Landscaping

styles/themes
ELECTIVE 01

Ibus, Gretchel faye

Bsa 4b
 DESERT STYLE LANDSCAPING

Desert Style planting in Austin, Texas front yard design

Adobe style house with desert landscaping including

cacti and drought toleratn trees

▪ desert-style landscaping relies on permeable gravel groundcovers, like pea

gravel and decomposed granite, and adds the beauty and intrigue of drought-
resistant and drought tolerant plants adapted to survive in hot, dry climates.
cactus, agave, and succulents. Consider adding boulders to round out the
space. It’s good to note that cacti, agave, and succulents grow well in many
regions outside of the arid Southwest. Check out this Sunset article to see
beautiful cactus landscaping ideas in the PNW.
▪ Many desert plants have the gravitas to hold their own as accent plants.
Succulents like Agave attenuata, Echeveria elegans, or Aloe ‘Blue Flame’,
along with desert favorites Red Yucca, New Mexican Privet, and Desert Museum
Palo Verde, all beg to be used as accents in planting designs. Avoid putting
too many of these bold species near each other – give each their own space
to shine.
▪ Plants in desert designs have more space between them. Place decorative
boulders (aim for 2’ or so in length, placed individually) or limited mats of
xeric groundcover (Sedum species are great) in the gaps between moments of
planting.
▪ Default to tan gravel as a mulch, colored to match the tan decomposed
granite zones that are de rigueur in desert designs.

REFERENCE; https://yardzen.com/yzblog/landscaping-ideas-for-every-style#toc-tropical
 STANDARD TRADITIONAL
LANDSCAPING STYLE

Standard traditional sloped front yard design

Standard traditional backyard design with pergola in

massachusetts

▪ Standard traditional designs borrow a bit from cottage and a bit from
formal traditional to create tidy but comfortable designs. Among folks with
traditional tastes, this is the most commonly requested style.
▪ You’ll see curving edges to paths and patios, a moderate amount of flower
color in a relatively wide color range, and paving in warmer neutral hues,
particularly in more arid regions. Natural shaped stone paths are a yes,
large rectangular concrete pavers are a no.
▪ Plant layout in this style varies with client preference. A blend of some
straight rows, usually near paved spaces, along with more naturalistic
placement in further reaches is commonly requested, but be careful to
maintain a consistent feel in your plant layout. Ornamental grasses (which tend
to evoke a modern feel) are often downplayed in favor of perennials and
shrubs.
▪ Furnishings are medium to upscale, with moderate ornamentation. Minimalist or
mid-century modern pieces are not a great fit for this style. Iron or teak
chairs with luxurious cushions are.

REFERENCE; https://yardzen.com/yzblog/landscaping-ideas-for-every-style#toc-tropical
 Cottage garden
LANDSCAPING STYLE

▪ The cottage garden style today is traditional and

informal. Planting is full and highly intermixed, with loads of
colorful flowers mixed among shrubs and perennials. The effect
is ebullient and a bit unkempt.
▪ More refined yards, like the one featured here, bring in the
colors and blooms of traditional cottage gardens but pare
down the density. Hardscape in these gardens often features
organic shapes, like rounded pavers.
▪ Plants often rush up to paved edges at shin to thigh height. Pro
tip: limit plant height along paved edges – taller plants make
spaces feel crowded.
▪ Paving in cottage gardens is humble and rustic. Curving brick,
roughened cobbles, gravel, or natural-shaped stone paths
are common.
▪ Furniture should be second-fiddle to planting. Tuck a bench or
white wrought iron table in a corner beneath a canopy tree,
with planting wrapping the edges of the space. Furniture can
have ornamental flair, but should not be fancy – things fit in
best when they’re a little weather-beaten.

REFERENCE; https://yardzen.com/yzblog/landscaping-ideas-for-every-style#toc-tropical
 Mediterranean
LANDSCAPING STYLE

▪ Mediterranean landscapes utilize plants and hardscape in a way that

▪ resembles the Mediterranean. Have you ever wanted a backyard that
resembled Greece, Italy, or Spain? That’s what Mediterranean Landscape
design is supposed to do. Mediterranean gardens are filled with a lot of
very popular landscaping features and products, such as:
▪ Tiered Fountains; Bocce Ball Courts; Herb Gardens (Lavender, Rosemary are
Common); Drought Tolerant Features (Gravel, etc.); Citrus Trees and More
▪ The Moditerranean look was popularized by the woman who perfected
modern Mediterranean style, Joanna Gaines. Moditerranean is the least
modern of the modern looks. It blends traditional and modern elements – for
example, a tiered stone fountain at the end of a modern paver path.
▪ Moditerranean yards feature clean lines and neutral colors. Planting leans
on cool colors and silvery greens with few, if any, flowers. Rosemary,
lavender, olive trees, and the occasional Agave accent (an actual
Mediterranean plant) are all staple plants.
▪ The modernness of Moditerranean strips down a more traditional
Mediterranean look and feel down to its most simple and beautiful elements.
We love using greige hardscaping in these style yards—pea gravel, cement,
and bluestone—and styling the space with a mix of old and new decor in
woods and metals.
▪ Furniture and decorative elements have a big impact on just how modern or
traditional a Moditerranean design may feel. Wrought iron furniture? More
traditional. Teak chairs with no arms? More modern. You have freedom to
find your comfort zone.

REFERENCE; https://yardzen.com/yzblog/landscaping-ideas-for-every-style#toc-tropical
 tropical
LANDSCAPING STYLE

▪ Tropical planting style features large-leafed, deep green species, and is

characterized by lushness, verticality (tall palms, giant bird of paradise),
and occasional bold bursts of color (Hibiscus and Bougainvillea are crowd-
pleasers).
▪ Tropical planting is dense – there shouldn’t be much open ground. It’s also
layered, and fairly intermixed.
▪ Many tropical species enjoy some shade, having adapted to life beneath tree
canopies. Many also require a good deal of water, having evolved in wet
climates.
▪ When designing tropical gardens in dry climates, take care to select species
with lower water demands. Drought tolerant palms (there are several),
pineapple guava, and red hot pokers, along with the aforementioned bird of
paradise and Bougainvillea, can all withstand dry spells.

REFERENCE; https://yardzen.com/yzblog/landscaping-ideas-for-every-style#toc-tropical