Common Landscape Styles and How to Get Them
Landscaping provides the first impression visitors experience when visiting a home or business. A healthy vibrant lawn with tasteful landscaping and well-trimmed trees and shrubs will often instill a sense of calm and trust in the property owner. Successful landscaping shows a property owner invests time and money into the upkeep of their property and is likely to do the same when it comes to other important matters.
Conversely, patchy grass, debris, and overgrown bushes might convey the opposite, and make visitors overlook the positive elements instead. To improve the curb appeal of your home or business, consider incorporating some common landscaping elements. We’ll guide you through some of the most popular to choose from.
10 Popular Landscaping Styles
When done right, landscaping can entirely transport someone from their backyard to a new place. Here are ten popular landscaping styles that can completely transform your lawn:
1. Mediterranean
Transport yourself to the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea with a garden that evokes a sense of relaxation, as if you truly are vacationing in Italy or Spain. You can accomplish this popular landscape style through the incorporation of the following:
- Water: Add a water element to your garden with a fountain your guests can admire.
- Gravel surfaces: These types of surfaces are a common aesthetic in Mediterranean gardens.
- Drought-tolerant plants: Lavender, crepe myrtles, pomegranate trees, and pencil cypresses are all great plants that will add a Mediterranean flair to your outdoor space.
- Succulents: Another feature of these coastal gardens, succulents and cacti will complete your Mediterranean landscaping theme.
- Terracotta pots: These clay pots will help complete your garden’s Mediterranean atmosphere. These pots are perfect for succulents and drought-tolerant plants.
2. Tropical
Perhaps you want more of a tropical vibe, wanting your guests to feel as if they have just arrived on a remote island for a relaxing vacation.
Create that taste of paradise with colorful plants, bamboo accents, and twinkling lights. Flowers you can incorporate to create your tropical landscape include potted orchids, birds of paradise, hibiscus flowers, and others with bright foliage. Complete your lawn’s tropical makeover with a sparkling pool since no tropical oasis is complete without a bit of water one can dip their feet in.
3. Desert
Also referred to as a “Southwest” landscape style, these gardens often include succulents, gravel pathways for a hardscape design, and warm sandstone for a softscape design.
For plants, desert landscape design will often include cacti, shrubs, perennials, and grasses. Meanwhile, metal garden sculptures of crawling lizards or prickly cacti can add to the illusion of entering a desert environment. You can further add to this illusion with other desert motifs, such as the cowboy lasso or longhorn steer skull.
4. Woodland
Do you feel more at home in the woods or prefer a cozier landscape design? Consider a woodland style for your outdoor space. A woodland style is also an excellent choice if hardwood trees, such as cherry, walnut, oak, hickory, or maple surround your home.
You can create the woodland style by planting those same hardwood trees mentioned above, although they can take a while before they grow to their full size. You can create that cabin-in-the-woods vibe with the help of softwood trees, such as spruce, yew, pine, redwood, cedar, and Douglas fir, which are evergreen and grow more quickly.
A woodland-style landscape offers low maintenance, with the trees acting as the main decor. However, wooden benches and stone pathways are additional embellishments you can incorporate into your outdoor space.
5. Colonial Revival
If you pride yourself on living in the Northeast, consider a colonial-style garden theme and transform your garden into an entirely different point in time.
Elements for these decorative gardens include:
- Stone, slate, or brick pavers
- Fountains, sundials, stone walls, and arbors for decor
- Ornamental flowers such as daylily, rose, hydrangea, boxwood, and more
- Herb gardens that included seasoning herbs such as rosemary, lavender, anise, chamomile, chives, and dill, as well as medicinal herbs
- Hedges or picket fences to surround the garden
6. English Garden
Add beauty and whimsy to your backyard with an English garden. This common landscape style also goes by the name of “English countryside” or “English cottage.
You can turn your backyard into an English garden by adding structure and formality with hedges of shrubs that also double as walls. Perennials also make up a good portion of English gardens, so be sure to include plenty of them if you decide to go for an English garden landscaping design.
English gardens also include plenty of outdoor furniture to enjoy the fresh outdoors. Complete the look with other English garden elements, which include:
- Cobblestone pathways
- Water features
- Brick borders
- Arbors
- Picket or iron fences
- Whimsical sculptures and other garden decor
7. Japanese Garden
Consider turning your outdoor space into Japanese-garden-style landscaping for a garden that inspires tranquility. A Japanese garden incorporates the basic elements of plants, rocks, and water to create a peaceful landscape that inspires contemplation.
Unlike English gardens, whose whimsy can seem chaotic in comparison, the aesthetic of Japanese gardens inspires calm, tranquility, and serenity.
You can start your Japanese garden landscaping design by focusing on the color green when it comes to plants, dedicating a space to sand and gravel, and creating a natural look with the help of rocks and boulders. You can add to the look by preserving the moss and incorporating a water feature into your Japanese garden.
8. Prairie
Create an outdoor space that will have you feeling as if you’re exploring the prairies of the Midwest. Prairie-style landscaping was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and celebrated the Midwest’s openness and native vegetation.
You can easily recreate this native landscaping style with tall grasses, herbaceous flowers, and perennials. Prairie landscapes are cheap and low maintenance but still add plenty of beauty and uniqueness to your outdoor space.
9. Modern
Also known as a contemporary garden, modern gardens are simple and practice minimalism, taking the popular phrase “less is more” to heart.
For modern gardens, the layout is arguably the most important part. Plant beds need to be straight and tidy, and the plants should be easy to maintain to encapsulate the tidiness of a modern landscaping style.
However, your modern-style landscape does not have to be boring just because it's tidy. You can add texture with gravel or stone pathways. Geometric shapes are another element found in modern landscapes.
10. Rustic
One could argue that a rustic landscape is the opposite of a modern one. Whereas modern landscapes are defined by their tidiness and simplicity, rustic landscapes tend to be more chaotic – as nature often is.
When you think rustic, your thought likely goes to a farmhouse, and that’s because a rustic design tends to highlight the ruggedness and naturalness of a design. Similarly, a rustic landscape embraces the beauty and ruggedness of nature, letting the imperfections shine through.
You can accomplish a rustic landscape aesthetic with the help of wildflowers and perennials such as hydrangeas, crocuses, and coneflowers. Incorporate neutral-toned outdoor furniture and upcycled vintage items to complete that rustic feel!
Learn How To Easily Incorporate These Landscape Styles Into Your Outdoor Space
As you can see, there are several landscaping styles you can choose from that can completely transform your outdoor space and transport you to an entirely new place. The best part? Most of them are completely attainable.
You can easily incorporate these landscape styles into your property or business by considering the following design elements:
Flower Beds
Flower beds play an important part in most landscaping styles, adding a burst of color to your outdoor space. When choosing a landscape style, consider the flowers you would like to include which flowers are suitable to your climate.
Plants, Trees, And Other Greenery
Breathe fresh life into your property by incorporating plenty of greenery. When considering your landscaping theme, consider the maintenance each plant will require and whether you’re up for the task or will need the help of a landscaper.
When considering trees to incorporate into your outdoor space, you will also want to research and check that your lawn’s soil has the adequate nutrition those trees will need.
Pebbles, Boulders, And Stone Tiles
You can easily add texture to your backyard by incorporating pebbles, boulders, and stone tiles. Pebbles and boulders add a natural aesthetic to your backyard, while stone tiles can be used to create pathways or patios.
Statues, Sculptures, And Other Lawn Ornaments
Lawn ornaments are a great way to be creative with your landscaping theme. A lizard ornament can add realism to a desert-style lawn, while a fairy ornament can add whimsy to another.
Lights
Light up your lawn with wall lighting or lighted pathways. The light you choose to incorporate can make or break your landscaping theme. Wall lighting can accentuate the beauty of your lawn and its certain features.
Transform Your Outdoor Space With Heroes Lawn Care
An amazing landscape starts with a healthy lawn, and a healthy lawn starts with the professionals at Heroes Lawn Care. Let us help transform your outdoor space into a vision that will leave all your neighbors green with envy.
Learn more about our lawn care services and how we can breathe new life into your lawn. Contact us today.
