Garden Styles: pick one!
Spring is so close and so is the time to make a decision. What’s your favorite garden style? We’ll help you decide. Just keep reading…
DID YOU KNOW?
The right garden will change your life!
You are probably looking outside and you can’t figure out what is wrong with your yard. There are many plants, or there are none, there is no color, there is too much color, you don’t like the shape of the plants…too formal or too informal.
Well, let me tell you…your garden is not the right one for you! Sit down, get a cuppa, and keep reading!
Choosing the right garden can be overwhelming, especially if you are a beginner gardener. And the fact that garden styles are so many doesn’t help now, does it?
Let’s see how we can make it simple for you…
Gardens styles can be grouped in 4 categories:
Traditional/Formal Garden
Cottage Garden
Modern/ Contemporary Garden
Natural Garden
Once you know a little more about these garden styles then you can have fun matching and blending them together!
Palace of Versailles gardens
TRADITIONAL/FORMAL GARDEN
Italians and French. (Sigh) So romantic. These garden style is traced back to the 16th century. Elements are repeated and symmetry rules. There are not many colors, in fact, green dominates in the form of lawn, vertical plants, and topiaries. Architectural elements are common like urns, fountains, columns, natural pools etc…
Normally, this style is very high maintenance but look at Palace of Versailles in Paris or Reggia di Caserta in Italy!
2. COTTAGE GARDEN
Buscot Park and Gardens. Oxfordshire
So different from the Traditional Garden. Also called English Gardens, they originated in the 18th century in England where peasants would plant vegetables and medicinal plants mixed with ornamental flowers around their homes as a way to survive the hard times.
Cottage gardens are more relaxed and unruly. Straight lines are abandoned and replaced by plants spilling onto the pathways, green hues are replaced with colorful and lively flowers, edibles are added…all creating a STRUCTURED MESS! Architectural elements in Cottage Gardens are trellis, harbors, clay pots, and picket fences. So cute!
Photo by: Colin Miller.
3. MODERN/CONTEMPORARY GARDEN
This kind of garden is getting more popular by the day. The traditional symmetry is replaced by asymmetrical, curvilinear, and interlocking shapes.
There is a difference between modern and contemporary gardens:
modern gardens have hard angles and they are more minimalistic. Metal is often introduced in this style and it is mostly monochromatic. It is more functional than natural.
contemporary gardens is a modern design but tends to be more natural and softer. Wood and curves are used and colorful flowers are strategically introduced to create a simple design.
Architectural elements can be fountains and pots made of concrete, ponds and reflection pools, metal grids and harbors etc…
4. NATURAL GARDEN
Natural garden
This garden style mirrors the natural landscape around it. Ir relies heavily on native plants which vary on where you live. It is considered a sustainable garden and it is meant to reduce our environmental footprint. Lines are curved and materials are natural. The plants are left to grow naturally and it might look a little bit unruly. The plants are hard and very low maintenance.
Other garden styles for our zone
MEDITATION GARDEN: these gardens are very old and traced back to the 1300AD in Asia. Being part of the Zen Buddhism culture and religion, these garden are meant to connect the individual to nature spiritually rather than physically. The design is simple and minimalistic to reduce distractions but it is charged with symbolism.
WOODLAND GARDEN: plants require shade and moisture. It is structure and has a large variety of textures. Incorporate natural materials like boulders and rocks.
MEADOW/PRAIRE GRADEN: it creates biodiversity and habitat for native fauna and pollinators. Meadows also help with erosion and slopes. For prairies, use 50% grasses and 50% wildflowers. For meadows, use 30% grasses and 70% wildflowers. Add benches and large stones to give a unique touch to the garden.
ROCK GARDEN: place plants in the pockets between rocks and boulders and let them spill on top of them for a natural and very interesting look.