Modern Garden Style: Design Principles, Plants, and Accessories

The Basics of Contemporary Garden Design

The Design

Contemporary gardens rely on repetition of plants and motifs for continuity, creating an uncluttered yet dynamic view. Architecture—house, fences, walls—provides a backdrop. Plants are often arranged in continuous lines or given ample space to be appreciated as individual elements.

The Plants

Color takes a backseat to form and texture. Choose plants that stand alone visually:

• Foliage-focused: Tall, spiky plants like century plant (Agave americana) or sago palm (Cycas revoluta).
• Ornamental grasses: Miscanthus and Carex create architectural presence.
• Succulents: Hens and chicks (Sempervivum tectorum), burro's tail (Sedum morganianum).
• Textural plants: Lamb's ears, yucca, sedum, barrel cactus, euphorbia, equisetum, kalanchoe.

The Accessories

1. Hardscaping

Angular beds are typical, but circles work too. Large beds may be sparsely planted to feature plants as sculptures. Materials: natural textures—slate, stones, gravel, colored mulch. Manufactured materials like metal, glass, tile add color or reflect light.

2. Water Features

Shapes retain modern influence. Try a narrow water strip with cut stone and architectural plants like papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) or horsetail (Equisetum). Rusted iron, stainless/galvanized steel, or ceramic in subdued hues suit bubbling fountains or water vessels.

3. Accents

Modern furnishings in wood, metal, glass, or stone. Abstract, free-form sculptures as focal points. Containers follow geometric design—terra-cotta, metal, stone, or wood.

Modern gardens celebrate restraint, structure, and the beauty of individual plants.