14 garden design styles that will stand the test of time

Create a little haven like this award winner by Paul Pritchard Landscapes. It’s a low-fuss composition of water, plants and contrasting textures.

Tall, swaying trees such as palms provide privacy, shade and a gentle rustle in a summer breeze. Put water-happy greenery around the pool and echo the stone wall with a rock border. This minimalist design complements the sleek lines of the pool, allowing the plantings to add intricate detail to the picture.

An Australian native cottage garden can create an inviting space for you and the wildlife. Our flora and fauna have developed a deep connection over millennia as they’ve assisted each other with their survival. The plants give shelter and food – nectar for birds and butterflies, foliage and fruit for animals – while animals spread seeds to produce more plants.

This garden by Fiona Brockhoff is a great example of using garden design style in a way that appeals to the eye and the wildlife as well.

Think about moving your whole living area outdoors in warmer months. This design by Christian Jenkins has one pavilion for lounging and another for dining, linked by a pool that reflects the mature trees above. A large body of water gives you the opportunity to create a range of reflections that magnify the beauty of nature. You can look up at the real thing or gaze into a reflection – doubling your view.

Mass plantings draw attention to the various textures, shapes and shades of green you can include in your garden. You can break up the monotony of smoothed limestone slabs with low-growing plants such as dichondra, mondo grass, native violets or blue star creeper. 

Embrace the rolling waves of a coastal lifestyle even if you live in the country. Award winner Smart Landscapes shows you how to enjoy a beach retreat wherever you are.

You need a place for relaxation and reflection in any courtyard or garden. Nestle a bench made from steam-bent Tasmanian oak battens among limestone bricks and plants, and include a lovely lemon-scented gum. If you live away from the water, a plunge pool is your substitute for the beach. Taking a dip is every bit as refreshing, but remember your pool safety requirements.

Ceres Homestead is a classic example of how a formal English garden can be translated into an Australian setting.

Keeping in the more rigid lines of hedging, lawn and garden beds, this garden design style utilises hardy plants that are able to survive the tough Aussie climate.

Soft, sweeping curves and brass details create subtle highlights in this design by finalist Esjay Landscapes. The plants are informally arranged, with soft tones and textures.

Frame your space with a crisp, white pergola that lets through dappled light and creates delicate shadows across the wall. Let hanging plants dangle down from the top of the brick wall. Play with shapes by including tall, waving and shorter curved ornamental grasses and soft, lacy ferns.

Sustainability and awareness of the environment drives this design from multi-award winners Stem Landcapes. It creates a wildlife habitat with native plants, rocks and logs.

Ornamental grasses are the go-to plant for everywhere. But for in or around your pond, ask nursery staff for advice. There are sedges, rushes and reed grasses that love water and will soften the edges of the hardscape.

While Aussie and cottage don’t usually go together, this garden by Charlie Albone and Juliet Love gives us a very whimsical mix of the two opposites.

With country chic at the forefront of the decor, this front garden is pretty yet tough. Just wait until it’s overgrown for that rustic feel.

When your garden has a gentle slope, use it to your advantage with a new take on tiers and terraces.

From award-winning Nordic designers Zetterman + Bjorg, this features timber, stone and pebbles rather than plastic materials. When you get shade from overhanging trees, plant out shade-loving plants such as ferns.

This garden by Fiona Brockhoff and Phillip Withers is a journey from salty coastal dunes, across a rocky hinterland and into wetlands.

All construction materials are recycled and plants are indigenous, providing a habitat for wildlife. 

You’ll find boulders everywhere as they become a dominant landscaping trend. They allow you to blend Japanese-style gardens with Western ideas, as envisioned here by Koji Ninomiya for Semken Landscaping. 

Landscape design ideas don’t have to be over the top, and this pared-back Mediterranean garden is the epitome of that concept.

With minimal hedging and trees dotted across the garden, you’ve got all you need for great visual interest. A larger lawn allows for more functional use of your space, while pathways connect each area with the relaxed feel of European design.

Ornamental grasses are resilient, with an enduring popularity. More varieties with different heights and textures are adding to the choice, as in this Riley Cooper design.

The bush is full of messy scrub and hidden danger. However, using native and bush plants in your garden design style doesn’t have to be as chaotic as the real thing.

Jim Fogarty’s Australian garden (which won gold at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show) takes the idea of a bush garden to a new level by adding in defined boundaries and curved spaces.