7 Garden Ideas That Make Your Home Look FANTASTIC!

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A garden is a wonderful place to spend time, whether you are gardening, relaxing, exercising or just playing with the dog. One of the best things about spending time in the outdoor is the health benefits. By simply being outside, amongst the natural environment you are not only benefiting your physical health by lowering your heart rate, but being outside also reduces stress and anxiety considerably. With all this time spent outdoors, why not create your own special designer garden. Designing and constructing your own garden can be very rewarding. When designing a garden, it is important to consider not only the purpose of the garden, but also the style of the garden. The style of a garden should reflect the style of a house. If your house is modern and sleek, this style should also be reflected in the garden. This will not only enhance the appearance of your house, but also your garden, creating a harmonious atmosphere. homify has found 7 great garden ideas.

​Minimalist for a Small House

Minimalism is thought to have originated from post modernism in the years following the second World War. It can be characterised by reducing something to its necessary elements. This style has been highly influenced by Japanese traditional designs. Minimilism is often referred to as ‘Less is more’. Minimalism shares some similar concepts with modern designs. Minimalism reflects simplicity, geometric forms, and elements without decoration. Although minimalism strips down modernism to its most basic form, including only the essential elements for things to function. This garden reflects these design principles. The house and garden are based on strong geometric angles and bold square patterns. These lines are seen in the angle of the house, the boxes the trees sit in and the boards that make up the decking. Everythng is planned and placed in a very definite position, similar to a Japanese zen garden.

​Modern

Modern designs are often based on minimalism, neutral colours, clean designs and natural materials. In architecture a modern design is characterised by a lack of ornamental design, made from concrete or steel with a white wash. It is usually based on open plan living. If we take those concepts into the garden we would have a sleek, streamlined and sophisticated style. A modern garden is often based on Asian themes of simplicity. The designs are based on architecture and materials rather than plants and trees. It employs shapes, patterns and strong lines to create the focus. This modern garden design is a great example. The garden is simple. The main feature is not the decorative plants, but the strong lines created by the water feature. The grass is also cut into bold blocks of green. This is a very modern garden.

​Flowers as a Central Point

Flowers are one of the best things to have in a garden. They provide not only a wonderful scent to the entire garden, but bring a splash of colour. There are so many types, colours, scents and styles of flowers available. How can you choose what flowers to get and how to put them together? When designing a flower bed for your garden it is important to choose the right position. Flowers in a garden will immediately become the focus of the area. Choose one central position for the main flower bed, then choose a few smaller highlights in different corners of the garden to link the dominant flower colours. This will enhance the sense of balance in the garden. In order to have flowers in your garden all year long, choose a range of plants, ones that flower in summer, and others that will flower in the colder months. In this way, there will always be a floral focus for your garden. This garden was designed by AnneMacfie Garden Design of the United Kingdom.

Low Maintenance Garden

Many of us are reluctant to establish a garden as we have little time for its upkeep. Although many gardens, once established do not require much care, they look after themselves. When considering a low maintenance garden consider the environment that you will be establishing it in. One of the biggest chores in the garden is watering. By choosing plants that are native to your particular environment, the plants will be already acclimatised to the amount of rainfall and the extremes of heat and cold. This is a great reason to choose native plants for your garden. Another chore that can be eliminated in the garden is weeding. By adding fine matting a layer below the soil and topping it with stones will eliminate the need to weed a garden. Plants are simple positioned in strategic locations and planted below the mat level.

​Zen Inspiration

A zen garden is created from the meditative inspiration of the creator. They are made for the benefit of the creator and the visitor. A zen garden is a refuge that can be placed in any space. A zen garden can be large expansive spaces or a tiny area on a balcony.  They are characterised by clean, flowing lines and strategically placed objects. Some zen gardens consist of only rocks and gravel. Rocks are placed in specific locations to represent islands or mountains. The gravel is then raked to represent flowing water. Other zen gardens work directly with the natural environment. From the existing natural layout, objects such as stones, rocks, paths and water features are added to create an atmosphere of peace and serenity. This Japanese style zen garden is a good example. This garden was designed by Japan Garten Kultur in Germany.

​Rustic Garden

A rustic garden has a similar theme to rustic interior design. They are based on using simple designs based on natural materials. This creates a cosy feel to a home and a garden. In a house a rustic design may be characterised by natural wood materials, and a combination of old and new items. This could be a combination of natural timber picture frames together with a modern black and white print. It could also be an antique timber sofa reupholstered with new white fabric. In the garden a rustic feel may be natural imperfect stones in a path next to a magnificent tree, or an old rusted wheelbarrow with a selection of bright flowers growing within it.  This garden is a great example. This large swing is placed in a bright green wild looking garden. It is a great combination of the old and the natural.

​Mediterranean Style for Big Houses

A Mediterranean climate is said to be one of the best in the world. The long warm summers, and cosy wet winters are just the thing for a dynamic lifestyle. Although we cannot always live in such an environment. Creating a Mediterranean garden is the next best thing. A Mediterranean garden is know for its casual elegance. It is inspired by the coastal areas of Spain, Italy and France.  These gardens combine terracotta pots with water features, fountains and ornamental grasses. They are based on an outdoor lifestyle, filled with gardening, socializing and dinning in the outdoors. This garden is a great example of the Mediterranean influences. The path through the lush green garden leads to the whitewash house with the broad front pillars. A wonderful reflection of the Mediterranean style.

It may be that you have just finished building your new house, or you have newly acquired a house, and now you want to finish the look completely with a stylish front garden.  When designing a front garden first decide on the style of garden. This should complement the house. A modern house would look out of place with a rustic garden. This would also unbalance the harmony of the house and the garden. Choose a garden design that complements the house in order to continue the harmony of the interior of the house through to the exterior. These are just a few tips on garden design. For more ideas see The Easy Way to a Beautiful Front Garden.

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