New Mexico’s courtyard tradition evolved from Spanish and Moorish garden styles and from the Persian paradise gardens that preceded them. In places where moisture is scarce, howling winds are unfortunately common, summer days sizzle, and winters are cold enough to keep people indoors. Enclosed, protected courtyard spaces smooth the hard edges of desert living. Wrapped in the embrace of walls, courtyards may be simple and uncluttered or lush and redolent with scent. They may be elegantly monochromatic or saturated with color and texture, alive with the music of birdsong and trickling water, but always human in scale.

Few rules govern how large or small, formal or wild, a courtyard garden should be. The key guideline is that it suits the people who spend time within its walls. Good design suggests that the higher the walls, the larger the space within them be, so the proportions feel comfortable. Size is also influenced by the kinds of activities the courtyard will host. Is the courtyard an open-air foyer, welcoming visitors to your home, or a living space, an extension of the kitchen, family room, or bedroom?

Also consider how much paved space you’ll need to accommodate furniture, potted plants, or generous passageways. Courtyard paving might be an extension of the flooring of rooms that open into it: brick, tile, or concrete stained and scored to mimic tile. Concrete can also be painted or stenciled in faux-carpet patterns; weather-resistant area rugs can make sitting areas feel more personal.

The larger the paved surfaces, the more important it is to shade them in summer to buffer the heat. Basking spaces saturated in sunlight and protected from wind in winter make the courtyard a garden for all seasons. Capture runoff by grading so that rainwater flows off adjacent hard surfaces and away from foundations into planting beds, where the extra water helps the garden to flourish.

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