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  1. Garden & Outdoor
  2. Garden
  3. Type: Formal Garden

Formal Garden Ideas and Designs

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Georgian Classic Garden
Georgian Classic Garden
Howard Design StudioHoward Design Studio
An English style Georgian home with walled courtyard garden. Photographer: John Howard.
Photo of a classic back formal garden in Atlanta with natural stone paving.
Arbour Garden
Arbour Garden
Fenton Roberts Garden DesignFenton Roberts Garden Design
Jo Fenton
Medium sized classic back formal garden seating for summer in London with a garden path and concrete paving.
Curved pergola and benches with focal point
Curved pergola and benches with focal point
Everett Garden DesignsEverett Garden Designs
Melissa Clark Photography
Expansive beach style courtyard formal full sun garden for summer in DC Metro with a garden path and brick paving.
Traditional Landscape
Traditional Landscape
Design ideas for a small traditional courtyard formal partial sun garden for spring in Raleigh with decking.
Country Farmhouse Gathering
Country Farmhouse Gathering
Artemis Landscape Architects, Inc.Artemis Landscape Architects, Inc.
Design ideas for a small country back formal full sun garden for summer in Bridgeport with a potted garden and gravel.
Arbors, trellises, pergolas
Arbors, trellises, pergolas
Just in Thyme Landscape DesignJust in Thyme Landscape Design
The arbor over the swing is intended to shade the sitting area in this hot yard as the sun comes from the left side of the swing. Evergreen Pandorea vines eventually grew over the top. The style mimicked that of the already existing pergola on the deck. The swing gives the family a resting place to watch people practicing on the putting green.
Back Yards
Back Yards
Runde's Landscape Contractors, Inc.Runde's Landscape Contractors, Inc.
Joe Runde
Inspiration for a classic formal garden in Chicago with a vegetable patch and gravel.
Modern Backyard Oasis in Moorestown, New Jersey
Modern Backyard Oasis in Moorestown, New Jersey
Techo-BlocTecho-Bloc
This backyard landscape design is inspired by our Blu Grande Smooth patio slab. Perfect paving slab for modern poolsides and backyard design, Blu Grande Smooth is a large concrete patio stone available in multiple colors. It's smooth texture is sleek to the eye but rougher to the touch which avoids it from getting slippery when wet. The large rectangular shape works as an easy add-on into Blu 60 regular modular patterns but can also work as a stand-alone to create a very linear look. Check out the HD2 Blu Grande Smooth which is all about seamless looks with a tighter/poreless texture and anti-aging technology. Check out our website to shop the look! https://www.techo-bloc.com/shop/slabs/blu-grande-smooth/
Brookline Brownstone
Brookline Brownstone
a Blade of Grassa Blade of Grass
The bluestone patio was screened from the neighbors with a wall of arborvitae. Lush perennial gardens provide flower cutting opportunities and color to offset the green wall.
Formal Vegetable Garden
Formal Vegetable Garden
Offshoots, Inc.Offshoots, Inc.
A beautiful escape in your edible garden. Fruit trees create a privacy screen around a cedar pergola and raised vegetable beds.
Design ideas for a rural back formal full sun garden for summer in Boston with a vegetable patch and gravel.
gardenUP Garden Designs
gardenUP Garden Designs
gardenUP®gardenUP®
Design ideas for a medium sized classic front formal partial sun garden for spring in Boston with mulch and a flowerbed.
Ni-water Composition
Ni-water Composition
Outdoor CraftsmenOutdoor Craftsmen
Medium sized mediterranean back formal full sun garden in Denver with natural stone paving and a water feature.
Very private backyard enclave
Very private backyard enclave
Morgan Howarth PhotographyMorgan Howarth Photography
Very private backyard enclave
Contemporary side formal partial sun garden for summer in DC Metro with a garden path and natural stone paving.
Lueders Stone Front Walkway
Lueders Stone Front Walkway
Eden Garden DesignEden Garden Design
Custom-cut lueders limestone front walkway and a lawn area of fine-textured ‘Cavalier’ zoysia grass, defined with custom steel edging. Photographer: Greg Thomas, http://optphotography.com/
Southfields Garden
Southfields Garden
Tom Howard Garden Design and LandscapingTom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping
Medium sized contemporary back formal full sun garden for summer in London with a pond and natural stone paving.
Family Garden in Putney
Family Garden in Putney
Ruth Willmott AssociatesRuth Willmott Associates
Ruth Willmott
Design ideas for a medium sized modern back formal garden in London.
Grow zone wider view from patio - built
Grow zone wider view from patio - built
Metamorphic DesignMetamorphic Design
Raised planter boxes arranged to maximize light and micro climate conditions
Photo of a large farmhouse back formal full sun garden in Vancouver with a vegetable patch and gravel.
G A R D E N - Pacific Northwest
G A R D E N - Pacific Northwest
Lore PattersonLore Patterson
Island Garden Designed by : Bliss Garden Design
Design ideas for a modern formal fully shaded garden in Seattle.
New Projects.
New Projects.
Aden LandscapingAden Landscaping
Medium sized contemporary back formal partial sun garden in Seattle with a water feature and gravel.
Meditation Hut and Water Feature
Meditation Hut and Water Feature
Wolf Architects, Inc.Wolf Architects, Inc.
Photo Credit: Eric Roth
Inspiration for a rustic back formal fully shaded garden in Boston with a water feature and natural stone paving.

Formal Garden Ideas and Designs

A beautifully designed garden is as important as the emphasis we place on the designs of our interiors. After all, our grounds (however modest) frame our homes and contribute to first impressions not only of our houses, but also of the households within. Options for garden designs can be as elaborate or low maintenance as your lifestyle and preferences permit – consider both your aspirations for how it should look and how much time you can invest in garden maintenance. Consulting a gardener or landscape designer will ensure you have a garden that suits your lifestyle, the local climate and soil conditions. But don’t forget that with Houzz your first stop can be collecting images of garden ideas and designs you love in order to inspire your garden plans and potentially share them with a landscape gardening professional.

How do I come up with a front garden design?

The priority for a front garden is kerb appeal. Begin by considering the area immediately around and leading up to your front door. You may want to opt for front garden designs that blend well with the style of your home – for example, abundant foliage and flowerbeds will perfectly complement a period property, whereas man-made materials, geometric shapes and contrasting textures are great ideas for a contemporary garden design. Even if your front garden is a small space, keep it tidy – if you have more space, make the most of it with garden ideas and features such as a manicured lawn, gravel driveway, water feature or garden fencing. If you don’t have the time or commitment to devote to gardening, then neatly pruned hedges, statement paving, hanging baskets, garden benches and outdoor lighting are all decorative, low maintenance garden ideas for your front garden design.

How should I design my back garden?

Back gardens typically offer more space than front garden designs and serve a more recreational purpose, so it’s important to know how you want to spend time in your garden before you design it in order to build in the features that you will enjoy. If you love relaxing in the garden and dining al fresco, think about patios, decking, garden furniture and BBQs. For the more horticulturally-inclined, incorporate flower beds, greenhouses or vegetable garden designs. Your landscape gardening professional can help you install structures such as sheds, pergolas and gazebos that complement your garden design, and artfully-placed garden ideas such as lawn edging and lighting will add definition to your chosen design.

How do I create a low maintenance garden?

The great news is, gardens aren’t exclusively for the green-fingered. Whether you’re not horticulturally-inclined or simply don’t have the time for a bit of landscape gardening, you can still have a garden design that looks the way you want by making some smart design choices. While many of us favour low maintenance gardens like urban gardens, roof terraces and patio gardens, lovers of greenery don’t need to sacrifice grass for paving slabs. Whatever you want from your garden, there are a variety of gardening solutions that can be built in to make life easier. For example, labour intensive features such as vegetable patches, greenhouses and flower beds can be optimised with an automatic irrigation system. These can be offset with fuss-free garden ideas such as hard landscaping, including gravel, paving or decking, and hard-wearing evergreens that require minimal upkeep. You might even consider replacing your garden fencing with slow growing hedging, which can be maintained less regularly than wooden fence panels. If having a lawn is important, there are different types of grasses in varying degrees of durability and maintenance. You may choose to take a more relaxed approach to your lawn – “wild” garden designs can have great charm if the grasses and flowers are chosen carefully. If you prefer a manicured lawn, it’s a good idea to invest in a “mulching” lawn mower that will recycle clippings and remove the need for cleaning up. Finally, there isn’t a more low maintenance garden lawn than artificial grass which can look highly realistic and keep your garden looking green. Garden ornaments are a great way to add interest to your low maintenance garden design – go for smart garden ideas such as solar garden lights which are both decorative and functional. Find some of the most popular design ideas on Houzz.
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