Contemporary Style

A contemporary-style garden strikes a balance between ordered sophistication and organic warmth. Picture the crisp edge of a stone-tiled patio meeting a billowing mass of ornamental grasses, or passing clouds reflected on the surface of a perfectly rectangular water feature. Balance is achieved by contrasting strong visual planes— like those created by architectural hardscaping– with plantings that add texture and movement. The distinctive brilliance of contemporary gardens lies in their celebration of the relationship between us and the natural world, translating the reality of our coexistence into visual poetry.

In contemporary gardens, plants with strong architectural forms take center stage— bold, linear swaths of ornamental grasses, the clean silhouette of a yucca, or the structured branching of a selectively-pruned serviceberry. Color palettes remain deliberately restrained, primarily featuring green vegetation accented with one other color group, such as dusky purples, vivid oranges, creamy whites, or glowing corals. Materials selection tends towards simplicity: corten steel edging, furniture constructed with clean lines, and stone pavers laid in precise geometric patterns.

While contemporary-style gardens give the visual impression of balance, clarity, and even soothing minimalism, they can still be ecologically rich designs. Native plants and structural layers can be used to provide habitat value for wildlife. A limited color palette can still be packed with richly diverse plants. Water features can double as hydration stations for beneficial creatures, and hardscape materials can have both aesthetic and ecological function. A contemporary style can be used with any type of garden, from habitat gardens to xeric gardens, rain gardens, and even vegetable gardens. Just apply the aesthetic principles of this style to the functional goals you have for the space.

Contemporary style in different garden types:

• Habitat gardens: Frame deliberate drifts and masses of plants of a habitat garden with clean edges and borders to highlight their naturalistic abundance. Use architectural elements like floating decks or sharp, linear footpaths to create dynamic tension between organic plantings and geometric precision of contemporary-style hardscaping.
• Xeric gardens: Use sculptural plants like cold-hardy agaves, yucca, or rabbitbrush to boldly contrast a backdrop of fine gravel or crushed stone. Pair these bold forms with more understated, finely textured plants like pineleaf penstemon, prairie zinnia, or blue fescue grass to create visual rhythm.
• Meadow gardens: Balance the natural wildness of meadow plantings with strong geometric frameworks, like rectangular beds bordered by mown paths or steel edging. 
• Vegetable gardens: Arrange raised beds in grid patterns, using sleek materials like metal or smooth concrete. Vertical structures like planter walls and trellises of steel or timber are both visually striking and functional for growing food upwards.
• Water gardens: Contrast the fluid nature of water itself with clean geometric forms— sharply rectangular or sweeping circular reflection pools lined with dark materials create mirror-like surfaces, while flowing water follows a deliberate trajectory that echoes the architectural lines of the space.
• Rock gardens: Pair the bold planes of boulders and stone features with the fine-textured forms of rock garden plants, creating a garden that emphasizes the sculptural qualities of both elements while maintaining a sense of restraint.
• Meditation gardens: Repetitive patterns in hardscaping, uncluttered plantings, and other simple visual elements balance the rhythm and harmony needed for meditation with the cool restraint of contemporary design.