Small World-Inspired Garden Ideas and Designs

Asian inspired garden in this Fort Lauderdale home. This is a meditative garden designed and installed by Matthew Giampietro
Inspiration for a small world-inspired front full sun garden in Miami with a garden path.

Space for Peace

Ecoscape Environmental Design

Turn off your phone and come sit. So simple. Yet so hard to do sometimes. Your landscape can be your sanctuary space away from the craziness of the day.

gallery of landscape work

The Distinctive Gardener

a group of tropical foliage and shrubs make a great backdrop to this pool six months from planting
Design ideas for a small world-inspired side formal garden.

Outdoor Bathroom & Shower

Full Circle Design & Remodeling

Full Circle Design - Jeffrey Howard
Photo of a small world-inspired back partial sun garden in San Diego with natural stone paving.

Glebe

sticks and stones Landscape Design

This is an example of a small world-inspired back formal partial sun garden for summer in Sydney with a potted garden and decking.

Japanese Courtyard Garden

Hanselman Landscape and Gardens

Inspiration for a small world-inspired garden in Philadelphia with a garden path and natural stone paving.

South Lamar Condo

Native Edge Landscape

Native Edge Landscape, LLC
Inspiration for a small world-inspired back garden in Austin with a water feature and gravel.

Canyon Retreat

Urban Oasis Landscape Design

Deeply colored rosettes of Aeonium arboretum 'Zwartkop' contrast sharply with the chartreuse flowers of Euphorbia characias and spiky blue leaves of the Senecio mandraliscae. With foliage like this, who needs flowers?

Rain Gardens

Plan-it Earth Design

Garden for the Disconnected Downspout. Photo by Amy Whitworth, Installation by Apogee Landscapes www.apogeelandscapes.com
Inspiration for a small world-inspired back garden in Portland with a water feature and natural stone paving.

Aquascape Fire Fountain

Magic Garden Dreams

One of our aquascape fire fountains. Can be an incredible add on to any new or pre-existing water feature.
Photo of a small world-inspired back partial sun garden in San Diego with a water feature, a fire feature, a garden path, a pond, a waterfall and decorative stones.

Small Fairy Fountain Basin

Magic Garden Dreams

One of the small fountainscapes we offer.
Inspiration for a small world-inspired back full sun garden in San Diego with a water feature, a pond and natural stone paving.

Zen Garden

Holmes Fine Gardens

This project invokes the most meaning from the fewest materials, conveying a sense of infinity and emptiness.
This is an example of a small world-inspired side partial sun garden in Bridgeport with gravel.

Gartendesign und Gestaltung von Japan-Garten-Kultur

User

In front of training rooms in the new office building of a large insurance company in Hannover a quiet Japanese garden will help to bring peace and balance in the minds of students. Designed and created by http://www.japan-garten-kultur.de/ and http://www.kokeniwa.de/#home

Hungerford Road

Studio 22a Architects

Inspiration for a small world-inspired back formal partial sun garden for summer in London with a pond and natural stone paving.

Pearse Street Cottesloe

Jodie Cooper Design

Serena Pearce -Code Lime Photography
Inspiration for a small world-inspired side xeriscape partial sun garden in Perth with a pond and decking.

Palm Beach Gardens Tropical Landscape

User

Colorful bromeliads and agaves adorn this lovely Palm Beach Gardens, Florida tropical landscape designed by Pamela Crawford, who designs landscapes in Palm Beach County. Learn her secrets in her latest book, "Easy Gardens for South Florida" and see over 2000 images of her projects at pamela-crawford.com. Photographed by Allen Rokach.

Japanese Courtyard Garden

Hanselman Landscape and Gardens

Design ideas for a small world-inspired garden in Philadelphia with a garden path and natural stone paving.

Arbors/Pergolas/Fences

Borealis Landscape & Design DBA Skipley Farm

A simple divider from the sidewalk without imposing. Perfectly planted with a vine as a curtain
Photo of a small world-inspired front formal partial sun garden for winter in Seattle with a garden path and concrete paving.

Indonesian-Inspired Pergola

Clemens & Associates Inc.

Photo Credit: Lee Anne White
Inspiration for a small world-inspired courtyard garden in Albuquerque with a water feature and brick paving.

Water garden

AQL Landscape Design

Contemporary take on a Japanese water garden - with tropical planting, water fountain, pond and of course Koi! Landscape design and construction by AQL

Small World-Inspired Garden Ideas and Designs

A beautifully designed world-inspired 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 world-inspired 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 world-inspired front garden design.

How should I design my world-inspired 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 world-inspired 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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