Garden design ideas: choose what style you'd like for your gardens

How to choose a garden style – 12 beautiful garden design ideas

How to choose a garden style – 12 beautiful garden design ideas

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Establishing a garden style is the first step in creating a garden design.

And it’s also a good starting point if you want to give your garden a lift. It helps you narrow down choices in garden furniture, plants and ornaments. You’re much more likely to find things you’ll really enjoy.

You may already have a garden style without really being aware of it. If so, putting it into words will help you decide which direction you want to go with new planting and furniture. It can help make sure that a big investment, such as a shed or greenhouse, looks how you want it to look.

So here are 12 garden styles to inspire you.

I’ll go into more detail about each one further down this post.

Cottage garden style Traditional garden style Formal garden style English Country Garden Reflecting the architecture of your house Outdoor room, also known as urban garden style Contemporary/modern garden style Mediterranean or ‘dry’ garden style Coastal garden Exotic or ‘tropical jungle’ garden Wildlife garden Japanese garden

When you visit gardens or garden shows, think about the overall word the owner or designer may have been aiming for. Even if the garden itself seems very different to anything you can achieve, there are often good tips. For example, here are 11 ideas from RHS Chelsea 2022 that work in real gardens.

Cottage garden style

Cottage garden is an easy, pretty, relaxed style. It’s all about the plants and flowers that grow well in your area. It’s colourful and it’s great for small gardens.

The key elements of cottage garden style is lots of flowers, often mixed with grow-your-own veg and a fruit tree. Add in somewhere to sit, read or work. Garden furniture in a cottage garden doesn’t need to match. And there isn’t a particular style of chair, table or bench. It’s just whatever you’ve managed to acquire.

As cottage gardens are often small, they have no lawn, just paths, a courtyard and lots of flowers. But it’s a style that refuses to obey rules. So you can have lots of what you love in your garden.

There’s more about cottage garden style and how to achieve it here.

You can achieve cottage garden style even on a tight budget. There are more ideas on how to save money on garden design here.

Traditional gardens

Traditional and formal gardens aren’t quite the same, but they’re both structured. Even if they are small or middle-sized, they’re usually divided into ‘garden rooms’ with hedges, walls or trellis, each with its own style or function. The practical parts of the garden – for example, veg growing – will be separate from flower growing.

Traditional gardens will have a lawn, a herbaceous border or borders. They are filled with perennials and annuals, with plants planted in three, fives and sevens, or in swathes. Colour schemes and plant combinations are often quite carefully planned.

They’ll also have trees, shrubs, paths, terraces, a focal point – such as sculpture or a sundial – plus sheds or a greenhouse. I particularly liked the traditional garden at the Bath Priory Hotel when I visited in the autumn.

You could argue that ‘traditional garden’ isn’t a garden style, because it overlaps with ‘formal garden’ and ‘English country garden.’

Formal garden style

A traditional garden may well have a formal garden as one of its garden rooms. Formal gardens are geometric and structure. They are descended from the great gardens of Europe, such as Versailles.

You’ll see topiary, mazes and knot gardens in formal gardens, along with statues or sculpture. That all sounds very grand, but formality can work very well in a small space, too. Versailles might have dozens of topiary-lined avenues. A small town garden might just have one topiary-lined path. The best book on Creating Small Formal Gardens is by Roy Strong.

Some gardens have formal elements in them. Rob and Diane Perry have created a formal use of repetition in their garden with simple topiary shapes. This gives them great winter structure.

And this beautiful garden in the Kent countryside makes a great use of formal elements to frame a Georgian house. The structure comes from an elegant use of box and yew, both very popular for formal gardens. And as box now has a tendency to suffer from box blight and box tree caterpillar, this garden also showcases some excellent alternatives to box for topiary.

Some contemporary town gardens have a formal structure to them, so formal doesn’t have to mean historic. It’s about geometry and balance.

English country garden

English country garden style combines elements of traditional and formal garden style. It has evolved from grand or large gardens, but adapts to a middle-sized framework very well. I asked a number of experts, such as the editor of the English Garden magazine and head gardeners in English country gardens, for their definition of English country garden style.

They said that even if you have a small garden, ‘English country’ means wide paths and deep herbaceous borders, topiary and shrubs for winter interest, a lawn or lawns, traditional garden furniture, roses, urns, a sundial and trellis. Find out more about what they say in English country garden style – what it is and how to achieve it.

A garden style that reflects the architecture of your house

A garden design that echoes the style of your house is a harmonious look.

It’s unlikely that you’ll want to make your planting echo the style of your house, because we have so many more plants available now than we used to. If you limited yourself to Victorian plantings because you live in a Victorian house, then you’ll feel quite limited.

But it works very well to start with the architecture of your house when you’re thinking about hard landscaping. If, for example, you have a yellow brick house, you can use yellow brick for the paths. Or if your house is Edwardian, use Edwardian garden furniture.

A brilliant example of a garden that echoes the architecture of the house is the garden at The Salutation, a former hotel. Both house and garden were designed by the famous architect Edwin Lutyens. You can see the paths are of the same brick. And Lutyens designed a famous garden bench, which can be seen all over the garden. If, for example, you live in a 1960s house, you could focus on mid century modern garden furniture styles.

And writer Francine Raymond echoes her house in her garden design in a contemporary way. She bases her garden colour theme on the yellow brick and grey slate of her house walls and roof. She even paints the furniture and pots in this signature yellow and grey, which makes mis-matched furniture and chain store pots look stylish. See Francine’s garden style tips here.

A garden can also echo the town it’s in. This ‘garden with a sense of place’ reflects the house’s history and that of Margate, as well as its owner’s tastes.

If your house seems to lack a particular style, Polly Wilkinson of Pollyanna Wilkinson Garden Design recommends linking materials and colours between inside and out. For example, if the kitchen opens onto the garden, link the kitchen floor and the outdoor hard landscaping materials in some way.

The ‘outdoor room’ – urban garden style

The garden as an outdoor room has become very popular for small gardens in towns and cities. This puts hard landscaping and garden furniture at the front of the list, although many outdoor room gardens also have good planting.

For example, you can double up raised beds and seating, as designer Charlotte Rowe does in her own garden. The broad white stone edges to her raised beds are just the right height for guests to perch on for a party. She also has a fireplace and bench seating that doubles up as storage. Every inch of space is used beautifully. See Charlotte’s 12 tips for a creative urban garden here.

Think about outdoor kitchens, gyms and even outdoor showers. Here are tips for creating an outdoor kitchen from The Frustrated Gardener blogger, Dan Cooper. Dan is a passionate plant lover and his courtyard garden is crammed with exotic plants, which shows that you can have lots of wonderful plants and a garden room you can live in.

Contemporary or modern garden style

If you like contemporary design in your home, then you’ll probably enjoy it in your garden too. Contemporary garden design has come to mean an innovative use of materials – such as corten steel and gabions. These are combined with geometric or assymetrical squares, circles and rectangles. Ponds, paths, pergolas and pots are also geometric.

Contemporary garden planting is carefully planned and controlled. In a small garden, a top garden designer may work with a palette of only 12-20 different plants, but they will be carefully chosen. There may be lush foliage, but you won’t see the riot of colour that you’d expect in a cottage garden. The flower colour scheme may be based on green and white, or it may feature just one or two colours.

You can see contemporary garden design at the garden shows. Not every show garden is a contemporary design, but you’ll see a good range. The RHS Chelsea Flower is the top international garden show for innovative garden design. Even if you can’t visit it, check out the coverage.

See here for a contemporary garden that uses gabions and modern furniture.

Mediterranean or ‘dry’ garden style

If you live in an area of low rainfall, then a ‘dry’ garden is an excellent choice. These can be called ‘Mediterranean gardens’, ‘Australian gardens’ or ‘desert gardens.’ The plants are at the heart of this style. Look for drought tolerant and drought resistant plants. These include succulents, cacti and several ornamental grasses. Good dry garden perennials and herbs include rosemary, lavender and verbascum.

There’s more in this post about how to create a dry garden, based on advice from the Beth Chatto Gardens in Essex. Although annual rainfall is only around 20″ a year, Beth Chatto created a garden that never needed watering.

A dry garden will usually have a gravel mulch, which helps stop the earth from drying out. It also allows plants to spread and self-seed easily, although the flip side of that is that it needs regular weeding. But you’ve saved all that time by not watering!

Dry or desert gardens also have pots and sculpture. But they don’t always have specific paths, as plants grow directly out of the rock and gravel. For more inspiration see this beautiful private Australian garden with some dry planting. Or see 7 garden design ideas from four private gardens for an Australian sculpture garden.

Warning! If you live in an area of heavy rainfall, this is not the look for you.

A coastal garden theme

This is very similar to a dry garden. You need drought-tolerant plants which also withstand windy conditions. If you live directly on the sea, you’ll need plants that can cope with salt spray, too. But if you live a few streets back, that’s unlikely to be a problem. Find out which plants are good for a coastal garden here.

In a coastal garden, you’ll also plant into gravel, shingle or sand. Wooden decking is good for this look. The coastal garden look doesn’t have a lawn.

And garden furniture and ornaments often have a seaside theme. Or they’ll be recycled or upcycled ‘found’ objects or made of driftwood. Almost anything can wash up on a beach, battered and faded, to be re-used in a coastal garden.

I live near Whitstable, on the Kent coast. Whitstable has some delightful seaside gardens. See them here in how to create a delightful seaside garden.

Exotic ‘jungle’ garden style

This is another garden style which puts plants at its heart. Think tree ferns, banana palms, brilliant colours and large leaves, planted densely. There are a surprising number of tropical-looking plants which do well in cooler, temperate climates. But some of the plants, such as cannas, dahlias and palms, may need special care in the winter.

Award-winning head gardener, Steven Edney and his partner Lou Dowle have a tropical garden in their own Kent home. He says that it’s a style that ‘needs a greenhouse’ because some of the plants are tender.

Crowd your plants up, using every inch of planting space you have. Exotic gardens have paths and a seating area, sheltered from the sun by trees. But forget about lawns.

See this post on how to create a brilliant exotic garden in a cool climate.

A wildlife garden

This doesn’t have to be a garden style as such. A traditional or formal garden can be very wildlife friendly, if the gardeners don’t use chemicals. When I visited Paul and Frances Moskovits’s garden with its amazing herbaceous border, I was almost deafened by the birdsong. And Frances says that the birds and frogs clean up slugs and snails for her.

Most of the gardens I’ve featured on the Middlesized Garden are very wildlife-friendly, such as the rose garden at Hever Castle, the amazingly beautiful English country gardens at Gravetye Manor Hotel and the Beth Chatto gardens. Yet they’re all very different styles of garden.

But if you want to put wildlife and the environment first above everything, then it’s essential to provide food, water and shelter.

Choose pollinator friendly planting and plants that have seeds and berries. You need at least one source of water and some shelter. This can be as simple as leaving piles of leaves and garden clippings in corners. Or you can make or buy bug hotels, bat boxes and bird boxes.

It’s also important to minimise your use of chemicals and to look after your soil. In this post, award winning garden designer Fern Alder explains that there are more living organisms and micro-organisms in one teaspoon of soil than there are people on earth. So one of her top wildlife friendly tips is to add garden compost, well rotted manure or another mulch to your soil at least once a year. This feeds those micro-organisms and helps keep your soil healthy and alive.

There’s a post here on what a wildlife garden really needs.

A Japanese garden

Japanese garden style is about balance. It’s a carefully curated vision of the natural world. Instead of a riot of colour, there are carefully planned features, often balanced with empty space so that you can appreciate them. Instead of several trees or shrubs, a Japanese garden may have just one or two beautifully pruned specimens.

Ikebana or Japanese flower arranging also impacts on planting in gardens. It’s an asymmetrical triangle. You plant or arrange flowers based on the three principles of heaven, earth and humanity. A tall plant reaches up to heaven, a low growing one covers the earth and in between there is the plant that represents humanity. Beth Chatto used ikebana as a basis for her dry garden planting.

Correct pruning is another big feature of Japanese gardens.

And there’s an interesting use of materials, such as moss. The key is to use a simple colour palette, with contrasting shades of green and perhaps just one signature colour, such as red, white or pink.

Texture is important in a Japanese garden too. If stones or garden ornaments age with lichens, leave them. Don’t scrub them off. The patina of age is part of the garden experience. (Although do scrub off anything slippery underfoot!)

Japanese gardens also have water features, such as ponds and waterfalls. These, too, will be carefully designed and balanced within the garden as a whole.

There’ll be an Asian theme to sheds, pergolas and garden furniture, too, of course. But you can’t create a ‘Japanese garden’ simply by filling a Western garden with Japanese or Asian themed furniture and objects.

Find out more in Monty Don’s book Japanese gardens – a journey. His thoughtful and knowledgeable commentary is always illuminating. Note that links to Amazon are affiliate, which means that I may get a small fee if you buy, but it won’t affect the price you pay.

Shop my favourite garden tools, products and books

I’m often asked for recommendations so I’ve put together lists of the gardening books, tools and products that I use, or which have been recommended to me, on the Middlesized Garden Amazon store. For example, there’s a list of essential garden tools and also of my favourite books on gardening.

More of each garden style in the video:

Pin to remember 12 garden styles

And sign up here for a weekly catch-up of garden tips, ideas and inspiration from the Middlesized Garden.

9 Types Of Landscaping Styles to Consider

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

When thinking of ways to upgrade your home, you might consider a kitchen remodel or a bathroom renovation. But why not think outside the box and focus on landscaping?

Landscaping has a huge impact on the overall look and feel of your home (and it can improve resale value, too). The landscaping style you choose should allow your yard to be a place where you can go to relax and decompress from the rest of the world.

When choosing a type of landscaping design, keep in mind your ultimate goals, such as designing your yard for children, sustainability, entertaining or relaxation. Be aware of any zoning laws in your neighborhood that may prohibit certain types or sizes of structures and of your climate; not every style of landscaping is conducive to all types of weather.

Here are nine types of landscaping styles you can consider for your home.

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1. Tropical

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You don’t have to fly to a remote island to experience tropical vibes. You can recreate them for your own backyard landscaping project with lush greenery and bold colors. If your climate suports it, palm trees, birds of paradise, hibiscus flowers, bougainvillea, orchids and jasmine are all representative of a tropical getaway.

There are also tropical touches you can add in any growing zone. A hammock swaying in the breeze, a swimming pool or hot tub—with a waterfall to really level up—tiki statues and torches, bamboo accents, a fire pit and brightly colored outdoor furniture are functional even in less-than-tropical climates. Making a signature cocktail at a backyard tiki bar is optional.

2. Woodland

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If your idea of an ideal getaway is a cozy cabin in the woods, consider a woodland landscaping style. This type of landscape design is an excellent choice for a low-maintenance option; forest trees, shrubs and florals can be left to grow in their own time with little human interference.

Hardwood trees (like oak, maple, hickory, walnut and cherry) are traditional choices but do take longer to grow and are a long-term investment. These trees also go dormant in the winter, so consider what the landscape will look like in all seasons. Softwoods (including cedar, Douglas fir, juniper, pine, redwood, spruce and yew) grow more quickly and retain their coverage during the winter.

In terms of structural additions, stone pathways, wooden benches and decorative or functional birdhouses help create a woodland feel.

3. Prairie

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If tall trees aren’t your style, consider recreating a prairie landscape with tall grasses and herbaceous flowering plants. Switchgrass, which is native to the plains in the southwest U.S., has greens, browns and even a little purple or red.

It has evolved to many environments, from cold to warm and shallow to deep soil, so it can be adaptable to most climates. Switchgrass is also drought-resistant, so it’s a good option if you live in an area that doesn’t get a lot of rain. It can also be a less expensive option than trees or shrubbery.

4. Desert

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A desert style landscape doesn’t mean a drab one. Desert landscaping can be a low maintenance option that requires little upkeep and water. Succulents are of course a must; cacti, aloe and yucca are traditional desert additions. To add color, consider desert-tolerant plants like begonia, autumn sage and yellow columbine—certain types of succulent can offer color, too.

Regarding decor, consider Southwest-style design and heat-resistant furniture in light colors (no one wants to sear their skin on hot metal or a black cushion). A fire pit evokes the drama of the desert, and an outdoor kitchen could allow you to make the most of the warm days outdoors. And don’t forget to offer shade: umbrellas, gazebos or desert-friendly trees are a must.

5. English Garden

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English garden, also known as English cottage or English countryside is a popular landscape style that evokes stories about summering at your grandmother’s in Kent, which is nicknamed the “Garden of England.” It was the English garden style of landscaping that actually helped people view nature as something to be appreciated and valued rather than feared.

Alongside florals, shrubbery and trees, a body of water is a common English garden feature. Whether manmade or natural, this could be a lake at large scale, or a pond or reflecting pool on the smaller end. A bridge, a bench and a birdbath are classic accompaniments, along with sculptures and a cobblestone path.

6. Japanese Garden

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A space for peaceful contemplation is the aim of a traditional Japanese garden. Drawing on Buddhist, Shinto and Taoist philosophies to provide a spiritual haven, this landscape style has four essential elements: rocks, water, plants and ornaments. When incorporating these features, the design principles of asymmetry, enclosure, borrowed scenery, balance and symbolism should be kept in mind.

Koi ponds, waterfalls and stone basins are common water features for a Japanese garden; incorporating a bridge is also common. Traditional Japanese gardens are enclosed, all for a better way to escape into peaceful contemplation, and bamboo is an excellent choice for this. Decorative ornaments are also a key to bringing this landscape style to life.

7. Tuscan

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You don’t need 300 acres to recreate your own slice of the Medici gardens in Tuscany, Italy. You can emulate these famous gardens and others in Italy with a Tuscan style of landscaping. The region is known for its rolling hills, verdant vineyards and fragrant olive trees. Even without these exact components, you can achieve a Tuscan look and feel.

Citrus plants and potted herbs can help your garden look—and smell—like a Tuscan landscape. If you have the space, a labyrinth of sorts can give guests (even if it’s just kids) a place to roam. Growing your own herbs or vegetables is a symbol of Tuscany’s connection to the earth. And an arbor or pergola is the perfect structure to sit and observe your masterpiece.

8. French

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French gardens originally got their inspiration from Italian Renaissance style, but they added elements of their own. The Gardens of Versailles are the biggest example of this landscaping style; they’re even larger than the aforementioned Medici gardens—nearly a whopping 2,000 acres. Thankfully, a French style can be replicated on a much smaller scale.

Even though landscaping is about your yard, the residence is typically the focal point of a French garden. Planting trees or shrubs in straight lines that lead to the home are one way to draw the eye back to the house. Trellises, columns, birdbaths or fountains and cast iron furniture are signs of French design. And remember that with this style, symmetry is key.

9. Spanish

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Spanish style landscaping is popular in areas of similar climate, hot and dry. Influenced by Islamic, Persian and Moorish gardens but with a flair of its own, this type of design is typically tolerant of drought, meaning that grass is not a central or necessary element.

Most structural elements of Spanish landscape design include ceramic: it can be found in benches, reflecting pools, walls, walkways, decorative touches and fountains. In terms of fountains, the Spanish style is not one large centerpiece but multiple smaller pieces. Terracotta pots, urns and bright blue glazed accent decor are also authentic touches.

Bottom Line

No matter which landscaping style spoke to you, make sure you’re considering the best style for your property. Consider factors like climate, weather, personal preferences and maintenance level before settling on your finalized style. If you are looking for more landscaping ideas and must-knows, our resident general contractor has some great tips.

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Garden design ideas: choose what style you'd like for your gardens

Small gardens It can seem a daunting task getting the most out of the space available in smaller gardens. However, they are a fantastic opportunity to get creative, break the rules, and use clever tricks to turn a modest plot into an outdoor oasis. A small garden can truly feel like an extension of indoor rooms; a green escape for relaxing, entertaining and enjoying.

Six small garden design ideas

Urban gardens City gardens have to tick lots of boxes, providing outdoor space for planting, relaxation, play and entertaining. Usually in a relatively small area, they need clever designs to make them work well. Most urban gardens become either functional spaces or plant-filled havens into which you can escape hectic city life. They often feature minimal design and repeated patterns for maximum effect.

Make the most of your urban garden

Wildlife-friendly gardens Wildlife-friendly gardens feature plants and structures that attract native wildlife, such as birds, beneficial insects and small mammals. Log piles, hedgehog boxes, bee hotels and more all help to bring wildlife that is interesting to watch, and which will help the gardener by keeping down pests such as slugs and aphids. Many plants are attractive to pollinating insects and you can have a wildlife-friendly garden however big or small your outside space is.

Wildlife friendly gardening

Mediterranean gardens Mediterranean gardens can be formal or informal, and take their inspiration from the shrubby vegetation of the hot, dry climates of the south of France, Italy and Spain. Gravel is often used between drifts of drought-tolerant plants, including lavender, olive trees, rosemary and vines. This is a style that can adapt well to the British climate, but some Mediterranean plants dislike winter wet and will need protection in a cooler climate.

Mediterranean garden plants

Contemporary gardens Crisp, clean lines are an intrinsic part of contemporary design, which can be applied to either small or larger gardens. Equally important is the use of space, geometric layout and the absence of too many fussy details and clutter. This all adds up to a garden that could be the perfect antidote to a hectic lifestyle - dynamic yet relaxing.

Materials tend to be natural and timeless such as stone, slate and wood, and plants become just one part of the architecture – think clipped hedges, specimen trees and simple blocks of planting. Water is often used to create reflection, movement or sound.

Modern and minimal garden design

Formal gardens Formal gardens have a balanced design symmetry and a clear floor plan. Their hard and soft landscaping will have a geometric structure, often around a central feature. But despite its grand origins, this style adapts well to gardens of any size, even tiny urban spaces.

Symmetrical planting bordering a linear path that leads to a focal point such as this statue – this is the epitome of formal garden style. Pleached trees in neat rows add height and pattern.

Formal garden plants