A Small Irish Channel Yard Reimagined
Tight New Orleans lots, with small rear gardens don’t have to feel like leftover space. With a clear plan, they can work as hard as a full-size lawn or garden. For this Irish Channel home, we were asked to rethink a tight front entry, a narrow alleyway, and a debris-covered rear lot with an exposed AC unit. Instead of treating each piece separately, our full-service, design–build–maintain landscape architecture firm approached the property as one unified space—from sidewalk to back fence.
The Before: Useful, but Not Inviting
The original layout did the bare minimum:
- A concrete front walk that got you to the porch, but didn’t frame the façade.
- A side passage that felt more like jungle service corridor than a garden path.
- A rear space under a mature shade tree that was mostly bare soil, leaves, and a raised AC platform against the side of the home.
Everything functioned. Nothing felt finished.
One Firm, One Plan
Because we work as a New Orleans–based design–build–maintain landscape architecture firm, we handled the entire project:
- Demo and site cleanup
- Grading and drainage considerations
- Designed and installed the new brick walkway and courtyard
- Installed irrigation suited to the plant palette
- Created a lighting plan with Kichler low-voltage landscape lighting for safety and enjoyment after dark.
- Our team of landscape architects created a planting design and supervised the installation
- When the time comes there’s maintenance planning from landscape to lighting and irrigation so when the time comes you’ve already identified any issues before they become big problems.
That single line of responsibility is important. Instead of adding brick one year and lighting the next, then trying to retrofit irrigation, everything was designed to work together from day one saving both time and money from the start.
Reframing Arrival: Front Walk + Side Yard
At the front, we replaced the narrow concrete path with a brick walk that feels appropriate to the house and the neighborhood. The new walk:
- Pulls you in a straight, confident line from sidewalk to front steps.
- Echoes the brick used at the rear so the property reads as one composition.
On both sides, agapanthus, giant liriope, Asian jasmine, and seasonal color now define the walk with evergreen structure and low planting that doesn’t fight the façade. Path lights keep the garden legible after dark without competing with porch lighting.
Along the alleyway, we introduced brick pads as stepping stones, set within new planting rather than bare soil. That simple change turns what was once a back-of-house route into a small garden moment and a clear connection to the courtyard.
The Brick Courtyard: From Overgrown Shade Tree and Leaves to Rear Garden Room
At the back of the lot, the transformation is most dramatic.
We lifted leaves and other plant material while also addressing grading, and installed a brick courtyard in a herringbone pattern with a brick border. This terrace now:
- Defines a true outdoor room under the existing tree canopy.
- Provides a durable, level surface for furniture and everyday use.
- Establishes a strong “floor” that allows fencing and planting to become walls.
New cedar fencing provides privacy and a warm backdrop, replacing weathered panels and giving the courtyard a finished edge.
Shade-Ready Planting with Real Jobs to Do
The planting palette had to be more than decorative; it needed to solve for shade, views, and New Orleans humidity.
Key moves:
- Structure and screening. Eagleston hollies along the fence line provide evergreen backbone and privacy from neighboring properties. A sasanqua adds seasonal bloom and classic Southern character bringing a pop of color mid-Winter.
- Equipment concealment. Japanese yews will serve as double duty and were placed to quietly screen the AC unit while still allowing service access.
- Lush ground and mid-layer. Soft caress mahonia, philodendron, ginger, fatsia, ligularia (Tractor Seat), and mixed ferns create a layered, shade-tolerant ground plane that stays green and calm even in August. Dwarf monkey grass stitches everything together at the bed edges.
Plants aren’t scattered; they’re grouped with purpose, so each area reads clearly and is straightforward to maintain.
The Invisible Work: Irrigation and Lighting
Two elements you feel more than you see—irrigation and low-voltage Kichler lighting—were designed in the landscape plan from the start.
- Irrigation zones are calibrated to exposure and plant groupings, which is critical in narrow beds with tree roots and shade.
- Trenches and conduit were installed before the brick went down, protecting both the hardscape and the tree.
- Lighting fixtures are tucked into beds and along key paths to highlight the brick pattern, plant texture, and circulation without glare.
The result is a courtyard and front walk that are easy to care for and comfortably usable well into the evening
Why Bring a Landscape Architect in Early?
This project is a good example of why it pays to bring a landscape architect in at the beginning—especially on small New Orleans lots.
When you start with a plan and a design–build team:
- You avoid cutting into new brick to add lighting or irrigation later.
- Drainage, plant selection, and circulation are solved together, not piecemeal.
- The front walk, side yard, and courtyard feel like one garden, not three separate projects.
- There is a clear handoff into maintenance, so the landscape improves with time.
What looks like a simple “before and after” in photos is actually the result of a sequence that was thought through from the first site visit.
Thinking About a Small Yard Project in 2026?
If you’re looking at your own Irish Channel, Uptown, or Mid-City yard and only seeing limits, you may just be missing a plan.
We design, build, and maintain courtyards, side yards, and small New Orleans backyards that work hard for everyday living. From brick layout and drainage to plant selection, lighting, and irrigation, our team handles the full picture.
Start with a landscape plan—and one firm to carry it through. We are ready when you are!