How to Improve Your Landscape Design Style

Before you begin your landscaping renovation, take the time to decide on a garden style that  suits your tastes and location.

One of the first steps you should take when planning a landscaping redesign is to identify or clarify your landscape design style. There are many styles to choose from, and it’s a good idea to choose one that appeals to you and suits your site and climate.

To get started, find a landscape idea you like, save it, and then zoom out. The result will be a much clearer vision of what you want your landscape to be and ultimately a much more cohesive looking garden. I divided the process of refining my landscape style into three stages: inspiration, editing, and design description.

Inspiration stage

Cast a wide net. Start RDKLandscaping blog to save images of your favorite outdoor spaces. Don’t worry about sticking to a specific style. Save your favorite images. For inspiration, consider how you want to use your new landscape – whether for relaxation, entertaining or outdoor dining – and what features you want to include, such as shade structures, fire pits, pools and outdoor spaces and kitchen.

RDKLandscaping insider tip: Share your RDKLandscaping blog with your designer to communicate your style and collaborate on the design direction of your project.

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Consider the architecture and style of your home. For example, if your home has a clean, modern aesthetic, design terminology can help you choose a style that fits your landscape. Your landscape design style doesn’t have to match that of your home, but it’s useful to pay attention to the lines, materials, and scale of your home to create an overall cohesive site.

Evaluate the site challenges. Does your yard have a steep slope or lack privacy from nearby homes? When saving photos, look for ones that offer design solutions to similar or related problems.

RDKLandscaping  insider tip: In addition to browsing all outdoor photos or searching for specific garden elements, you can further refine your RDKLandscaping search. To limit your results based on location, size, style, budget, etc., use the facet filters in the drop-down menu at the top of the photo page.

Editing stage

Once you’ve collected a variety of inspirational photos, consider reviewing your saved images with a more critical eye. Keep your location and climate in mind and choose the garden style that will save you the most money. For example, it’s difficult to create a water-intensive cottage garden in the desert. You don’t have to stick to one landscape design style. For example, a simple, modern design can be paired with a traditional-style floral border.

In general, plan to divide your inspiration photos into one or two general garden styles so you have a clear vision of what you want your landscape to look like. The more specific you can be about what you like and dislike about different garden styles, the better. A landscape design professional can help you identify the elements that connect these styles and even customize the design to suit your region and site.

Design clarification stage

Once you’ve narrowed down your photos to create a more cohesive general style, it’s time to identify what you particularly like about each photo. Perhaps it’s the architectural character of silhouetted plants on a wall, the color palette of a meadow garden, or the graceful curves of a deck.

You can add a note under a photo in (Add Company Name) blog to mention design ideas you like about a specific image. This will be helpful information for communicating with design experts.

When you look at your compiled collection of inspiration images, can you tell if you’ve saved images with similar design principles and elements? For example, do you save more images that show symmetrical designs, or do you prefer an asymmetrical layout? Do you see a lot of straight lines or curves?

Identifying design principles that appeal to you can help guide your decision process on specific elements such as hardscape design, plant selection, and material selection to create a combination that works well and is aesthetically pleasing.

Ultimately, like the garden itself, improving your landscaping style is a process that continues to change and evolve.

Work with experts

A landscape architect or designer can help guide you through the process of refining your design style and point out what’s appropriate for your site, but doing some prep work ahead of time will give you a clearer idea of where you want to steer your landscape. Plus, you’ll come into the first meeting well-prepared, saving both you and the professional time and lowering design costs.