If you find yourself tight on space in the garden or prefer container gardening, using compact and dwarf versions of plants can provide the same effect in a smaller package. We asked local landscapers to share their favorite mini-me versions of plants.

People of all ages can tickle their senses by visiting the Zimmerman Sensory Garden. This garden gives visitors an opportunity to draw on their senses. People enjoy smelling popular herbs like rosemary, lemon thyme and lavender. A whiff of the chocolate flower is sure to tempt any guest’s sweet tooth. The sounds of the Shell Fountain and the Solari bell will engage guests as they make their way through this garden.

“The bulk of the back yard was a blank slate,” says Richard Poynter, president of Poynter Landscape. Lead landscape architect Bob Wilhelm did have a few pre-existing features to work around: Mature trees, for example, and a sturdy wooden deck. The deck created access issues during construction, but it was worth keeping, Poynter says, because it softens the surrounding hardscapes and adds linear aspects to the overarching design scheme, too, which is zoned for a kitchen, living room and pool. 

When Kevin Berges moved into his 2,500-square-foot loft a couple of years ago, he knew he’d want to update the space and make it his own. He was equally certain that the apartment, located in the Central West End in a 100-plus-year-old former pharmaceutical warehouse, needed to retain its unique metropolitan charm.

one: Space under the stairs, by Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects. Photography by Whit Preston. 

two: Home office for two, by Olander & Capriotti Interior Design. Photography by Darius Kuzmickas, KuDa Photography.

three: Office, by Brown Davis Interiors. Photography by Moris Moreno.

four: Contemporary office, by John Donkin Architect. Photography by Justin Van Leeuwen.

five: Modern in Montrale, by Jennifer Pacca Interiors. Photography by Peter Rymwid.

Wallpaper takes—to some—a fearful level of commitment. Ambling through home improvement stores and dry goods ateliers scanning aisles and “look books” for a potential match takes time. Not being sure you’ve found “the one” until you take it home where it must meet and complement your valet and throw pillows takes being vulnerable to a possible let down. Trysts with trendy colors, here-today-gone-tomorrow adhesives and aimless paint dabbling can be satisfying in the short term but, as mom says, “isn’t it time you think about settling?”