Are you looking for the perfect way to create a structured and well-maintained looking garden? Then the square shape and also its three-dimensional variant, namely the cube, are perfect as a basis. A garden that is designed with geometric shapes for beds, terraces and other areas appears tidier and calmer. This is not only a good idea for larger gardens, but is particularly useful for small ones. There are two options to choose from for a square garden design: Either you already have a square garden and continue to use this geometric shape for all the individual elements, or your garden has a different shape but you would like to divide it into several squares. We have put together some tips and ideas for both design variants to help you shape your garden into a square.
Learn how to apply geometry to your outdoor space and how to best combine equilateral areas to create an individual and unique garden area that will not only make you proud, but will delight you for years to come. Planning is key! We have summarized in our article what you need to consider and how quickly you can create the perfect classification. Be inspired by the beautiful gardens in our gallery and collect ideas that you can implement yourself!
The classic cottage garden
The so-called cottage garden means nothing other than dividing the property with a cross, where the cross is formed from garden paths and four or even more squares for beds, lawns andother garden elementsarise. One of these elements can also be the terrace and a pool. The beds can then be framed with various bed borders. Hedge plants in particular that you keep low will beautify your outdoor area and make it appear more natural. The cottage garden is also a wonderful way to transform an irregularly shaped plot of land into a geometric wonder.
The cottage garden shape looks particularly interesting when you play with the size of the different square elements. They don't necessarily have to be the same size. For example, combine a smaller vegetable patch with a large flower bed or a large pool. The terrace with seating and dining areas in particular often requires more space, while some other areas are not desired to be too large. The interplay of small and large squares creates greater tension in your outdoor area.
It is also recommended to highlight the focal point of the garden. This accent can consist of a square-shaped fountain or a square, half-height column on which you place a planter. Maybe you would also like a seat in the middle of the garden? Then the center is perfect for this. A nice variant for the square garden is also a separate flower bed, which you can design as you wish with ground cover and tall plants, evergreen specimens or colorful flowers and also with a tree in the middle.
You can also opt for a pond in the same way. This does not necessarily have to have a natural, irregular shape to be a beautiful decorative element. Geometric shapes, in our case the square, are also wonderfully suitable. If you don't have space for a square pond in the middle of the garden, you can also decorate the edge of the property with it. Such water elements are also often built directly on the terrace. You can take all of this into consideration when planning.
You can also play with the heights. This is particularly practical if you own a property on a hillside. But even a flat garden area can be divided into different heights. And here too you design your garden in a square. The slope is best used for raised beds. It doesn't matter whether you build the retaining walls or choose the modern version with gabions.
Build a raised patio for the garden in a square, achieved with the help of steps of the same shape. Such design options are particularly popular for pool areas or relaxation oases with whirlpools. If both steps and patio are square shaped, you can either use square tiles made of any material for flooring, or create a break in the structure and use, for example, rectangular slabs or wooden boards.
And finally, you should also keep this shape in the furniture and decorations. This refers to things like flower pots or planters, which are usually round. Instead, choose angular shapes and in this way complement your angular garden design. The same applies to elements such as stools in the seating areas, to the design of the garden paths (use square stones, tiles or slabs). And some of the plants can also be cut like cubes and thus adapted to the garden design. Choose suitable onesPlants for topiaryand add accents here and there in the beds.
This way you get a particularly easy-care garden. Instead of lawns into which you integrate beds, use decorative gravel. To keep the beds free of pebbles, you can use bed edging to separate them. The square beds can be particularly highlighted if they are designed slightly higher than the ground. Create an interesting structure by using the cottage garden principle and separating the small planting beds from each other with paths.
Garden with intersecting squares
Do you find the series of squares, typical of the classic cottage garden, too boring? Then choose another pattern! Design beds, water features and the patio so that they overlap. This loosens up the look and is perfect if you want to create a modern garden. A terrace whose corner protrudes into a pool of water looks very interesting. So feel free to use diagonal lines to divide the individual garden areas.
Diagonals not only look interesting, but they also make any property appear wider and wider. You can either visually separate the individual areas from each other by choosing different floor coverings. This creates, for example, a paved terrace and a lawn, a pool area and also the beds with soil, mulch or gravel. But garden paths, rows of trees and shrubs or flower bed borders can also be designed diagonally to separate them.
When designing this garden, be careful not to create tips that are too narrow. These arise quickly, especially if you have an irregular garden shape. If these are unavoidable, hide them with decorative elements such as pots or conceal them by planting larger plants and hiding the tips in this way.
Combine squares and other geometric shapes
Feel free to use the angular, equilateral shapes as the main, but not only, shape for your garden design. Because this shape can also be combined with some other geometric shapes for a square garden. A round fireplace can also be chosen in a square seating area to create a contrast. In the same way, hedge plants can also be cut into a ball shape instead of a cube.
Or you can frame the angular terrace with rounded beds and in this way create contrasting shapes. This structuring variant can also be used with a pond. If you would like to have this close to the seating area, not only a square, but also an irregular or round circular shape is suitable for this element.
If you don't want such an obvious break in structure and form, just use smaller garden elements and decorations to combine all the squares in the garden. The parasol or the dining table, for example, can simply be round in shape or you can set up round flower pots and planters or fire pits.
If you want, divide the entire garden into different areas and use a different geometric shape for each one. The terrace can be round or rectangular, the beds can be elongated and, for example, the lawn in the garden can be square. It's best to sketch several variants on a piece of paper or cut out individual areas in the desired shape and place them together in different ways like a puzzle. This means you can try out several ideas, swap and replace parts and quickly find the right variant.
Tips for square beds in the garden
A square garden can be made even more interesting if you divide the already square beds into smaller squares. For example, combine colorful flowers in two colors or green and flowering plants to create a checkerboard pattern. If annual species are used for the flowers, you can also replace them every year. If you don't have a lot of time to invest in garden care and design, easy-care ground cover or evergreen plant species are also suitable.
The squares within squares trick is also used for growing vegetables. The square bed is divided into 9 smaller squares, into which up to four plants are sown or planted, depending on the type of vegetable and the space it needs to grow (for this, of course, the small square is quartered again). This space-saving variant is ideal for small gardens where you don't want to do without a vegetable garden.
If you would rather do without large beds that require maintenance, you can also fill free areas with such interesting design options. Createa gardenin a simple square with a design reminiscent of grids. You can create a solid base from square slabs of any size, where you can not only fill the joints with decorative gravel, as here, but also plant them with lawn or ground cover. This makes the area visually interesting, but is a lot easier to maintain than flower beds.
Integrate water elements
Water creates a special atmosphere in every garden style. If these elements are angular, the outdoor area gets a modern accent that makes it look neater. If you have a large garden area, you can even combine several fountains or ponds, as was done in the example above. The long shape of the garden was divided into three lawned squares, each of which has a fountain. You can protect water elements that are located in the middle of the lawn when mowing blades of grass if you create a strip of stone, gravel or other elements between the lawn and the fountain that also take on the angular shape of the lawn and fountain. The same applies to pools.
Here you can see an interesting way to combine multiple squares into the same element. In this case it is a whirlpool that has been equipped with two small waterfalls at different heights. It is important that you also coordinate garden elements that are used for entertaining with your garden design. Even mosaic tiles can contribute to this. Thus, this pool uses the geometric shape several times in different ways.
If you still think that geometric garden shapes automatically create a simple, minimalist style, here is proof that it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. A small square garden in particular can look tropical or Asian with some exotic-looking plants, angular ponds and straight garden paths. With the help of different levels, which you can create with the help of raised beds at different heights, it is even easier to imitate lush planting like in the rainforest. Despite the chaos that characterizes the garden at first glance due to the diverse planting, it is the geometric elements that provide the necessary structure.
