When you are trying to pin down the particular style you want on display in your yard, it helps to have some reference points! Take note of these 5 different types of landscaping to prevent you from sticking to dull shrubs and ground cover ivy as safe bets. Cottage horticulture, expansive grasslands, serene woods, and bee-friendly plants are all the bases for inspiration.
Tea Leaves in an English Garden

Copyright HGTV
Variety is the spice of life, and your garden should be no different—wavy stalks of grass sway next to pink and white petals of flowers below. A shrub casts a shadow on some perennials with low shade tolerance. Place all of these plants can in groups in an English garden. Just make sure that all of them have access to sunlight and aren’t crowded. If your house has a particular architectural style, utilize shrubs and perennials in the design that compliment it. Some of these decorative elements include arbors, trellises, or birdbaths.
Restore History with a Prairie
Swaying grasses and tall, drooping flowers draw your eye toward the horizon and the setting sun. Visions like this aren’t uncommon across the vast prairie lands of America. Whether you own many acreages or just a cozy house on the corner, using tall grasses and herbaceous flowering plants is beneficial. These plants restore mid to large-sized areas of former prairie. This aids in repairing and retaining healthy topsoil as well as provide drought-resistant landscaping areas at your property. Think beyond tall, green grass. See the pictures below for the shock of red in switchgrass species to spice up a section of lawn!
Lost in Your Backyard Woodland

By reflecting the natural way that flora grows in a wooded area, the woodland style is less manicured than many of the other garden styles. This style is a low-maintenance landscaping option for those who want the growth of a forest to be on its own time. Hardwoods are a classic choice for some longevity in your landscaping. Softwoods grow much faster with lower branch canopies, so if you want some shade in a year, not a decade, go with softwoods. A dedicated hardscape (like a walking path or paver installation) will add a bit of flair and modernity to the woods.
Let it Flow with Informal Landscaping
Informal styles typically have curved edges on mulch beds. Plants can be arranged in seemingly random patterns, but the real idea is to achieve a bit of flow in the design. Kids or pets will have an easier time navigating the plant beds while they’re playing. It will also create a striking curb appeal landscaping design, even if you ditch the picket fence.
Partial to Pollinator-friendly Plants
Greenscape Geeks would be embarrassed if we didn’t mention the dozens of butterfly or bird species that make your area a welcome sight to pollinators. Pollinator gardens have tons of benefits to your surrounding environment. Certain species of plants provide food but also a shelter for butterflies to hatch their young. We would suggest planting these gardens in a place protected from the wind.
There you have 5 different types of landscaping! Which one do you find the most appealing? Leave a comment below or reach out to us on Facebook to chat with us. For more inspiring photos, follow us on Instagram.
Greenscape Geeks is a central Indiana landscape architecture and landscape design, construction, and lawn maintenance company, serving Indianapolis (including Meridian Kessler, Herron Morton, Williams Creek, and Irvington), Carmel, Noblesville, Fishers, and Zionsville.
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