Garden & Landscape Design Ideas

It can be a lot of fun to think about redesigning your garden, your landscaping, or any outdoor space. The best garden design ideas can transform your outdoor areas, and that’s true with both your home and commercial spaces. Whether you're planning a redesign for aesthetic or practical reasons, you’re going to want to know some of the best garden design ideas leading the way.

The best landscape design ideas will depend on your end goal. So if you're looking for inspiration, what’s next?

First Things First

Before you choose the landscape design idea that appeals the most, you need to consider all of the elements that make up your outdoor space. Start by checking your existing landscape or the amount of space you have to play with. Look at:

• Walls/boundaries (including fences and hedges)
• Pathways
• Patios
• Your lawn (shape and size)
• Current water features
• The different zones of your garden (where you dine, play, or escape the sun’s glare)
• Your plants and trees
• Lighting

Those existing elements will make finding inspirational garden design ideas that will work in your space much easier. Of course, garden design for your home is different from commercial landscaping design. So always factor in whether you're redesigning your garden or landscape for commercial reasons or your home.

Finally, think about whether you’re aiming for a formal garden design or something more informal. Remember that a more formal garden design will require a bit more maintenance, with regularly clipped hedges and plenty of straight lines. Informal gardens can be wilder, and looking after them will always be much easier.

Once you have a clearer idea of the kind of landscape design idea that matches what you currently have, it’s time to take a closer look at the garden design ideas that will help you transform your outdoor space. Here are some ideas that will inspire you whether you're planning to revamp your commercial exteriors or work on your home garden and landscaping.

Make a Statement - Go Large

Going large can help make a statement with your designs for large and small gardens alike. You can use oversized large planters very effectively to create framing for your dining area or act as privacy barriers to ensure nosy neighbors aren’t peeking through their curtains every time you go outside.

It’s not just about the planters, because what you fill them with can also be big and bold. Think evergreen trees, or go for the “thriller, filler, spiller” approach that’s always a winning combination.

Use Grass Steps to Tackle Slopes

We don't always have a level garden for homes, restaurants and cafes, and sloping greenery can be an issue if you're looking at new garden design ideas. The obvious way to tackle those slopes is to install steps, but that kind of hard landscaping isn’t appealing to everyone. The solution is a softer landscape design idea.

Rather than using hard steps, you can use grass stair treads, which integrate with your lawn to create fantastic-looking landscaping without detracting from the natural look. This softer approach encourages seamless flow throughout your outdoor space, making it ideal for commercial and private gardens alike.

Being More Sustainable

The idea of living more sustainably is a trend that’s growing year on year. At the heart of this trend are some great options to explore for your garden design ideas. Think more naturalistic planting, with a focus on biodiversity and natural materials. This new landscape design idea results in a low-maintenance garden because the plants and hard landscaping you use will all be hardier, and ready to look after themselves.

Going more sustainable is a smart move from durable fiberglass sidewalk cafe planters to the plants and trees that will thrive without hours of watering and pruning. Being more sustainable means that you can create an outdoor space that’s more mindful and more still — the perfect escape from hectic modern living.

Using Successional Planting

This is one of the biggest emerging trends in garden design ideas. It’s proof that gardens and other outdoor spaces don’t have to be limited to showing off their full splendor, only in the warmer months of the year.

The goal with successional planting is to stagger your planting. When it comes to the layered growth that emerges as a result, you get a display with depth and height that can act as the foundation for the rest of your seasonal plantings. Get it right and you’ll have an appealing garden area all year round.

You’ll need to know how to plant flowers in pots outdoors, with a firm understanding of the best plants to grow in your local climate, but the impact of successional gardening can be extremely potent. Use evergreens as your base, and then build your remaining plants, trees, and planters around those mainstays.

Coping with Small Spaces

The biggest and best garden design ideas aren’t going to be an option for everyone. If you have a smaller garden space to redesign, though, you still have many options to consider. If you have a cafe that you want to overhaul with greenery, a small balcony at home, or a ground-level patio with not much else, don’t panic.

Just as entrepreneurs use indoor office planters to add life and color to their workplaces, you can think small without limiting the impact. The trick is to think creatively. Put your planters on wheels so that they can be moved depending on the mood, or use cascading window boxes to add levels to your small space.

Even hedges can be used in small outdoor spaces, creating smaller zones within your available room. Of course, the most significant and long-lasting trend for small patios and balconies is to be practical, with fruit and herbs always a great addition to any outdoor area, no matter the size.

The Rewilding Trend

If you're all about the informal approach, then rewilding is undoubtedly something that you should take a closer look at. This immersive and natural landscape design idea is incredibly simple, and it’s a great combination of informality and low maintenance. Rewilding is one of the fastest-growing garden design ideas of recent years, mainly because it’s both aesthetically pleasing and doesn’t take a lot of looking after. It’s also very easy to get started.

Rewilding is simply allowing your outdoor spaces to be reclaimed by nature. The result is a space that looks like humans have barely been involved in its design. You need to allow nature to shape the different parts of your garden, so it’s not a great option for those that want carefully manicured lawns. However, rewilding looks and feels fantastic and is just as great an option for private gardens as for restaurant planters. Aim to have your outdoors looking as natural as possible, and don’t worry if your plants start to grow out of control. That’s all part of the charm of rewilding.

Climate Focused Garden Design Ideas

Wherever you live, there will be plants and other kinds of greenery that are ideally suited to your local climate. It’s important to match your landscape design ideas with the plants that thrive in your outdoor space. That’s going to mean knowing a little about which plants are best for you to grow.

Do some research on the kinds of plants that are drought-resistant and won’t need a lot of watering even during the height of summer. Alternatively, look at plants that demand shade or that will add a practical element to your gardens, such as herbs and vegetables. By considering the climate you have, you make it much easier to narrow down your greenery options. And that means you can then allow your garden design ideas to run wild.

The Best Garden and Landscape Design Ideas

When you're thinking about a garden redesign, the more you plan, the better the final effects will be. Always take the time to plan what you want and to understand what will work well (and what’s entirely impractical). Get it right, and you could transform even the most tired-looking garden, patio, or balcony.

From your garden at home to the outdoor space where you work, getting your garden design ideas fully realized is simply a matter of knowing more about what you want. Take inspiration from these garden design and landscape design ideas, and your outdoor space could soon look better than you ever imagined possible.

Do you have questions regarding how to prepare your outside space for summer? From helping you pick the perfect outdoor planters to find the right flowers to fill them, our expert team can help. Get in touch with us by emailing sales@potsplantersandmore.com Or Calling (855) 627-1066.