Good Garden Design: The Key to Making Your Outdoor Space Beautiful

Good Garden Design: The Key to Making Your Outdoor Space Beautiful

By Holly Garnett

A garden adds beauty in a home and breaks the monotony of high walls and concrete. “Show me your garden and I will surely have an idea of your personality”. There are those who like a neat and tidy garden with well manicured lawns while others like it wild with lots of plants and flowers. Garden designs can be categorised into three main groups: formal, semi-formal and informal designs. The architectural design of the house plays a major role in determining the appropriate garden design.

The success of designing a good garden largely depends on patterns and the space between the patterns. As the name suggests, formal designs are characterised by geometrical and symmetrical patterns. In this kind of design its common to find the same pattern repeated on either side of a path with plants well trimmed. A formal design is suitable for small gardens.

On the other hand, informal designs are asymmetrical and not controlled. Unlike in formal designs, plants are allowed to spill and grow on walls and hedges to create a “wild” atmosphere. If you are torn between formal and informal design then go for semi-formal design. It is a combination of formal and informal designs. Built structures like walls and paths create the formal setting while growing plants brings about an informal landscape.