Revamp your garden with contemporary styles

By Hosea Omole

As in all forms of art, new trends are continuously evolving in landscape design. Diminishing garden space in today’s affluent communities and the rushed, fast-paced lifestyle of present day society have made trends toward contemporary garden design quite popular.

They are minimalist, simple, practical and require little maintenance. These qualities not only lend themselves well to homeowners, but they also sit well with the unfussy modern architectural concepts of today. Yet, you need not reinvent the wheel.

Contemporary garden design is simply a melding of the old with the new. It is the updating of tried and true design fundamentals with the functionality and simplicity of modern garden designs. If you have a fetish for the ‘in-thing’ in garden design, here is what you need to know:

Form and Function

Contemporary gardens are characterised by strong shapes and textures, embodied in extensive hardscapes and complementary shrubs and low trees. The elements define clean rectilinear or curvilinear forms and must serve a certain practical function in the garden. They may range from walkways and pergolas to abstract objects solely designed to create a desired mood within a garden space. Accents and pops of colour are used to accentuate the garden’s highlights.

Contemporary gardens also seek to bring contemporary architecture into unity with the landscape itself. Hardscape elements fashioned to resemble architectural components and the use of geometry that complements the architectural forms effectively ensures that the house and the garden read as one.

Movement through the landscape is encouraged so that the user interacts with the garden as much as possible. Elements are placed within reach to enhance this interaction and create different experiences as one walks through the spaces. By creatively using colour, texture, water movement and plants, the garden is made to appeal to all the senses — sight, sound, smell, touch and even taste.

Materials

Contemporary gardens reflect advances in construction materials and finishes. Concrete as well as a wide range of stone and tile finishes unlock a whole world of possibilities for finishing contemporary garden floors. However, traditional materials are still largely utilised, of course with enhanced installation technologies to create beauty, warmth, simplicity and clean finishes.

When it comes to plants, contemporary gardens exhibit respect and care for nature. The use of home grown plants has been found to be ecologically sound. They are better adapted to the local environmental conditions and hence require less maintenance. Local plants also attract local species of birds and butterflies into the garden.

On the other hand, contemporary gardens tend to take a minimalist approach to planting. Every plant in the pellet serves a particular function in the design and there is little room for joyriders. Lawns are reduced to a minimum but tall gasses are favourites. Plants that require a lot of care are used sparingly or avoided all together. All these serve to reduce maintenance needs in contemporary gardens.

Outdoor Living

Contemporary gardens tend to have comprehensive outdoor living areas, which, in effect, extend the inside out. They also serve to create transition areas that connect indoor and outdoor spaces thereby further bridging the gap between house and garden. Outdoor kitchens often form the heart of outdoor entertainment areas. They provide a natural gathering place around which other activities revolve.

Another common feature in contemporary gardens is a luxury swimming pool. In this context, they are anything but the rectangular pools of the past. They form important design elements and are often combined with an outdoor water feature. This not only eliminates the need for a separate water feature but also adds functional, usable art as part of the overall pool’s function.