Best of Boston Home 2017

LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects. / Photograph by Jane Messinger

Outdoor

Gone are the prim-and-proper box hedge and stiff garden chair. With these experts as your guides, turn your yard into a lush, dreamlike, and eco-friendly haven.

Boston

Best accessories
marc hall objekt

Curated by floral-design guru Marc Hall, this 1,200-square-foot showroom offers a smorgasbord of imported stone planters, elegant herb consoles, and mood-setting lanterns.

531 Albany St., Ste. 2, Boston, 617-391-6236, theworldofmarchall.com.

Casa Outdoor. / Photograph by Sarah Fisher

Best furnishings
casa outdoor

Whether you take home the Roberti lounger, the Kettal dining table, or the Ethimo parasol, filling your yard with goodies from Casa Outdoor’s expansive catalog pretty much ensures you’ll be the envy of all your neighbors.

450 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-955-9377, casaoutdoorboston.com.

Niche Urban Garden Supply. / Photograph by Bob O’Connor

Best garden center
niche urban garden supply

This South End staple offers a bevy of plants and locally made vessels for gardening pros, as well as workshops and design services for newbies and the horticulturally challenged. Green thumb not required.

619 Tremont St., Boston, 857-753-4294, nicheboston.com.

Best landscape architect
LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects

Steep hillsides, storm-surge zones, and ill-placed parking areas are no problem for LeBlanc Jones, which relies on native plantings—not to mention a vast understanding of local terrain conditions—to create swoon-worthy gardens, terraces, and courtyards.

535 Albany St., No. 5A, Boston, 617-426-6475, leblancjones.com.

Best landscape design and installation
parterre garden services

Helmed by a team of horticulturalists, this jack-of-all-trades firm handles everything from pruning and weeding to tree planting and insect management. Is there anything they can’t do?

2235 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-492-2230, parterregarden.com.

Best stone and pavers
hyde park masonry & landscape supplies

It’s one-stop shopping at Hyde Park Masonry & Landscape Supplies, where classics like cobble- and blue-stone pavers are as easy to find as DIY-friendly retaining-wall and fire-pit kits.

8B St., Hyde Park, 617-364-5485, hydeparkmasonry.com.

North

Best furnishings
sunline patio & fireside

The Danvers indoor/outdoor showroom has the lock on the area’s biggest selection of high-end, high-quality outdoor furniture in a variety of styles and materials—teak, wrought iron, aluminum, wicker—along with mind-easing restoration and repair services.

24 Newbury St., Danvers, 978-774-8822, sunlinepatio.com.

Best garden center
wolf hill garden center

Wolf Hill has plants and flowers arriving weekly through three seasons, not to mention staff willing and able to give advice on any topic year round, from staking a tree to finding the right drought-tolerant perennial.

104 Eastern Ave., Gloucester, 978-281-4480; 60 Turnpike Rd., Ipswich, 978-356-6342; wolfhillgardencenter.com.

Best landscape architect
rue sherwood landscape design

From design conception and development to installation, Sherwood will work with you to transform a mere garden into a thriving outdoor extension of your home.

225 Argilla Rd., Ipswich, 978-500-3131, ruesherwood.com.

Best landscape design and installation
ND Landscape

A team of more than 70 certified landscape techs, irrigation techs, arborists, and pesticide applicators is at the ready for projects big and small.

2 Martel Way, Georgetown, 978-352-5400, ndlandscape.com.

Best pool design and installation
environmental pools

Environmental Pools’ team of builders and engineers oversees all phases of pool construction or renovation—from design concept to installation—with an artisan’s approach to the latest in pool technology, efficiency, and aesthetics.

184R Riverneck Rd., Chelmsford, 978-256-0200, environmentalpools.com.

Best stone and pavers
M. O’Mahoney Company

Family-owned since 1873, this Lawrence supplier has more than 100 varieties of concrete pavers, plus an exhaustive selection of natural stone, fieldstone, veneer stone, and granite—and the ability to source whatever it doesn’t already have in stock.

175 Market St., Lawrence, 978-686-6149, momahoney.com.

West

Best furnishings
seasons four

They don’t call themselves “New England’s largest outdoor living store” for nothing. Shop here for all the finest wicker, teak, and resin brands, lovingly displayed to get you ready for the season, then take your haul home that very day.

1265 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, 781-861-1200, seasonsfour.com.

Best garden center
russell’s garden center

Indoor plants, outdoor flora, bird feeders, and so much more. Spend some time at this all-things-outdoor emporium and get countless ideas for how your garden will grow.

397 Boston Post Rd., Wayland, 508-358-2283, russellsgardencenter.com.

Dan Gordon Landscape Architects. / Photograph by Greg Premru

Best landscape architect
dan gordon landscape architects

Elegant, refined, appropriate, timeless: Dan Gordon’s designs are all this and more. His team truly understands how to extend a home’s beauty into the landscape while creating spaces that reflect how you engage with the outdoors.

267 Washington St., Ste. 6, Wellesley, 781-237-5751, dangordonassociates.com.

Best landscape design and installation
sudbury design group

This high-end design/build firm treats every backyard with respect. From water features to lush perennial gardens to posh pavers, Sudbury offers a full range of elegant features for your exterior.

740 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury, 978-443-3638, landscapearchitectureboston.com.

Best pool design and installation
aquascape pool designs

Since 2001, Aquascape has designed and built some of the finest pools, grottos, and waterfalls in the region. Small and nimble, this crew will give the crown jewel of your backyard the attention it deserves.

107 Flanders Rd., Westborough, 508-986-9373, aquascapepooldesigns.com.

Best stone and pavers
stone gallery landscape & masonry supply

Pavers, bluestone, river rocks—this is your place for all things stone. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, they will. Top-notch customer service is simply part of the package.

49 Winchester St., Newton, 617-467-4785, outdoorstonegallery.com.

South

Best furnishings
walpole outdoors

Beyond fences and play equipment, Walpole Outdoors supplies South Shore porches and patios with Adirondack chairs in pastel hues; dining ensembles in rustic western red cedar, sleek aluminum, and teak; garden furniture; bar carts; loungers; and picnic-ready tables.

183 Washington St., Norwell, 781-681-9099, walpolewoodworkers.com.

Best garden center
every bloomin’ thing

Spending an afternoon strolling through three parklike acres of trees and shrubs is just one of the perks of visiting this garden center. The staff will help you pick just the right plants for your plots, complete with detailed care instructions. In addition to landscaping basics, they stock hard-to-find specialty varieties and organic products.

118 Cornet Stetson Rd., Scituate, 781-544-3320, everybloominthing.com.

Best landscape architect
patricia van buskirk

Harvard-trained landscape architect Patricia Van Buskirk’s vision turns so-so suburban yards into perfectly planned outdoor havens. Case in point: a playground that appears to have sprouted straight from nature.

18 Summit Dr., Hingham, 781-812-5455, patriciavanbuskirk.com.

Best landscape design and installation
hedges, inc.

Chad Frost keeps greenery lush and weed-free, perfectly balancing considerations like drainage with aesthetics.

781-934-2001, hedgesinclandscape.com.

Best pool design and installation
aquaknot pools

The South Shore set turns to family-owned-and-operated Aquaknot Pools for curvaceous custom design and installation of sleek infinity-edge pools with ocean backdrops.

55 Woodrock Rd., Weymouth, 781-335-7705, aquaknotpools.com.

Best stone and pavers
hingham lumber company

With its outdoor showroom stocked with granite, bluestone, natural cobblestones, bricks, and a full line of manufactured pavers for patios and walkways, Hingham Lumber Company will get you rethinking that lonely carpet of Kentucky bluegrass flanking your driveway.

165 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy., Cohasset, 781-749-4200, hinghamlumber.com.

Cape & Islands

Best furnishings
paine’s patio

Impressively, the foundation of this business harkens back nearly two centuries. Today, the showroom—run by the sixth generation of the Shearer family—displays a vast selection of casual and formal outdoor furniture, from big-name manufacturers to locally made products.

674 MacArthur Blvd., Pocasset, 508-563-7557, painespatio.com.

Best garden center
mahoney’s garden center

The top-notch inventory here includes world-class hydrangeas, endless tree and shrub varieties, premium annuals and perennials, and a robust selection of Christmas trees. Tap into the staff’s vast gardening knowledge as well.

958 E. Falmouth Hwy., East Falmouth, 508-548-4842, mahoneysgarden.com.

Horiuchi Solien. / Photograph by Jane Messinger

Best landscape architect
horiuchi solien

Husband-and-wife duo Kris Horiuchi and Daniel Solien are attracting attention with their artistic landscape designs—from their signature imaginative secret gardens and expansive backyard oases embellishing coastal homes to such striking works as their 9/11 memorial at Logan airport.

200 Main St., #202 Falmouth, 508-540-5320.

Best landscape design and installation
joyce landscaping

There’s no job too big or too small for this bustling business. Whether you need a complete yard overhaul, driveway installations, or even basic yard maintenance, this hardworking team does it all.

68 Flint St., Marstons Mills, 508-428-4772, joycelandscaping.com.

Best pool design and installation
shoreline pools

Intuitive, creative, and extremely adept at conceiving a pool design that best suits your landscape, these folks make installation a breeze, with the lightest touch possible on the land.

202 Queen Anne Rd., Harwich, 508-432-3445, shorelinepoolsinc.com.

Best stone and pavers
stonewood products

Boasting examples of every type of outdoor stone available in the market, the displays here are so eye-catching and artistic, you’ll likely be inspired to emulate them in your own backyard.

15 Great Western Rd., Harwich, 508-430-5020, stonewoodproducts.com.

The Boston Home team has curated a list of the best home design and home remodeling professionals in Boston, including home builders and contractors, interior designers, home accent décor, and more. Get the help you need with FindIt/Boston's guide to home renovation pros.