Planting Styles & Garden Design Aesthetics
Every garden tells a story. Whether it’s calm and contemplative, wild and abundant, or clean and minimal, the arrangement of plants, textures, and spacing gives your outdoor space a distinct feel. Below are five broad styles we often draw inspiration from — each one offering a unique palette of plants, spatial rhythm, and emotional tone.
We often blend elements from different styles depending on the site and the client’s vision, but understanding these foundations can help clarify what kind of feeling you want your garden to evoke.
1. Japanese-Inspired Gardens
Mood: Peaceful, meditative, spacious
Design Notes:
- Focus on restraint, balance, and flow
- Asymmetry is used to create naturalistic beauty
- Minimal flowering — emphasis on foliage texture, evergreens, moss, and stone
- Strong presence of stone, gravel, water, and structural elements like lanterns or stepping paths
Plant Palette:
Japanese maple, boxwood, hakone grass, hostas, ferns, moss, pine, azalea (pruned)
Layout Rhythm:
Negative space is essential. Each plant has room to breathe. Paths often meander with a subtle curve.
1. Japanese-Inspired Gardens
Mood: Peaceful, meditative, spacious
Design Notes:
- Focus on restraint, balance, and flow
- Asymmetry is used to create naturalistic beauty
- Minimal flowering — emphasis on foliage texture, evergreens, moss, and stone
- Strong presence of stone, gravel, water, and structural elements like lanterns or stepping paths
Plant Palette:
Japanese maple, boxwood, hakone grass, hostas, ferns, moss, pine, azalea (pruned)
Layout Rhythm:
Negative space is essential. Each plant has room to breathe. Paths often meander with a subtle curve.
2. English Cottage Gardens
Mood: Romantic, lush, storybook charm
Design Notes:
- Rich layering of perennials with generous spacing
- Intermingling textures and bloom colors
- Incorporates arches, trellises, brick or flagstone paths
- Often spills slightly over edges for a soft, lived-in feel
Plant Palette:
Lavender, roses, foxglove, delphinium, peonies, nepeta, echinacea, hollyhock, allium
Layout Rhythm:
Full, flowing beds with little negative space. Bloom succession is planned for extended color throughout the season.
2. English Cottage Gardens
Mood: Romantic, lush, storybook charm
Design Notes:
- Rich layering of perennials with generous spacing
- Intermingling textures and bloom colors
- Incorporates arches, trellises, brick or flagstone paths
- Often spills slightly over edges for a soft, lived-in feel
Plant Palette:
Lavender, roses, foxglove, delphinium, peonies, nepeta, echinacea, hollyhock, allium
Layout Rhythm:
Full, flowing beds with little negative space. Bloom succession is planned for extended color throughout the season.
3. Woodland or Naturalized Gardens
Mood: Grounded, earthy, wild-but-gentle
Design Notes:
- Suits partial shade or forest-edge spaces
- Emulates native forest understory
- Focus on biodiversity, habitat, and soil health
- Great for pollinators and low-maintenance gardeners
Plant Palette:
Ferns, solomon’s seal, native grasses, trillium, dogwood, wild geranium, columbine, hostas, blue cohosh
Layout Rhythm:
Loose grouping of plant communities. Beds follow the natural curves of the landscape. Often no hard edge.
3. Woodland or Naturalized Gardens
Mood: Grounded, earthy, wild-but-gentle
Design Notes:
- Suits partial shade or forest-edge spaces
- Emulates native forest understory
- Focus on biodiversity, habitat, and soil health
- Great for pollinators and low-maintenance gardeners
Plant Palette:
Ferns, solomon’s seal, native grasses, trillium, dogwood, wild geranium, columbine, hostas, blue cohosh
Layout Rhythm:
Loose grouping of plant communities. Beds follow the natural curves of the landscape. Often no hard edge.
4. Modern or Minimalist Gardens
Mood: Structured, elegant, uncluttered
Design Notes:
- Clean lines, geometric shapes, and open space
- Often paired with architectural elements like corten steel, concrete, or polished gravel
- Limited color palette — greens, whites, and darks
- Mass planting is often used for a bold, graphic effect
Plant Palette:
Boxwood (clipped), ornamental grasses, black mondo grass, hydrangea, sedum, lavender, dwarf conifers
Layout Rhythm:
Defined edges, repetition, and intentional spacing. Symmetry or bold asymmetry often creates visual anchor points.
4. Modern or Minimalist Gardens
Mood: Structured, elegant, uncluttered
Design Notes:
- Clean lines, geometric shapes, and open space
- Often paired with architectural elements like corten steel, concrete, or polished gravel
- Limited color palette — greens, whites, and darks
- Mass planting is often used for a bold, graphic effect
Plant Palette:
Boxwood (clipped), ornamental grasses, black mondo grass, hydrangea, sedum, lavender, dwarf conifers
Layout Rhythm:
Defined edges, repetition, and intentional spacing. Symmetry or bold asymmetry often creates visual anchor points.
5. Pollinator & Meadow Gardens
Mood: Ecological, open-hearted, free-flowing
Design Notes:
- Encourages native biodiversity
- Typically sunny sites with low water needs
- Incorporates long-blooming, nectar-rich plants
- Movement and seasonality are key parts of the aesthetic
Plant Palette:
Echinacea, rudbeckia, monarda, milkweed, aster, yarrow, native grasses, liatris, goldenrod
Layout Rhythm:
Organic shapes, drift planting, and gentle height progression. Designed to evolve over time.
5. Pollinator & Meadow Gardens
Mood: Ecological, open-hearted, free-flowing
Design Notes:
- Encourages native biodiversity
- Typically sunny sites with low water needs
- Incorporates long-blooming, nectar-rich plants
- Movement and seasonality are key parts of the aesthetic
Plant Palette:
Echinacea, rudbeckia, monarda, milkweed, aster, yarrow, native grasses, liatris, goldenrod
Layout Rhythm:
Organic shapes, drift planting, and gentle height progression. Designed to evolve over time.
💡 Bonus Notes for Clients
- Layering: Most garden styles use a foreground-midground-background approach, starting with low groundcovers or border plants and moving up to mid-height and tall structural plants. This creates visual depth.
- Seasonality: We design with all four seasons in mind, using evergreens, seed heads, and ornamental grasses to carry interest through fall and winter.
- Spacing: Every plant is given room to grow — our gardens are designed to fill in beautifully over time rather than looking overcrowded from day one.