What is Modern Garden Design?
Discussion around garden design styles will often touch on terms like modernist, modern or traditional. I am going to touch on the first two in this blog and try and clear up the difference between the two despite the very similar label.
Modern garden design will often rely heavily on clear, striking lines, relying on simple patterns and layouts in a very uncluttered approach, using very structural plants and planting. Modernist gardens can rely heavily on geometry as well as asymmetry complementing the form of the house – it is a very bold way to fully connect your outdoor space to your home. It focuses very much on function and simplicity. Proportion and viewpoints are key to this style – it pays no attention to sentiment.
However, modernist garden design is inextricably linked with the modernist movement in the 20th century across arts and design, and though potentially form a part of a modern design should not be confused with the description ‘Modern Garden Design’ which for me is more a reflection of the trends and styles of the now.
What are the Key Elements of Modern Garden Design?
If we are looking at a modern garden design for a client there are a number of key elements that would have to be considered to ensure that function and aesthetics work together and sustainability is a given. A modern garden is first and foremost a social space, with interest generated through the use of plants, viewpoints, sculpture and sensory experiences whether through sight, sound, touch or scent. The garden can bring them all together and act as a green oasis for the environment.
A taster of elements we might be looking at within a modern garden include reducing the size of the formal lawn whilst increasing the bed sizes, and limiting the number of plant varieties to create groups or drifts repeated across the garden to give a unified and relaxed feel, as well as symmetry.
In addition, we might look at the re-wilding or prairie style meadow landscapes (even if only in a small area) featuring wildflowers and pollinator friendly blooms – a huge trend in garden design now. This goes hand in hand with drought tolerant planting, a topic for an earlier blog I posted.
Hardscape materials are another consideration, looking at alternatives to the 100% hard paved approach, with permeable solutions and locally sourced natural or reclaimed materials such as crushed concrete or composite and wood options. Including gravel gardens as a part of a garden design is another great ‘easy to care for’ option that is very popular and complies with flood resistant SuDs regulations. There are great aggregate solutions you can use to create a fantastic look.
Water remains on trend in a modern garden, whether that’s gently rusted corten steel water bowls or troughs providing interest through reflection from above, or larger water features and waterwalls bringing sound and relaxation, through to a natural swimming pond which is the sustainable, naturalistic chemical free approach to pools, combining a fun space with beautiful landscaping and planting beneficial to the local wildlife. It also doesn’t need to be large – it could be sized like a plunge pool.
The key to a modern garden design is creating the aesthetic and functional element that draws people into their gardens to fully use the space they have – like it has been said before ‘the garden is likely the largest room in the house’.
Professional Garden Renovations with DP Garden Design
To find out more about how we can assist you with our design process for your beautiful modern and sustainable garden, then please get in touch.
DP Garden Design is located near Alresford, Hampshire and we cover the rest of Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and West Sussex with a wide array of professional garden design services.
