Designing a Garden For Your Home – The Types and Styles to Choose From

One of the most fun thing things a person can do is spend his or her time designing a garden. You can get as creative as you would like to be. There is something special about creating a living and breathing thing.

There are many types of gardens that you can choose to create. You can even make a beautiful garden living in a flat or cottage. What you must remember is to try to stick to a workable budget as even a small budget can produce a wondrous garden to sit in.

The only thing that would limit you is your imagination. So get creative and have fun. There are plenty of garden types to choose from. Just take the basics and create your own paradise.

The Beauty of the Alpine or Rock Garden

This garden is characterized by groups of rocks artistically arranged to look pleasing to the eye. Small Alpine plants are planted between the rocks. If you are feeling creative, you can also use Bonsai. If you can afford to hire a professional, you can even make your garden look like a natural rock. This garden was popularized in the Victorian era when garden spaces were very small.

The basics of this garden include small stones and rocks as well as alpine plants, which enjoy well-drained soil and not a lot of water. These plants tend to be small and can therefore be grown in small containers or straight in the ground.

Types of Persian Gardens

One of the fundamentals of this garden is that it must be enclosed. It is meant to provide you with a sanctuary where you can relax in peace.

There are two types of gardens. The formal design focuses mainly on the structure and the casual which focuses mainly on the natural aspects of the garden.

The elements of a typical garden include the following: correct exposure to sunlight and proper amount of water. You must also try to integrate the outdoor features with the indoor ones. You can achieve this by adding an inner courtyard or archway to the garden.

The Bonsai or Miniature Garden – the Best for Small Homes or Apartments

If you do not have a very big garden or if you live in a flat, this garden is for you. Bonsai means Potted Plant in Japanese, and it originated in the Han Dynasty. It is perhaps the most difficult gardening technique to learn. You need to learn how and when to cut and shape your Bonsai as well as when to replant it into different containers. This does take some practice to learn as these trees can be rather finicky.

The most popular trees to use are conifers and deciduous trees. Unfortunately with deciduous trees, you will not be able to use a lot of the ancient techniques to give your plant that proper “Bonsai” look as new twigs will sprout wherever you make cuts into the trunk.

There are plenty of techniques to use with shaping and caring for your Bonsai. Seek professional help to learn these techniques.

Knowing the Roman Gardens

The average Roman garden is divided into three parts, the xystus, ambulation and gestation. These are all interrelated so you cannot have one without the other. The xystus is the room that looks out onto the ambulation or lower garden. The shaded avenue that surrounds the ambulation is known as the gestation. The ambulation consists of a variety of fauna including trees and flowers. It was mainly used as a place where one could enjoy a stroll or conversation.

The Roman gardens were influenced heavily by the Egyptians and Persians. It consists mainly of flower beds and ornamental trees. This is a garden where you can great fun designing and planting. All it takes is a great imagination.

Making Your Own Children’s Garden

One of the most fun gardens to create is a Children’s Garden. Here you can use your imagination and go completely wild. The best part about doing this type of garden is that you can get your children involved in it too. There is nothing better than to spend time with your child and have a bonding moment together. If your child is into fairies and gnomes, you can create a fairy garden.

Full of flowers and mushrooms, the garden can have different shapes of shells and you can tell your child the fairies live in them. If your children are into dinosaurs, you could create your own prehistoric world. Plant a lot of ferns and other prehistoric plants. Be creative and have fun.

Different Aspects of the Spanish Garden

The traditional Spanish garden incorporates aspects of Persian and Islamic gardens, while the modern Spanish garden is more abstract.

The traditional garden is divided into four points with a body of water in the middle. The different sections are then planted with fragrant plants and fruit trees, thus creating a fragrant sanctuary. When making a Spanish garden, you must remember to incorporate the elements of coolness, greenery, sounds, and humidity. There must also be something that provides shade, such as a trellis, arcade, or pergola. The body of water can be anything from a fountain to a pond. Also remember to add some sort of seat in your garden as well as a pottery element.

The Chinese Garden, the Orient in Your Back Yard

The Chinese garden is also known as the Poetic Garden. It is so named for the combination of paintings, poetry and landscapes that makes it so special. The mark of a good Chinese garden is the perfect balance of all those different elements. The main purpose of a Chinese Garden is to contemplate nature. The basics of a Chinese garden include the following: bamboo, pine, the lotus flower, sweet olive, and the flowering plum. You must also include flowering peaches, chrysanthemums, peonies, and banana trees.

All of these plants have different meanings and must work in complete harmony to create a space of peace and harmony.

The Terrarium – an Oasis in your Home

The equipment that you will need includes: a container made out of plastic or glass for the correct fauna and flora for the type of terrarium you wish to create, and environmental controls.

Your container can be as big or small as you want it to be, but you must just remember that the area must be of big enough to accommodate the plants or animals you wish to keep inside. The latest trend to try is an epoxy-coated container with sliding glass doors. This retains the heat better. The floor should then be covered with soil and small pebbles.

In order to have a successful terrarium, you need to be able to control the lighting and heat. You need to be able to simulate night and day conditions, so that the inhabitants can thrive. Heat also needs to be controlled in such a way that it mimics natural conditions.

The Dutch Garden, the Informal Paradise

Contrary to a popular belief, a Dutch garden does not have to contain tulips. The best way to describe this garden is an efficient use of garden space, enclosed with hedges or walls to give it a dense atmosphere. The garden is filled with beautifully colored flowers and in some cases you will even find waterfalls and water butts.

One the most important things you must remember when you design a Dutch garden is that everything must be laid out in symmetrical arrangements. Another feature of the Dutch Garden is that there is an efficient use of light and space. This is important to take into consideration when planning this type of garden.

Unsure of What Plants Will Work? Try a Trial Garden

A trial garden is used by researchers or gardeners as an experimental phase to see which plants will work best in a particular environment. Trial gardens are used to test new strains of plants and are tested from germination to seeding. Here you can also test the harvesting principles of the certain plants. You can also compare new hybrid species to the original species. One of the reasons why you would do this is to see which is better and in what ways.

This is a good idea if you are unsure of what flowers will work in your garden, as you can plant a small amount of plants before investing a lot of time and money in something.

The Rolling Lawns of the English Landscape Garden

Inspired by the paintings of Claude Lorraine and Nicolas Poussin, the English garden was first introduced to Europe in the late eighteenth century. The English garden is characterized by a lake and great majestic lawns. Also featured in this type of garden are groves of trees and bridges. You could also put in recreations of classic temples, ruins, and bridges. The idea behind the English garden is to create an idyllic, rolling landscape, reminiscent of famous landscape paintings.

As long as you have the basics, you can create the perfect English garden. Just remember, keep it light and airy, unlike the Dutch garden. And, to get the look of the perfect English garden, you need plenty of space.

The Exotic Tropical Garden

A tropical garden must have plenty of water as well as heavy mulching and fertilizer. You may think that you need to live in a tropical environment in order to create a garden in this style, but it is not necessarily true. If you carefully choose the plants and the garden layout, you can also have a garden in this style.

Plants that must be included in any Tropical garden are Hoyas, Ferns, Orchids, Banana Trees, and Papaya trees. You would lay your garden out to make it very jungle-like; you would plant the trees in such a way as that sunlight hits the ground directly.

With a lot of careful thought, you can also have your own tropical paradise.

The Splendid French Formal Garden

Made popular in the seventeenth century by the architect Andre Le Notre, this style of garden relies on order over nature. There are very strict guidelines to follow if you would like to create this style of garden.

There must be a very strong geometric plan throughout the design and must have a terrace overlooking it, with a view of the entire garden. You must keep your vegetation trimmed and neat. The tree tops must be cut off at a certain height and must be in a straight line. Your house must be the central point of the garden, and do not plant trees near it except neatly trimmed bushes.

Some plants to use in this garden include tulips, jonquil lily, and cyclamen. Topiary also plays an important part of this style of garden.

The Wonders of the Water Garden

Also known as a backyard pond, this aquatic garden can be defined as a manmade water feature that incorporates water, plants and in some cases, fish.

This type of backyard pond can incorporate anything from fountains, underwater lighting, and rocks. You can also plant along the pond’s bank as well as include some water plants in it. You also do not need to have any flora or fauna in your pond. This is called a reflecting pool.

There are many plants that you can include in your pond. These range from the Water Hyacinth to the Lotus and Water Lily. If you wanted to, you could turn your whole garden into a water garden. With streams connecting the different ponds, you will find inner peace while walking in your garden.

All you need is a good imagination and patience. Soon you will have the garden pond of your dreams.

The Stark Italian Garden

The stark beauty of the Italian garden is its main feature. Unlike most gardens, Italian gardens feature more greenery and have no flowers. The most common greenery includes pines and cypress. You can also plant herbs with different colors if you would like a bit more color in your garden. What is mostly featured in Italian gardens is architecture; the garden is usually created around a specific piece of architecture in order to bring out all its features.

The typical design of an Italian garden includes the following: trimmed hedges, rows of trees and, of course, an interesting piece of architecture. What is important to remember when designing this style of garden is that there are no flowers. Shrubs are also the most important part of this garden.

Doing Your Bit for the Environment with the Wild Garden

If you would like to attract birds, amphibians, mammals, and other sorts of creatures into your garden, perhaps it is time to turn your garden into a Wildlife garden. One of the important aspects of this garden is to incorporate different habitats for the different wildlife. For example, if you would like to attract birds, put up a few nest boxes for them to nest in.

The fundamentals of a Wildlife garden include; ponds, logs, and wildflower meadows. You must also remember it is pointless having a Wild garden if you plant exotic plants, as the whole point of this style of garden is to increase the local wildlife. So look into the indigenous plants in your area to complete this garden.

The Different Styles of the Japanese Garden

The Japanese style of gardens differs from the Rock garden or Zen garden, to the Bonsai gardens. The most important aspect of this style of garden is its simplicity. The typical features of a Japanese garden include the following: rocks and rock arrangements, a teahouse, a traditional wall or fence, or even a hedge. There must also be a bridge or stepping stones, and of course, the most important element is water.

There are plenty of functions of the typical garden, from Zen to a place where you can display rare plants or stones. One of the best qualities of this style of garden is that you can relax and contemplate and feel nature.

Xeriscaping, the Eco Friendly Way of Gardening

If you would like to reduce your footprint on the environment through your garden, you should think of Xeriscaping, as this will help reduce the need for watering your garden. For example, you would mainly use drought resistant plants for this type of garden. There are plenty of advantages for this style of gardening. The most important is that you will cut down on your water consumption and there is a lot less maintenance on the garden.

Some tips to keep in mind while designing the garden include composting your soil regularly before planting your plants and planning effective irrigation to optimize water usage. To minimize water usage, use mulch. Another important aspect is to use native vegetation and that is, in fact, the whole point of this style of garden.

The Aromatic Scent of the Knot Garden

The first Knot garden was introduced during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the first. It is characterized by its very formal square frame. It consists of herbs such as Marjoram, Germander, Thyme, Hyssop, Chamomile, Rosemary, and other aromatic herbs. The edges of this type of garden are made from a box. The paths in-between the hedges are made from fine white gravel. The shapes inside the square frame can differ from stars to circles.

What one must remember when designing this type of garden is to make sure that your square shape is straight, as a skew shape will throw off your design. Try to use the most aromatic herbs that you can find as these are the key elements of this style.

The Serenity of the Zen Garden

Otherwise known as the Japanese Rock Garden, the style is influenced by the Buddhist philosophy of Zen and is also known as dry landscaping. This style of garden was first introduced in the Muromachi Era. The main composition of this garden includes pruned trees, white sand, and moss. Unlike other traditional styles of garden, there is no water. The sand is used as a symbolic representation of water.

The raking of the sand has two major functions. The first is said to bring you inner peace, as you rake the sand, you concentrate on the shapes and begin to relax. The second is to add a stunning visual to your garden. This is quite a fun style of garden to try. So have fun in creating your own Zen place of serenity.

Mughal Garden, the Indian Spectacle

In this style of garden, there are plenty of influences including Islam and Persia. There is also a huge influence of the Timurid garden in this style. Features include rectilinear canals, fountains, and pools surrounded by a walled enclosure. One of the most famous examples of a Mughal garden is the one in front of the Taj Mahal.

In order to make a Mughal garden work, you must remember the important fundamentals of this style. The water must be able to run and end in a pool. You must choose trees that serve different purposes. Some must provide shade and other must serve as fruit bearing trees. Flower-producing trees must also be planted.

The Native Garden, the Best Choice for Naturalists

Of all the gardening styles, this is perhaps the most eco-friendly. This garden involves the planting of only indigenous plants of a particular region. These plants include trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses.

One of the big benefits of creating a natural garden is that there is very little maintenance needed for this. The plants adapt to the particular environment and therefore require little water. They are more resistant to diseases and can flourish without additional fertilization. One of the great benefits of this garden is that you will attract natural wildlife into your garden as they will be attracted to the natural plants.

As you can see, there are plenty styles of gardens to try out. From the formal, to the serene there is something for everyone. What you must remember is that even if you do not have a big budget for your garden, you can still achieve a beautiful garden. Try to get indigenous plants as they are cheaper price-wise and water-wise.

Try to incorporate both plants and architecture to add visual interest to your garden. If you can, try to get a landscaping professional to help in the design of your garden. They will be able to help you optimize your garden space. Most importantly, have fun and experiment. You cannot really go wrong.