The Main Types Of Garden Styles in Landscape Design
Imagine strolling through your own slice of paradise: a garden blooming with beauty and resonating with the symphony of nature. With the right landscape design style, this dream can become your reality.
There are different types of garden styles to suit every taste, from the rustic charm of a cottage garden to the formal elegance of a French parterre.
So, whether you aspire to create a serene Zen retreat or a lively tropical paradise, there's a garden style to match your vision. Let's explore some of the most popular and enchanting landscape design styles.
Different aspects of garden style
Line, shape, materials, textures and types of plants are just a few of the key elements that make up garden style. Let's take a closer look at some of these design principles:
Lines & shapes
The use of lines is an important aspect of landscape design and therefore garden style. It is used to create a feeling of movement and flow within the garden.
Garden design can be composed of many different shapes, from geometric patterns to curved edges. Twisting pathways that wind around trees or benches create an organic feel, while squares or circles with plants arranged in neat rows give off a more structured vibe.
On the other hand, clean and straight lines are used in a modern and minimal garden style to achieve a sleek, contemporary garden, and can create the perfect style for busy minds. Just as being clutter-free indoors can make you feel more relaxed, the same applies outdoors. This makes clean, straight lines the perfect antidote to a hectic lifestyle.
Materials and textures
Gardens can also be made up of different materials, such as wood, stone, concrete, and gravel. Different colours and textures can add depth to the landscape design. For instance, using concrete paving slabs with wood seats, pergola, or decking can create a contrast within the space. In addition, using fine-textured plants with small leaves, paired with coarse-textured plants with large leaves creates an exciting and dynamic planting combination.
Designers will also often pay close attention to ensuring sustainable garden landscaping practices and materials. These can include permeable paving, reclaimed and recycled materials.
Contemporary designs frequently utilise materials such as concrete, stone, porcelain tiles, metal and timber, while traditional gardens may create more of a natural look by opting for brick, stone, gravel paths, herbs, vegetable and flower beds.
8 main types of garden styles in landscape design
Formal Garden Styles
Image Credit: Flickr
A formal garden style is characterised by geometric patterns of shrubs and flowerbeds. They are high maintenance and very well-manicured gardens by keeping nature under control. This type of design is often used to create an intricate tapestry of shapes and patterns, with each garden element carefully placed for maximum impact.
Popular in chateaus and manor houses, these gardens often feature a centrepiece such as a fountain or ornamental statue.
Features of formal gardens often include:
Intricate geometric patterns
Ornamental shrubs and flowerbeds
Formal hedges or walls
Topiary trees and shrubs in symmetrical arrangements
Central fountain or statue
Informal & Cottage Gardens
An informal garden or English Cottage Garden style (traditional garden) is a charming medley of flowers, vegetables, and herbs. The design is deceptively simple, with plants that seem casually arranged. Bear in mind: this is an artful composition that celebrates nature's bounty with a riot of colours and fragrances.
Foxgloves, roses, lavender, and hollyhocks are some of the quintessential plants in cottage gardens.
Features of informal and English cottage gardens often include:
A mix of flowers, vegetables, and herbs, intertwining and growing freely
Abundant colour and texture, with traditional materials such as wrought iron, rustic wood and stone
Casual, dense planting arrangements that layer plants by height to create a rich feel
Traditional elements such as arbours, sun dials, benches, and bird feeders
Climbing plants such as roses or clematis to decorate walls or fences
Contemporary Garden Styles
The contemporary garden style is all about clean lines, geometric patterns, and functionality. The plant palette is limited to create a sense of cohesion and simplicity. Hard landscaping elements, such as concrete, steel, and glass, play a significant role in this popular garden design trend.
Features of contemporary gardens often include:
Clean straight lines and geometric patterns
Simple neutral colour palette with shades of white, black, beige, buff and grey
Hard landscaping elements such as concrete, steel, and glass
Minimalistic plantings
Water feature or pottery or modern art
Mediterranean Garden Design
Image credit: Abigail Rex
Drawing inspiration from the sun-drenched landscapes of Italy, Western and Southern Turkey, Spain, and Greece, Mediterranean Gardens are designed to withstand intense summer heat. Hardy, drought-tolerant plants like lavender, rosemary, and olive trees thrive in this setting.
This design is also characterised by gravel paths, stone walls, and water features.
Features of Mediterranean gardens often include:
Colours reminiscent of sun-soaked Italy, Spain, Greece, Western and Southern Turkey
Gravel pathways
Stone walls for structure
Hardscape elements such as statues and fountains
Low maintenance, drought tolerant plants like lavender, rosemary, and olive trees
Prairie & Meadow (wildlife-friendly gardens)
Prairie Garden — Image Credit: Gardenia.net
Prairie and meadow gardens are ideal for attracting wildlife while adding a natural element to your landscape. A drift of bold grasses and colourful perennials can be the stars of this type of design, influenced by the plantsman Piet Oudolf from the Netherlands.
The plant palette varies, depending on soil type, moisture level and regional climate. Native plants that attract bees, butterflies, and birds are key components of this distinctive garden style.
Features of prairie and meadow gardens often include:
Bold grasses and colourful perennials
Native plants that attract bees, butterflies, and birds
Low maintenance, layered planting designs
Diverse plant palette to suit regional climates
Woodland Garden Style
A woodland garden style is all about creating a natural, peaceful retreat in your backyard. Shade-loving plants such as ferns, hostas, and astilbes thrive in this setting, alongside trees that provide dappled sunlight.
The design often incorporates elements like moss-covered paths, stone walls and benches to blend with the natural surroundings.
Features of woodland gardens often include:
Shade-loving plants like ferns, hostas, and astilbes
Light canopy trees that provide dappled sunlight
Natural elements such as moss-covered paths and stone walls
A peaceful, natural setting for relaxation
Sensory Garden Style
Image Credit: Artecho
A sensory garden is designed to stimulate all five senses, making it an ideal retreat for relaxation and mindfulness. Plants with different textures, scents, and colours are carefully selected to create a sensory experience.
With a sensory garden style, you can enjoy the soothing sound of rustling leaves, the refreshing scent of lavender, and the vibrant colours of blooming flowers.
Features of sensory gardens often include:
Plants with different textures, scents, and colours, that appeal to the senses
Features like wind chimes or water fountains to add auditory stimulation
Seating areas and walking paths for visitors to take in the multi-sensory experience
Japanese Gardens
Tradition will look different depending on where beautiful gardens are found. For example, less is definitely more in a traditional Japanese Garden or park. The design for Japanese parks and gardens is often minimalist, with an emphasis on tranquillity, balance, and simplicity. Here, meticulously raked gravel represents water, while rocks symbolise islands.
Greenery is kept to a minimum – perhaps a few strategically placed mosses or shrubs – to maintain the serene, meditative atmosphere. Japanese gardens embody a perfectly crafted and artful rendition of the natural landscape. Exhibiting both tranquil beauty and peacefulness, these spaces are often revered for their meditative qualities.
Features of Japanese gardens often include:
Raked gravel to represent water
Rocks and stones for islands
Minimalistic plantings of mosses or shrubs
Benches for contemplation
How can a landscape designer help you choose a garden style?
Whether you're looking for something traditional or modern, a landscape designer will be able to create the perfect garden design for you. With their help, you'll be able to create an evocative, innovative space that showcases elegance and sophistication.
With their expertise, a landscape and garden designer can advise on horticulture, features, and architectural design. They can also recommend materials, colours, textures, and lighting to create a cohesive look that will bring the design together.
If you need any help, our multi-award-winning landscape designers at Nilufer Danis Studio can help you choose the perfect garden style for your landscape, or craft a bespoke garden style that encapsulates your personality.
Closing Thoughts
Whether you choose to create your own English Cottage Garden or a Japanese Zen retreat, remember that the best garden style is the one that speaks to you and suits your style of architecture, interior design and lifestyle.
With careful planning and a bit of creativity, a professional garden designer can create a garden that is not only beautiful but also a reflection of your personal aesthetic. After all, is there anything more luxurious and fun than a garden designed with love and care?
Embrace this journey, and let your garden be the canvas on which you paint your dreams.
Transform your project today with our award-winning landscape design. Get in touch to get started.
Types of Garden Styles FAQs
What are the different shapes of a garden?
Gardens can come in all shapes and sizes. Common garden shapes include rectangular, circular, triangular, and square. You can also create more complex shapes with curved edges or irregular patterns.
What are the different textures in a garden?
Texture, the surface quality of objects, plays a vital role in garden design and compositions. The texture of plants is primarily determined by leaf characteristics, encompassing factors like shape, size, coarseness, smoothness, shade, and tint. Furthermore, the concept of texture can extend to the visual appeal of tree barks.
In addition to plants textures, Garden textures refer to the way surfaces feel and look. These can range from rough, like stone or gravel, to smooth, like glass and metal, or even water. Common garden textures include gravel, stone, wood, grass, rocks, water features, and plants.
What is modern garden style?
Modern garden style is a design concept inspired by clean straight lines and simplistic geometric patterns. Contemporary garden design combines hard landscaping elements such as concrete, steel, and glass with minimalistic plantings to create a stylish contemporary look. A modern garden style can also have an impact on the feeling or atmosphere of the garden, creating a clean and clutter-free environment for users, including busy people in cities.