Whether you have a brand-new, blank-slate landscape to work with or are considering a total renovation, you might be brainstorming about the different types of landscape design. There are various landscaping themes out there.

Some of the most popular landscaping themes include:

• English Garden / Cottage Garden
• Modern Landscape Design
• Japanese Garden / Zen Garden
• Formal Garden
• Prairie / Naturalistic Landscapes
• Mediterranean
• New England / Nantucket
• Xeriscaping / Water-Wise Landscaping

We’ll discuss these 8 landscape design examples and what to consider if you’re considering using them.

What are the different types of landscapes?

Choosing from the many different landscape design styles can feel overwhelming. Ultimately, it should come down to a couple of key factors, including your lifestyle (what kind of maintenance level you want), your aesthetic preferences (what you want your landscape to “look” like), and your home’s style.

While your landscape does not need to directly match the architectural style of your home, it should at least complement it.

Let’s discuss each of these popular landscape design styles so that you can decide whether they are right for you.

One of the most important facts we want to stress is that you are not obligated to go “all in” on any theme.

At the end of the day, it’s your landscape and should be customized for you. Often, a homeowner might like elements of an English Garden or elements of a Mediterranean Garden. It doesn’t mean you must do your entire landscape in that theme.

Let’s look at some of those themes.

English Garden/ Cottage Garden style

In an English Garden or a “Cottage” style Garden, you typically see an abundance of flowering plant material. This might include overflowing landscaped plant beds, flowering bushes (like hydrangea), and border plants. The quintessential “Cottage Garden” is often surrounded by a white picket fence.

As you might have guessed, this landscape design style is NOT low maintenance. With all those flowering plants, it’s quite high maintenance.

But as we stressed, you don’t have to go all-in on any one theme. Many people like elements of an English Garden, but they don’t want an overabundance of high-maintenance plant material. We can put in some spring-blooming bulbs and a statement flowering bush without overrunning your entire yard with flowering plants.

Modern Landscape Design

Many homeowners today are interested in modern landscaping styles. These typically have a more minimalistic feel (quite the opposite of an English Garden). The interest in modern landscape design is on par with the fact that many homeowners desire a low-maintenance landscape.

Modern landscaping styles are also typically associated with clean lines and symmetrical design, which helps to create a sense of order and simplicity.

While many people tell us they want a low-maintenance landscape, they still want pops of color and interest. We can find ways to achieve both. Many aesthetically appealing plants are relatively low-maintenance.

A modern landscape design typically accompanies modern hardscaping like straight-edged patio designs in simple geometric patterns. Again, it’s all about clean lines and simplicity.

Japanese Garden/ Zen Garden

A true Japanese Garden is made of rocks, water, and plants, all with very symbolic meanings and highly strategic placement. It’s a very naturalistic aesthetic and the goal is to promote a peaceful environment. This is another style with a very minimalist feel.

This is another great example of incorporating elements from a popular landscape design style without completing the landscape in that theme. We love incorporating rocks and water features into landscape designs.

Formal Garden

A Formal Garden is characterized by its structured feel. This includes a symmetrical design and shaped plant material, such as formally shaped hedges.

We see some elements of this landscape design style pop up around here, as many homeowners love their arborvitae and boxwoods, and some like them to have a more shaped feel.

Prairie/ Naturalistic Landscapes

This landscaping theme is characterized by an overall style mimicking grasslands and wildflower meadows. It might incorporate many native grasses and sedges.

Homeowners love the idea of having wildflowers until they realize how much work they can be. That’s because people mistakenly assume it just means letting the flowers go, without much care. While it’s true that wildflowers will grow and spread rapidly (without needing tons of TLC), these areas also get constantly overrun by weeds that need to be controlled.

It’s also not uncommon for wildflowers to take over a whole yard if given a chance.

But if you love this look, we can achieve it with plants that won’t take over or become overrun by weeds. We love incorporating native plants into landscape design and this style gives us lots of opportunities to do that.

Mediterranean Style

We do not have the climate here in Northern Virginia to create a true Mediterranean Garden with plants like cypress or olive trees. But we can choose look-alike plants that give a similar feel.

Mediterranean-style gardens are also often characterized by terracotta accents, stone, gravel pathways, and fountains or water features. These are all additions that can help contribute to the overall “feel” you might be looking to achieve.

New England/ Nantucket Style

New England or “Nantucket” Style gardens have a lot of crossover with English Gardens. They usually include a lot of flowering plant material like lilacs, rhododendrons, and hydrangea. It’s a crisp color palette with whites and greens as the primary colors.

New England-style landscaping is also accentuated with hardscaping materials like brick, stone, and gravel. This is another landscape design style where you’d likely see a white picket fence.

This is a classic and timeless style that works just as well here in Northern Virginia as it does up in New Hampshire!

Xeriscaping/Water-Wise Landscaping

While not necessarily a “theme,” we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Xeriscaping as one of the popular types of landscape design in our region. In fact, more than ever, we have clients asking us about making smart choices for their landscape that won’t over-consume water.

Xeriscaping is defined as a landscape that is designed to require little or no irrigation. This can be achieved by using lots of native and naturalized plant material adapted to the region and won’t require a lot of watering. Homeowners appreciate this as it also makes for a low-maintenance landscape.

Choosing Your Landscape Design in Northern VA

Choosing the type of landscape design that will work best for your specific property is a very individual decision. As we mentioned from the start, you’ll want to consider how much maintenance you’re willing to put up with, your personal “style” preferences, and what might complement the style of your home.

There’s also the matter of what plant material will work best on your property and its localized conditions. Every property has different access to sunlight, soil conditions, and even irrigation accessibility. Special considerations, such as a slope, must also be considered.

This requires quite a bit of horticultural expertise.

Working with a professional landscape designer will help steer you in the best direction. They can develop a design that incorporates your landscape design style ideas. This will involve meshing your ideas with their expertise and experience for a custom result.

Often, a finished landscape design includes elements from different landscaping themes. It is not an all-or-nothing process; it should be highly customized to your wants and needs.

At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we have the experience and the know-how to work on projects with these ideas and more. We are ready to help you get exactly what you want and need for your customized landscape.

Are you ready for an outdoor living area that helps you enjoy your time to the fullest at your Alexandria, Arlington, or Springfield, VA home? If so, request your consultation, get your customized plan, and relax as you get the royal treatment.