Stylish Contemporary Garden Without Hassle

“A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.” – Gertrude Jekyll

The sight of a stylish contemporary garden when you wake up in the morning when you get home from a busy day and before the dark sets in, is just simply amazing. It is nature’s way of telling us to relax and indulge in the beauty of the earth despite the challenges that we go through each day, which we forget most of the times. A stylish contemporary garden is a masterpiece which we cannot just ignore, it calls us and catches our attention in a very peculiar yet stunning way. However, in order to achieve it, you have to invest your time, effort, ideas, energy and of course, patience. It’ll require you to do a handful of tasks and garden chores. Indeed, as what Gertrude Jekyll said, a garden is a grand teacher since it teaches us a lot of things.

Everywhere in the world, a garden can be found and a lot of people desire to build one, including residents in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Given that this city has an average of 217 sunny days per year, of course, people would love to take advantage of it and spend their time on outdoor activities. Well, having a garden and a beautiful landscape can certainly add up to the fun. Now, there are various garden design styles that you can use as inspirations, and the most common trend nowadays is the contemporary garden.

What Is A Contemporary Garden?

A contemporary garden is also known as a modern garden. It contrasts to any other garden designs, this one is not static, meaning it continuously changes. It has one of the broadest categories in terms of style and design according to experts. Aside from that, a contemporary garden has an emphasis on strong structural and graphic elements, clean lines and unusual materials. In this stylish contemporary garden style, hardscape elements are prominent and it’s often bold, sharp, and has strong stress on visual lines running throughout the entire space.

Studies show that it was until the mid-90s that the contemporary style came into reality. Although its appeal is strong and bold, it is surprisingly adaptable and with just a few adjustments, you can achieve a naturalistic garden with the use of sustainable materials.

Elements Of A Contemporary Garden

We’ve mentioned previously that hardscape elements play an illustrious role in the contemporary garden style. It has an emphasis on the most common hardscape of stone, wood, and concrete, with bold architectural plants incorporated. Not only that, focal points such as water features, sculpture, and containers are also eminent. Now, it’s paramount that you gain knowledge on the most common hardscape elements that are considered to be highly important in achieving a trendy contemporary garden.

Cobbles

Cobbles are naturally rounded river stones which are the perfect contrast for rigid, man-made industrial materials. These stones are available in a variety of colors and sizes, indeed, you’ll have a lot to choose from. Cobbles are also a great inclusion to the garden design in terms of adding texture to the overall style and offer design opportunities for challenging spaces.

Metal Grids

Metal grids were first created as reinforcement mesh for concrete and masonry. These grids are welded wire panels which vary in density and are perfectly used as fencing materials. On the other hand, screen panels can be used as a trellis for stylish contemporary garden vines. For a more innovative style, you can use incorporate metal grids with wood planks or recycled segments.

Concrete Steppers

Concrete steppers are a fantastic way to add stepping stones to your garden. It’s versatile and doesn’t burst your budget. Even if you choose the plain finish, the exposed stone, or the natural rustic products, nevertheless, you can still achieve a great look at an affordable price. For geometric forms, you can consider precast concrete steppers.

Spheres

Spheres are incredible, cheap (yet, scalable) and elegant garden additions. Regardless if it’s made of concrete, ceramic, metal or clay, spheres are undeniably important sculptural elements for any garden types, especially the contemporary garden. It can be used as focal points as to stand out and direct the viewer’s attention.

Sheet Metal

Galvanized metal sheeting is widely used for stylish contemporary garden, whether it is flat or corrugated. You don’t have to be an expert or special skills in order to install it because it is very easy to use. Due to its ability to curve and wrap, sheet metal can be used as an outstanding veneer and weatherproof solid screening.

Slick Pots

Pots are one of the most elegant and appealing ornaments that complement a contemporary garden. These pots are made of various materials such as resin, ceramic, metals with or without patina and clay. It also comes in different sizes: cylindrical or square. To complete the feature, you can add plants in the pots and align them alongside the lines of your landscape or garden.

Contemporary Furniture

Given the evolution of garden designs in the modern-day era, new and stylish furniture were developed. It can be made of stainless steel, chrome, synthetic rattan, and waterproof fabrics. The most common contemporary furniture are garden sofas, garden chairs, garden tables, & sun loungers, as well as garden fires, garden lighting & outdoor accessories.

Designing A Contemporary Garden: Adding Style and Warmth

contemporary garden3

In designing a contemporary garden in Fayetteville, you have to contemplate on the elements and develop a well thought-out plan. To cap it off, you’ll need strategies and best practices to guarantee a successful modern stylish contemporary garden style. A minimalist approach, sleek materials and a well-designed plan, you can certainly accomplish an inviting, majestic and fascinating garden. Of course, when your friends or family gather around, you’d certainly want them to feel relaxed and enjoy the beauty of your garden. Isn’t that right? Oh well, we all do share the same sentiments. Besides, here’s no place like home with an appealing garden. So, we’ve collected the best strategies and best practices to help you out in designing your very own contemporary garden in Fayetteville.

Pay Attention To Planting Structure

A garden will not be a garden without plants. Just like in landscaping, you can’t plant anywhere you want. You have to consider the soil type in your area, of which you have to conduct a soil test in order for you to find out, and which plants flourish in Fayetteville. Neatly organize your plants, and opt for a natural and loose planting style. This planting style gives a sense of playfulness, liveliness, and warmth.

To hold your garden together, you might want to consider using repeat patterns. A row of small trees, box bushes, shrubs or ornaments placed at regular intervals provides an organized look and has timeless appeal. A pattern of sculptural plants, such as box balls, are the norm in any contemporary landscape or garden.

Add Pops of Color

Colors add mood and outstanding character to your stylish contemporary garden. Hence, don’t be afraid to use colors, but do it wisely. Now, to start it off, you can use a good base for the color scheme for your garden, take white and green for example. Remember, don’t underestimate the power of simple colors. You can use pale limestone paving or gravel to create elegant paths or a patio area for an instance. Then, try painting any brick walls or fences white. Or, you can use the color of your chosen color scheme.

Including contrast of colors is also a great idea. For example, you can add fall or summer colors in your garden, but be mindful of the planting season. For a more naturalistic look, start with an organized palette or color scheme, and let the plantings dissolve into the surrounding environment. Plus, you can bring warmth to the garden by stamping and coloring a concrete patio to look like a flagstone. Use the natural colors of concrete, steel, smooth stucco and stone to achieve an engaging look.

Play With Geometry

Certainly, you don’t want to have a boring and lifeless garden, right? Then, don’t hesitate to play with shapes such as squares, rectangles, circles, triangles. Geometric shapes always have a place in a contemporary garden design. These shapes play a vital role in defining areas in your garden, create individual vignettes, and most of all, adds that clean-lined modern aesthetic. In between the lawns and paths, you can create a contrast of geometric shapes. Might as well reflect it in the plants.

According to experts, you can take this as an example, a straight-lined stone path can lead you to an outdoor sitting area that is defined by a squared boxwood enclosure, and then perhaps circular stepping stones lead to an outdoor pool area, and so on. Adding curve along the patios or walkways is also one way to enhance your garden’s movement.

Incorporate Clean And Straight Lines

Did you know that incorporating clean and straight lines in your stylish contemporary garden can create a sense of Zen? Yes, that’s right. It helps provide a feeling of being relaxed through its minimalist approach. Aside from that, in order to fully achieve a zen-like atmosphere, water features are required. Installing fountains, streams, pools, and ponds with Koi fish is a good idea for your garden. Might as well add privacy barriers using natural materials like bamboo.

Most Japanese gardens have that zen-like appeal, hence, usage of raked sand or stone, incorporated with a few well-placed succulents should do the trick. You can also search through the internet or catalogs to look for more inspirations. In choosing plants, don’t use bright-colored ones. Simply opt for neutral greens to build a peaceful atmosphere.

Consider Layout And Lighting

The essence of good contemporary garden design is a marriage of style and function. Your garden is the extension of your home, which makes it equally important to your interior during the day and even after the sun comes down. It’s important that your outdoor space is usable and the key factors here are layout and lighting. For instance, to create a stronger visual element, you can use retaining walls to elevate the plantings when dealing with slopes. Or you can use planters to help elevate the plantings for a more tangible part of the design

The outdoor lighting should not be cool-toned. As much as possible, use LEDs which can look like incandescent for your contemporary garden. Of course, the fixtures are as vital as the quality of light they release. You can install lighting fixtures on patios, walkways, benches and any other focal points in your garden. Good garden lighting is always about what you light, rather than the light fixture.

Finish With Artful Touches

The thing that makes every stylish contemporary garden different from the other lies in your hands – your artful touches. You can customize the design by combining focal points, furnishings, and artful touches, and create a natural connection with the surroundings. Incorporating personality to your garden without upsetting the minimalist aesthetic characteristic in contemporary styling can be quite a challenge. The secret here though is picking out classic furniture and ornaments like wood.

Sticking to what’s new or following trends may not be the best option. Take a look at your plants and you can pick a color palette based on your plantings’ color scheme. For instance, repeating a color found in an ornamental grass or flower is more personal to your garden, and won’t go out of style or it’s timeless. It’s also worth the time to choose native plants or perennials in Fayetteville to help bring balance and connection to your modern garden.

Plants To Consider For Your Contemporary Garden

Contemporary garden plants

To complete your guide in designing a contemporary garden in Fayetteville, it’s only best that you are also aware of which plants to use for a bold, dramatic and appealing garden. We’ve listed few of the many plants that are worth including to your majestic masterpiece.

• Yucca
• Canna & Alocasia
• Hosta
• Red-Hot Poker
• Agapanthus
• New Zealand Flax
• Aeonium
• Sedum
• Carex
• Swiss Cheese Plant
• Aucuba
• Fatsia
• Lily Turf

Wanting a garden for your home is definitely one of the most beautiful desires that we all could ever have, especially a contemporary one. Not only that it adds appeal to the entire outdoor space, but it also adds more fun to gatherings, siesta time, outdoor activities, and it simply adds color to our lives. Now, a contemporary garden may seem minimalistic, nevertheless, it is simply fascinating, given that you follow best practices and method just like what we’ve mentioned above. Incorporate it into your Fayetteville landscaping project will certainly make your property one of a kind and it will stand out above the rest. Simply put, nothing beats the beauty of Mother Nature when done in the right way. Start yours now!

Also read our next article on: Gardening Tips: How Important is Soil Preparation?