7 Types of Landscaping Styles for Your Yard

Your yard’s landscaping acts as an extension of your home, so it’s important to find a landscaping style that sets the tone you want to achieve. Different climates, home styles, and personal preferences can influence which landscaping styles work best for your property. Learn more about popular landscaping styles and how to incorporate their key features into your yard design.

1. Desert

Desert landscaping, also known as xeriscaping, uses drought-resistant plants in place of water-consuming grasses and incorporates stone and rocks for texture and ground coverage.

Desert landscaping is ideal for arid climates and for homeowners who prefer not to have to water their plants frequently to keep them looking great. The cost of xeriscaping averages between $5 and $20 per square foot.

Key Features

• Drought-resistant plants

• Features that provide shade, like gazebos

• Use of stone and rocks 

Common Plants

• Succulents

• Cacti

• Yucca

• Agave

Best for: Hot, arid climates with little rainfall

2. English Garden

This landscaping style is ideal for those who love the look of a traditional garden and don’t mind getting their hands dirty with a little upkeep. English gardens are structured but lush and feature plants that flourish at different times of the year, providing color and life throughout the seasons. 

These gardens are colorful, richly textured, and packed full of lively plants. They’re also designed to be interacted with, often featuring structured paths, places to sit and relax, and water features like ponds or fountains.

Key Features

• Defined walkways, bridges, and seating areas

• Water features

• Traditional flowers, shrubs, and trees

Common Plants

• Roses

• Peonies

• Foxglove

• Hydrangeas

Best for: Homes in temperate climates with steady rainfall

3. Japanese Garden

If you need a little zen in your life, a Japanese garden might be the perfect landscaping style for your yard. This design style brings multiple components into harmony, including stone, water, plants, and ornamentation. Many Japanese gardens are fully walled or fenced in, adding privacy and serenity. 

Because these gardens are meticulously designed and involve water features and other structures, you may want to budget for the cost of hiring a landscape designer to get the look just right.

Key Features

• Use of rocks and stone

• Water features like koi ponds or fountains

• Decorative ornaments

• Flowering trees and shrubs

• Often fully enclosed

Common Plants

• Bamboo

• Cherry trees

• Wisteria

• Lotus flowers

Best for: Those looking for a private, serene garden

4. Native Garden

Native gardens use plants native to your region and promote eco-friendly biodiversity without using invasive plants. Native gardens don’t have a specific look, but are often less structured than traditional gardens. Many native plants will also attract local pollinators and help to keep the local ecosystem flourishing. 

A local landscaper can help you select native plants for your region that will complement your landscape design. 

Key Features

• Native plants

• Mimic the natural landscape

• Free-form design

Common Plants

• Native grasses

• Native shrubs

• Pollinator-attracting flowers

Best for: Those who want an eco-friendly yard filled with native species

5. Contemporary Garden

Homeowners with contemporary homes often extend their living space into the outdoors with a contemporary garden style. This style features right angles and clearly defined spaces but uses plants of varying heights and colors to add visual interest.

This sleek, minimalist style often includes hardscaping features like concrete patios, plant beds, and seating, so the cost of hardscaping will be a big part of your budget. You may need a permit for landscaping of this type, since some hardscaping features may be subject to building codes. Check with your local building authority to be sure. 

Key Features

• Hardscaping features, often using concrete

• Sleek, well-defined plant beds

• Minimalist design with angles rather than curves

Common Plants

• Pampas grass

• Boxwood

• Echinacea

• Japanese painted fern

Best for: Those looking to use their yards as an extension of the living space

6. Woodland

Even if your home isn’t the log cabin of your dreams, you can still incorporate that rustic feel into your landscaping with woodland-style landscaping. This style leans heavily on trees, hardy flowers and shrubs, and stone or wooden features designed to fit right in with the existing natural landscape. 

Woodland landscaping is designed to be low-maintenance and incorporates the trees and natural landscape formations already present in your yard rather than clearing them away.

Key Features

• Stone or wooden fixtures

• Native trees and shrubs

• Low-maintenance perennial flowers

• Lack of overly structured design 

Common Plants

• Hostas

• Rhododendrons

• Hardwood trees

• Woodland phlox

Best for: Homes in forested areas

7. Mediterranean

Mediterranean landscaping is heavily inspired by the outdoor spaces found in the hot climate of Spain, Greece, and Italy. Landscape features provide shade for people and plants, and garden beds, walkways, and water features take the place of rolling expanses of water-dependent grass. Mediterranean design also incorporates ceramic decorations, particularly terracotta ornamentation and ceramic tiles.

Key Features

• Shade-providing fixtures like pergolas and arbors

• Ceramic decorative features

• Water features

• Heat-resistant plants

Common Plants

• Bougainvillea

• Herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and sage

• Fruit trees

• Mediterranean fan palm

Best for: Tropical or hot and arid climates