Modern Garden Design

Good modern garden design starts with a plan.  While some people are able to plan their garden by walking about in it or do it in stages, most of us need to start out with a drawn plan.  Think about your goal – what kind of a look and feel do you want to achieve?

First clarify your needs and then decide in your own mind what kind of garden would fulfil those needs.  Modern garden design gives us many choices and the final choice will depend on a number of considerations.  How much time do you want to spend working in the garden.  If your idea of gardening is sitting in a chair with a glass of wine and a book, a formal lay-out or a knot garden is probably not for you.

The formal rose garden, although stunning to look at, seems to have fallen out of favour in modern garden design and nowadays we tend to plant roses as part of a mixed border, climbers or in tubs.  If you garden is tiny and you want a labour saving garden you might consider paving the area and using raised beds and containers for your planting.  Wonderful effects can be achieved with climbing plants in small areas – it gives you another dimension for your planting.

As gardens in modern houses tend to be a lot smaller than in previous times we have had to re-think modern gardens design.  Over the last ten years or so we have seen the rise of the Courtyard garden – there is now a special category for this at the annual Chelsea Flower Show.  With the accent very much on design you can turn the most drab back yard into an oasis-like courtyard garden with floor tiles and white walls that reflect the light.  The addition of lush green foliage, an architectural tree or large shrub and a water feature will create your own little patch of paradise.

If planting is more important to you than design you can create sweeping beds and borders even in a small garden.  The clever use of shrubs and perennials will give the garden shape and all year round interest.  Use the shrubs to create the ‘structure’ of the garden – this is very important, because your garden will still look good in winter when most plants are resting.  Try to include some evergreens or winter flowering shrubs and trees.

Over the last decade modern garden design has been influenced by classic style and we have seen the Japanese garden grow in popularity.  Real Japanese gardens are for the purists and you might not want to bother with raked sand and specially arranged stones.  However, many elements from the Japanese garden can be adapted for Western tastes and many gardeners are happy to introduce the essential visual elements without concerns for deeper meanings.  This style is easily adapted to a small space and the uncluttered appearance makes a confined area seem larger.

As our summers become more dry, the concept of a Mediterranean garden is becoming popular.  Once again, this is perfect for a small space and can be easily achieved in a small walled garden or a back yard.  Paint the walls white or a pale pastel colour so that they reflect the light.  Build ledges for flower pots to stand on and pave the area with brick or terracotta tiles and use plenty of terracotta pots and tubs.  Use appropriate plants, such as Perlargoniums, Geraniums and oleanders.