The Best Landscape Designs

Traditional Style Homes

• Traditional home designs, like Victorian, Tudor or colonial style, require a more traditional style of landscape. European gardens were very stylized, symmetrical and well groomed, and this type of landscape would work with a Tudor or traditional home. American home designs, like farmhouses or colonial-style homes, usually had gardens with distinct flower beds separated by paths and surrounded by small flowering or fruit trees, as well as practical plants like vegetables and herbs. Victorian gardens were more fanciful and featured delicate flowers, trailing vines and garden structures like gazebos and arches.

Modern Homes

• Modern home styles generally feature clean lines, large windows and open spaces, and landscape designs can either match these design elements or disguise them. Landscaping that features paving or stones and potted plants in sparse placement will add to the space-age look of a modern home. Flowering bushes planted at the corners of the house or in front of windows will disguise the upright lines of the home and make it blend into the landscape. A stark white modern home can have an asymmetrical landscape filled with curving lines, which will serve to offset the straight lines in the home design.

Warm Climates

• Gardeners should always choose plants that are rated for the USDA plant hardiness zone in which they live. Warmer climates in zones 7 to 10 require plants that can handle sun and heat. Tropical gardens can be great for warmer climates if the humidity is high. There are also lovely desert shrubs and flowers for gardens in hot and dry climates.

Cool Climates

• The cooler climates in USDA plant hardiness zones 1 to 6 can make use of more traditional European plants, as most of these plants are adapted for colder winters and milder summers. Landscapes may feature cold-hardy annuals like trees and shrubs, and perennial flowers can add a splash of color in the spring and summer. Bulb flowers also do very well in cold climates, so landscape designers can take advantage of the beauty of tulips and lilies. Potted plants can also be a good choice for gardeners; the plants can be moved inside during colder months.

Maintenance Concerns

• Another important consideration for landscape design is how much you are willing to do to maintain your landscape. Traditional gardens with precise flower beds will require regular work to maintain. Consider low-maintenance ground covers or grasses if you aren't willing to prune and weed. Native plants may also require less maintenance, so they can be a good choice.