There are a great many different garden design styles and of course you are only limited by your imagination. The options below are just a few of the more traditional options available and ones not typically seen as environmentally friendly options. We show how you can still apply these designs with sustainability in mind. From formal gardens that exude sophistication to contemporary landscapes that embrace modernity, and cottage gardens that evoke nostalgia and charm, each design choice can still embody a commitment to environmental stewardship and creative excellence.

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Formal Garden

Formal gardens would certainly seem to be the antithesis of an environmentally friendly garden but there are a number of ways such a garden naturally achieves such credibility and can be readily desiged with environmental sustainability in mind. A formal garden focuses on the following: symmetry and balance, geometric patterns, architecutral plants, focal points, a limited colour palette and walkways. All of these can be achieved while keeping sound environmental practices in mind.

Let’s look at why such a garden lends itself to environmentally sound practices and how it can be achieved.

1. Limited lawn.

   While many formal gardens do have sections of lawn the area covered tends to be limited. The focus is on creating symmetry and geometric patterns with hedges and other plants. Limiting the amount of lawn you have is always a good idea when you are thinking about the environment.

2. Hedging.

   The focus on hedging in formal gardens to edge walkways and create various patterns and shapes is definitely one that can help to reduce your environmental footprint. Traditional hedging plants such as buxus and rosemary are actually quite hardy and do not require a great deal of irrigation. Depending on drainage they can also cope quite well with our increasingly chaotic weather patterns. Slow growing hedging plants like buxus also reduce the demand for laborious maintenance.

3. Walkways and pathways.

   Again, a focus on walkways and pathways essentially limits the requirements for greenspace and the upkeep that requires. A significant portion of area in a formal garden can be occupied by pathways which reduces the need for irrigation and maintenance of garden beds.

Modern/Contemporary

The modern or contemporary garden certainly lends itself more readily to sustainable practices. While there are many different ideas of what makes a modern design ‘modern’ there are a few key principles that are typically employed. Perhaps one of the features that most distinguish a modern or contemporary design is in the use of hardscaping: integrated seating, art pieces, water features, outdoor lighting and vertical gardening - all tend to feature quite heavily in these designs. In terms of softscaping sculptural plants with a minimalist palette are usually employed.

1. Hardscaping/softscaping balance.

   When we are talking about hardscaping we are usually talking about the man-made elements of the garden. This includes gravel pathways, pavers outdoor living spaces. Softscaping refers specifically to the living elements of the landscape design: the plants, trees and flowers that are used. In a modern/contemporary design there is typically a very strong sense of the man-made elements. Such a focus can help minimise reliance on maintenance heavy parts of the garden such as lawn which helps to reduce the carbon footprint.

2. Minimalism.

   A strong focus on straightforward and simple geometries can also help with long-term maintenance. They are less fussy and cluttered than say a cottage garden is and it is very much a case of what you see is what you get. Hence, it is much easier to not only start out with a garden that looks great but more importantly to keep it looking great. Low maintenace gardens tend to be ones that have better ‘green’ credentials than ones that don’t.

3. Sculptural plants.

   A focus on sculptural plants - plants that have distinctive forms are often employed. Many of these plants are succulents, ornamental grasses and native plants. These plants are typically low on their water requirements and require no fertlising.

Cottage Garden

The typical image most people have of a cottage garden is one that is high maintenance - only a garden suitable for those of us with endless amounts of time to spend in the garden watering and weeding. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Cottage gardens are focused on the idea of abundance: an abundance of plants, an abundance of colour, an abundance of different sights, smells and shapes. Unlike the formal and modern garden they are almost wild and untamed in their design. Of course the best cottage gardens are designed even if in an ongoing and relatively informal way. While traditionally there is a focus on high maintenance plants such as roses and perennials there is no reason why these plants can’t be minimised or eliminated entirely from the design. Careful selection of plant types and grouping plants that have the same requirements can create the same overall impression as a traditional high-maintenace cottage garden.

Here are some reasons why cottage gardens can lend themselves to better environmental outcomes than one might initially expect.

1. Minimal lawn.

   Many of the cottage gardens you see focus more on the garden beds and what is in them than in the lawns. Cottage gardens are known for the sprawling and rambling plants than they are for perfectly manicured lawns. Again, anything that minimises the reliance on lawn is something to be encouraged in environmentally friendly gardens.

2. Free-flowing geometries.

   Curves and winding pathways characterise cottage gardens which makes it less noticeable in terms of when things need maintenance.

3. Attract pollinators and birds.

   A cottage garden’s focus on flowering shrubs and perennials make it easy to attract and feed bees, birds and butterflies.