plan—made easier with the guide we send to all of our virtual clients.

For the front and sides of the home, the existing walk and steps were in good condition, so our focus was on new plantings. We wanted to highlight the unique stone wall that projects from the façade, using Karl Foerster ornamental grasses set in a bed of beach pebbles to draw attention to its form. Along the street‑facing side of the home, plantings were kept intentionally low to preserve views through the floor‑to‑ceiling windows. Between the large windows, where a blank wall created a visual void, we designed a small zen garden of slate chip and specimen boulders to add interest and texture. Long‑blooming perennials and flowering shrubs provide soft, strategic pops of color throughout.

The backyard offered a blank slate, as no patio existed. The shallow depth of the yard and the client’s preference for a modest outdoor space guided the design. To contrast with the linear and angled geometry used elsewhere, we introduced a half‑circle concrete patio with an offset circular planting bed for an ornamental tree. This bed was filled with the same beach pebbles used in the front yard to maintain continuity. Because the backyard faces a neighbor’s side yard, Karl Foerster grasses and pyramidal boxwoods were used as privacy plantings around the patio. The remaining plant palette mirrors the front yard, incorporating flowering shrubs and long‑blooming perennials for a cohesive look.

This design brings a clean, mid‑century‑inspired identity to the property - balanced, modern, and thoughtfully scaled.