Wren,
There's a particular style of landscaping that has always appealed to me. It is captured in your pictures #1-3!
I've been trying to figure out what it's called for years now. It has to do with what I refer to as "fern gullies". I love, love, love ferns, and I think the dark green, leathery, wispy foliage, and the black shadows. Just something about that look has always caught my attention.
My perfect garden would have ferns, cobblestone/brick walkways, and dark green and deep purple shrubs. After a rainstorm, the raindrops would cling to all the ferns!
Think, New Orleans courtyards...maybe that's it. That's where I'm from...
