Modern garden architecture of any kind can give your outdoor area a unique ambience using plants in geometric formations such as spheres, pyramids, blocks, stripes and hedges. A modern geometry and structure of the garden with such planting can better define the contours, create the desired visual effect and be an eye-catcher all year round. In this guide we have collected images and examples of modern garden architecture that will certainly enrich your next design concept.
When we talk about plants and geometry, perfectly trimmed shrubs are the first things that come to mind. However, not all designs require a dedication to cutting. Modern garden architecture uses low-maintenance planting such as ornamental grasses that grow in ribbons or loose blocks to add a geometric touch.
Spherical shapes can bring both interesting texture and a dynamic feel to the landscape. In this way, they give the illusion that a perfect spherical shrub is rolling out over the yard. If you use ball-shaped elements or circular shapes of different sizes, you can create a relaxed atmosphere in your outdoor area. Both shapes can also be used symbolically to represent wholeness or celestial bodies such as the sun or moon.
If you want to add an accent to the garden structure, you can combine the spherical shrub with loose plants such as creeping vines and perennials. The round shapes serve as a focal point and can be positioned in flower pots on either side of the entrance, or grouped with other ornamental plants in garden beds.
Plantings limited to long and narrow beds form strips that would be suitable formations for your modern garden architecture. Like choosing vertical or horizontal stripes for a sweater, green stripes can visually stretch the landscape, making narrow areas appear wider as they cross the yard. As the stripes run along an axial line, they draw the eye all the way to the end of the garden. These geometric design elements are also useful as edges for larger planting beds.
You can use striped planting for minimalist or purist modern garden architecture. This will also make your green area look wider. Planted strips do not necessarily have to consist of carefully maintained evergreens. Used in this modern garden in Marseillethe landscape architectsornamental grasses. These were planted in strips to visually break up the lawn and create a side effect for the path leading through the center of the garden.
Use block-cut plants to bring a sense of stability and order to your modern garden architecture. They can serve as a natural wall when planted as dense hedges, edges or screens. Block plantings of evergreens can create a year-round backdrop of beds and flowering perennials.
For this modern garden design in Hudson Valley, New York, the garden designers used block-shaped plantings of ornamental grasses to achieve a trendy look that reflects theminimalist linesof the house added. Unlike sheared shrubs, ornamental grasses require relatively less care - just an annual trimming each winter.
Both square and rectangular box shapes are popular options for formal modern garden architecture. These design elements are real eye-catchers and emphasize the geometric shapes in the garden. In this example from a London courtyard, boxwood was cut into low rectangles to emphasize the shape of the staircase. Larger rectangles sit on either side of the fountain. The crisp angles and uniform appearance require appropriate care, but the desired effect is definitely worth it. You can use the box-shaped elements to delimit paved areas or in planters.
Low-growing plants that grow onsquare and rectangular planting bedsare limited, act like living doormats or stepping stones when used for modern garden architecture. The almost two-dimensional quality of this lawn grass planting in crisp, metallic-edged rectangles turns a mostly banal garden element into a true geometric feature. It might be a bit of a hassle to mow and trim, but it would be quite applicable in current landscaping.
Other ways to replicate this geometric carpet look are virtually maintenance-free:
Plant a slow-growing groundcover such as sedum or silver carpet (Dymondia margaretae) in rectangular shapes with clearly defined edges. Invest in geometric patterns for the paved surfaces to create the right flooring. This allows you to create a transition from the green space to the sidewalk (hardscape).
Rare shapes such as cones or pyramids are a real feast for the eyes. You can use evergreen shrubs for this. In the following example, the garden designer used two cone-shaped boxwoods as eye-catchers on the access path. They clearly mark the place where you leave one garden area and enter another.
Vertical elements such as thin shrubs, bamboo, cacti, trees with straight trunks and other linear plants add a special touch to the outdoor area with their upright shapes. Planted in a courtyard, they can define a small area and attract attention.
Use the repeating shapes of upright trees, such as cypress, to frame borders on either side of a walkway, for example. These tree species are mostly used to demarcate outdoor spaces.
Plants are not the only means of establishing geometric motifs. Fixed design elements such as walls, fences and walkways are typically the bone structure of a garden. These geometric formations do not require extensive garden maintenance such as cutting, shearing or replanting.
