Today we’re going to look at how to design a contemporary garden. What are the rules and tricks for designing a contemporary garden or terrace?
By “contemporary garden” we generally mean an outdoor space that differs from classic gardens (English, Japanese, French) by carefully blending some of its components. However, there is no precise definition of the contemporary garden, which leads to a certain confusion surrounding the term. There are two very different trends in contemporary gardens:
The first, and in our opinion the true contemporary garden, is a minimalist garden strongly inspired by the Japanese/zen garden, giving pride of place to landscaping elements which are often ofDesign inspiration (wall fountain, bench…) the materials are raw(corten steel, grey wood) and very mineral (slate, sandstone…). It is often the exterior extension of the home’s interior design. The dark hues of the furnishings (terrace, pergola, low wall…) contrast with light, white or even brightly colored designer furniture, sometimes in high-quality plastic or resin. The lines are clean and often horizontal. Last but not least, water is very often present, and night lighting is both discreet and omnipresent to enhance the site.
The vegetation is sparse and contrasting: topiary-type green balls mixed with grasses (with a wild look), the presence of Japanese species (cloud tree, bamboo…) or even Japanese palms and cycas… The flowers are not essential or are used in small touches, but are rather discreet and simple. More suited to urban and small spaces, it requires less maintenance than many gardens, but cannot tolerate weeds (mulch is a must) or poorly trimmed bushes.
Here’s our selection of a few must-have species if you want to create a contemporary garden:
– topiary-type green balls: Boxwood, Ilex crenata, Japanese Fusain
– Japanese species : Japanese Maple, Japanese Anemone
– weeds: Micanthus grasses, Pennisetum, Carex
– palms:Trachycarpus, Butia
The second type of garden, sometimes referred to as contemporary, is an ecological garden, born of a desire to return to nature and to rediscover nature in the garden. It gives pride of place to plants with a wild aspect, which can host fauna such as beneficial insects that help the garden to flourish. Landscaping is unobtrusive or natural, and local or recycled materials are favored. It is rather rural and adapts extremely well to open spaces. We’ll take a closer look at this contemporary natural garden in another article.
Finally, a new trend is to combine these two gardens, which we believe will become the garden of the 21st century!
Example of contemporary garden design using our software
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