Come on in

Originally, this house was less than welcoming. Huge pines hid the Del Mar, California, front door, and getting from the driveway to the entry was a pain—after parking, you had to return to the sidewalk, skirt a sea of juniper, and climb a steep staircase. Landscape designer Kendra Berger (revivelandscapedesign.com) removed the pines and replaced the junipers with a garden of carex, geranium, and bright Scotch moss; a row of low-growing purple phormium and a single showy cordyline punctuate the palette of lime and dark greens. And now, broad stairs lead hospitably from the driveway straight to the front door.

More: See this yard's before and after