What are the Different Styles of Garden Design?
Gardens can be designed in many different styles, and each has it's own pros and cons. The wide variety of options can make it seem like a daunting prospect, but there is a perfect garden out there for everyone. You can choose one style, or combine several. It's all about creating exactly what you want out of your garden.
- Zen Gardens: Typically comprised of sand or gravel that has been raked into patterns. Stones or shrubs of varying sizes are added to represent landscaping. It provides beautiful and relaxing scenery though the raked patterns can be difficult to maintain.
- Rock Gardens: Often designed to resemble a mountainside, this garden can contain boulders, rocks and gravel scattered through small trees, shrubs, and flowers. They can be created on any landscape, in sunlight or shade, but do require some maintenance.
- Water Gardens: Designed to showcase aquatic plants or ornamental fish, water gardens are often centered around a shallow man made pond or water feature. They require a pump to keep the water flowing, and even with the best of maintenance must be cleaned once or twice a year.
- Cacti Gardens: Cacti are a relatively easy plant to care for; the largest danger usually being over watering. They are often planted on hills for irrigation purposes. Different types of cacti can thrive in many climates, and while they're beautiful when they flower, they're great to look at all year long.
- Herb Gardens: One of the most popular indoor gardens, herb gardens provide you with the luxury of a bit of greenery and your own fresh cooking ingredients. A large variety of choices are available, and many are easy to grow.
- Flower Gardens: For flower gardens you can choose annuals, perennials, or a combination of the two. Perennials will bloom year after year, while annuals will need to be replaced each season.
- Examples of Perennials: Asters, Baby's Breaths, Lily of the Valleys, Cat Tails and Chrysanthemums.
- Examples of Annuals: Marigolds, Begonias, Blood Flowers (great for attracting butterfly's), Poppys, Cosmos and Larkspur.