Which Landscape Design Style Is Right For You?

Whether you’re looking to spruce up a neglected corner of your yard or planning a complete overhaul, designing a new landscape can be fun and exciting. But if you’ve never designed one before, it can also be a bit overwhelming.

The “perfect” landscape is one that combines your personal style with the architecture of your home — and choosing the right materials, structures and plants to bring your vision to life.

If you're not clear on your vision, it can help to think of your outdoor space as an extension of your home. Decide how you want your gardens to look and, more importantly, how you want them to make you feel.

To get your project off to a good start, here are three distinct landscape styles for you to consider. See which one resonates with you.

Modern: Clean & Contemporary

A modern landscape design is clean and uncluttered, featuring sharp edges, hard corners and embracing the philosophy that “less is more”.

Modern landscapes are designed around their intended use and focus on creating a landscape with an architectural feel. This style is much easier to maintain than a landscape with extensive gardens.

The variety of plants used is typically kept to a minimum too.  This creates a space that is calm and less busy on the eye — and makes way for features such as pools, patios and walkways. 

Rustic or Naturalized: “Wild” & Organic

If you’re at home in the midst of a little “organized chaos” a rustic landscape design might be the style for you.

Rustic landscape designs are relaxed and inspired by nature, inviting you to wander down a cobblestone path to watch the butterflies dance in a garden of wildflowers.

Inspired by nature, naturalized gardens take full advantage of native trees, plants and shrubs. 

Even though at times, it may look a bit hap-hazard and random, each element is carefully chosen and placed for maximum effect. The result is a garden that looks wild and carefree, but never messy.

This style is low-maintenance and eco-friendly and the perfect place for reflection and communing with nature.

Formal: Classic & Charming

Formal landscapes are prim and proper — the gardens are well-balanced delights filled with boxwood hedges, fountains and even the occasional sculpture. 

Formal gardens are symmetrical and structured, typically emphasizing geometric shapes with clean lines. Green, leafy plants are favored over an abundance of flowers, making these gardens calm and serene. 

If you choose this landscape style, you’ll be inviting your guests to your home with an air of elegance and refinement.

Want to know more about landscape design? 

While these three landscape styles have different aesthetic goals, they all have a single purpose — to create a landscape that reflects your personal style and gives you a beautiful space to enjoy with your family and friends.

If you’d like to know more about landscape design and how to bring your vision to life, the designers at Vandenberg Landscapes are here to help.  So give us a call and let's chat!