Most Popular Home Landscaping Styles

The exterior of your home is just as important as the interior. Many people give more attention to and spend more money on beautifying the interior of their home but look past what people see first.

Landscaping your yard is a vital part of your home design and depending on the style you’re striving for, it’s good to keep an open mind and take your home exterior and other factors into account. If you’re in the planning stage of your outdoor space or even just need some inspiration, we have provided some of the more popular landscaping styles below.

1. Japanese Style

Traditional Japanese gardens are specifically built for peaceful meditation. The Japanese style is mainly inspired by  Buddhist, Shinto, and Taoist philosophies. The major aim of the Japanese style is to provide a spiritual haven for visitors. 

The major focus of an Oriental garden is nature. All the different elements of a Japanese garden are a reflection of natural elements. The use of artificial stone is not common in Asian landscape design. The more natural, peaceful, and harmonious a garden is, the more conducive it is for meditation and contemplation.

The Japanese style has four important elements: rocks, water, plants, and ornaments. If you are designing an Oriental garden, you must be careful to select elements that are common to Japanese gardens. A typical garden style has asymmetry, enclosure, borrowed scenery, balance, and symbolism. These principles blended with your Japanese landscape the proper balance.

2. Modern Style

The modern garden design originated in the 1950s and ’60s when bold geometry and linear designs were dominant.

Modern landscaping is characterized by its streamlined aesthetic, sleek, sophisticated style. A modern garden feels controlled and organized.  Modern landscape focuses more on hardscape and structures than it does on plants. Modern plants are typically green and chosen for their shape and texture. Pops of color are added with cushions and throw pillows, planters, or a painted wall.

Some popular materials used in modern landscaping are concrete, metal, and wood. Most designers prefer to leave the concrete surfaces with their natural grey. However, you can stain it with several colors. Metal, specifically weathered corten steel, is a common accent in modern gardens. You can use them as planters, as a privacy screen, or as small retaining walls. Wood decking is also a prominent feature of modern yards. The most commonly used wood is Ipe, a Brazilian hardwood with a rich color.

3. Tuscany Style

The Tuscany gardens are renowned for their impressive design. From the Medici gardens to the small villas in the rolling Tuscan hills, the landscapes tell the great city’s story. These gardens have been a great source of inspiration for centuries beginning with the renaissance gardens that have created their own identity throughout the Tuscan region of Italy.

Tuscan gardens are mostly formal near the residence and become informal as they extend into the landscape. The home area needs much more maintenance than the olive orchard or wildflower pasture in the distance. Not every element in your Tuscan garden must be perfect and you can allow the plants to grow in their natural habitat. It will give your garden a more natural look too.

 Some elements of Tuscan gardens include: Stonework including walls and paths, Mediterranean plant pallet, boxed hedges, terra cotta pots, potted plants, gravel, Fountains, and urns.

4. Country Style

The Country style garden is inspired by the famous English gardens of the 1600s. Throughout the centuries, this landscape style has been used for improving farmhouse, Victorian, ranch, and rustic architecture. 

The luxe informal landscapes were initially designed for practicality. Beehives, fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs were the major elements, while flowers were used as accessories. The modern country style has evolved and focuses more on dense plantings, flowers, and traditional building materials.

Elements of Country gardens are Picket fencing, stone, brick, or gravel paving materials, ornate cast iron benches, arbors, gazebos, wicker furniture, birdhouses, sundials, and antiques.

Landscaping your yard can completely change the look of your home. Now that you know the most popular landscaping styles don’t be afraid to mix different elements depending on your preference. Just have fun with it. If you’ve decided on a style, it is a good idea to get the professionals involved when you’re ready for it to come into fruition. 

It’s also important to research and find the right team to get the job done. Some landscapers, like Entrenched Landscape Design, not just only do …