12 Garden Styles – Garden Design Ideas for Your Backyard Revamp

Revamping your backyard is one of the most rewarding home improvement projects you can undertake. Whether you’re a seasoned DIY enthusiast or fresh into your first home, the way you design your garden can add both aesthetic appeal and practical value. From sleek and minimal spaces to lush, romantic retreats, garden layout styles have the power to reflect your personality while complementing your home’s architecture. Below, we take a deep dive into 12 inspiring garden styles perfectly suited to UK homes, helping you choose the right theme for your outdoor transformation.

1. Modern Minimalist Garden

If clean lines, symmetry, and function are what you're after, the modern minimalist garden style might be your perfect match. This contemporary look is all about reducing clutter and focusing on essential elements. Think smooth concrete paving, geometric lawn sections, and raised beds with carefully selected planting schemes.

Materials like steel, glass, and natural stone work beautifully with this style and integrate seamlessly with modern property aesthetics. The planting palette usually consists of architectural plants such as topiary, ornamental grasses, and low-maintenance evergreen shrubs. Lighting plays a crucial role here — opt for sleek LED fixtures to create ambience after dark.

This garden style suits smaller town gardens exceptionally well, often making limited space feel more expansive through clever design and repetition. The structure does most of the talking, allowing even winter gardens to look elegant and intentional without needing high maintenance come spring.

2. English Cottage Garden

Romantic, nostalgic, and full of charm, the English cottage garden is quintessentially British. It’s a haven of colourful, seemingly untamed planting where structure takes a back seat, and character flourishes front and centre. Ideal for country cottages and period properties, this style continues to appeal across generations.

To recreate this look, consider planting classic flowers like delphiniums, foxgloves, lavender, and hollyhocks. Overflowing borders, winding paths, and rustic wooden features are key to mastering the cottage aesthetic. Add a sundial, climbing roses on trellises, or a vintage bench for extra character.

This garden design isn't just pure sentiment—it also fosters biodiversity. Pollinator-friendly blooms and a natural planting rhythm help attract bees, butterflies, and birds, making your garden not only beautiful but also beneficial for nature.

3. Mediterranean Garden

Longing for a sun-drenched retreat in your backyard? The Mediterranean-style garden is all about recreating the warmth and vitality of southern European landscapes — even in the unpredictable UK climate.

Gravel beds, olive or fig trees in terracotta pots, and water features evoke that relaxed Mediterranean feeling. Plant heat-tolerant options such as rosemary, lavender, thyme, and sage, which are as fragrant as they are hardy.

To capture this style’s full essence, consider whitewashed rendered walls, tiled patios, and wrought iron furniture. Though popular in coastal regions or warmer microclimates, this style can be adapted to most UK gardens with clever plant selection and frost protection during colder months.

4. Japanese Zen Garden

The Japanese Zen garden brings a deep sense of peace and mindfulness to your outdoor space. These gardens typically feature raked gravel, moss patches, curved bridges, and ornamental features like stone lanterns or bonsai trees.

Symmetry and simplicity are of utmost importance, with every element serving a purpose. Water features like a koi pond or bamboo fountain can enhance the atmosphere and promote relaxation. Use natural materials, subtle accents, and neutral colours to keep the palette calm and natural.

If you’re dealing with a smaller or shaded garden, the Japanese Zen style can be an ideal fit. Focus on thoughtful landscaping, texture contrasts, and limited colour schemes to design a timeless, meditative outdoor room.

5. Tropical Garden

Transform your backyard into an exotic paradise with a tropical garden. This bold style favours large-leaved plants, high humidity, and intense bursts of colour — perfect for gardeners who want to make a dramatic, high-impact statement.

Though the UK climate poses a challenge, hardy substitutions like tree ferns, hardy palms (e.g., Trachycarpus fortunei), and colocasia can help achieve the lush look. Add drama with brightly coloured flowers like canna lilies or crocosmia, and layer your planting for a dense, jungle-inspired finish.

Use natural materials, bold-patterned tiles, and water features like ponds or rainfall-style showers to add to the tropical vibe. For full effect, create designated seating areas tucked within the greenery to evoke the feeling of an exotic resort garden.

6. Formal Georgian Garden

A favourite of stately homes, the formal Georgian garden remains one of the most elegant styles available. This classical layout is defined by symmetry, order, and proportion — truly ideal for lovers of balance and tradition.

Box hedging, gravel paths, topiary spheres, and clipped lawns are fundamentals here. Central features such as obelisks, fountains, or stone urns work well as focal points, creating a sense of depth and harmony.

Ideal for larger gardens, this style also works in more compact spaces with scaled-down features. Choose a simple, limited planting palette and maintain seasonal interest with borders that include spring bulbs, summer flowering shrubs, and evergreen structural plants.

7. Urban Industrial Garden

With more UK residents living in flats or terrace homes, industrial garden designs have boomed in popularity. These gardens take inspiration from warehouse conversions and urban rooftops, often featuring raw finishes, recycled materials, and container planting.

Use corten steel planters, reclaimed bricks, railway sleepers, and polished concrete. Wall-mounted herb gardens, vertical planters, or pallet furniture put form and function hand in hand — perfect for busy professionals or creatives looking for stylish, low-maintenance spaces.

Industrial gardens often combine well with compatible interiors too. If your inside décor includes exposed beams or metal frames, this design continues the story outdoors in a visually cohesive way.

8. Wildlife-Friendly Garden

Creating a sanctuary for birds, bees and butterflies is becoming increasingly important, especially as more homeowners in the UK focus on environmentally responsible design. A wildlife-friendly garden is designed to support nature, all while maintaining visual appeal.

Native UK plants, meadow-style wildflower beds, and hedgerows provide food and shelter for local species. Adding a small pond, compost pile, or insect hotel can greatly increase the diversity of life in your garden.

Choose sustainable materials and avoid chemical fertilisers or pesticides. Whether you’re a family with young kids or a professional interested in permaculture, this garden style is rewarding and meaningful across all seasons.

9. Scandinavian Garden

The Scandinavian approach to garden design centres around calmness, function, and harmony with nature. Perfect for minimalists and lovers of Nordic interior trends, these gardens feature pale colours, light wood tones, and functional aesthetics.

Use gravel, white paving slabs, and bleached fencing to brighten shady corners. Natural textures such as birch, jute, and untreated timber can be used in decking and furniture. The planting should be soft but structured — think grasses, silver foliage, and delicate wildflowers.

Maximise outdoor living by adding hygge-style touches like lanterns, firepits, and weatherproof throws. Scandi gardens are a popular choice for smaller suburban plots and often work best when they mirror indoor minimalist décor choices.

10. Mediterranean Courtyard Garden

If space is at a premium, don’t underestimate the charm of a courtyard garden. This Mediterranean micro-style can be a brilliant solution for compact city gardens or shaded plots between buildings.

Create intimacy using wall-hugging climbers like jasmine or bougainvillea and weathered stone paving. Incorporate small water features, an outdoor dining area, or even just a simple bench under a pergola for all-year-round use.

Container gardening is essential here – terracotta pots with scented herbs, dwarf fruit trees, and geraniums allow flexibility while showcasing vivid colour. Combine this with subtle lighting and mosaic accents for added flair.

11. Woodland Garden

Perfect for shaded or tree-lined plots common throughout suburban UK areas, a woodland garden offers mystery and calm. Planting is natural, subtly layered, and often tailored to thrive under mature trees.

Native ferns, hellebores, bluebells, foxgloves and hostas form the backbone of a woodland scheme. Use meandering bark pathways among the planting, with log benches or rustic stone sculptures to encourage dreaming and reflection.

This garden style also works well for eco-conscious homeowners, as woodland gardens use natural processes and organic mulch to suppress weeds and promote healthy soil biodiversity.

12. Coastal Garden

With increasing numbers choosing to live by the sea, coastal gardens are more relevant than ever in the UK. These gardens need to cope with salty winds, sandy soil, and often harsh sun in exposed areas — but the results are a relaxed, dreamy landscape.

Use hardy plants like sea holly, grasses, agapanthus, sedum, and thrift that can tolerate the tough conditions. Raised borders made of driftwood or weathered sleepers, along with gravel or decking sands, help compose an informal planting style.

Add nautical elements like rope handrails, shell features, or wooden boardwalks. Furniture should be robust, in either weathered teak or powder-coated metal for longevity. A coastal garden is about capturing the essence of seaside living and amplifying it in your own outdoor haven.

Which Garden Style Is Right for You?

Garden Style	Best for...	Skill Level	Key Features
Modern Minimalist	City gardens, professionals	Low	Clean lines, geometric shapes, evergreen plants
English Cottage	Traditional homes, country settings	Medium	Flower borders, roses, natural planting
Mediterranean	Sunny or sheltered spaces	Low	Lavender, herbs, gravel paths, olive trees
Japanese Zen	Small gardens, meditative use	Medium	Raked gravel, bonsai, water features
Wildlife-Friendly	Eco-conscious homeowners	Medium	Wildflowers, pond, native species
Scandinavian	Minimalist homes, small spaces	Low	Neutral tones, wood, grasses

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re aiming for laid-back luxury or urban edge, there’s a garden style to suit every taste, plot size, and lifestyle. Start by identifying how you want your outdoor space to function — is it for entertaining, relaxing, or boosting biodiversity? From there, craft a design that complements your property and personal aesthetic.

Don’t be afraid to combine aspects of multiple garden styles to create something truly unique. With the right planning and inspiration, even the most basic backyard can be transformed into a space that adds value, charm, and endless enjoyment to your home.