7 Secrets for a Beautiful Garden

Escape to continental Europe and embrace the Mediterranean lifestyle without leaving your back garden. Create your very own sun-soaked space by embracing rich terracotta hues (the more oversize pots the better) and introduce pale gravel pathways, mosaic tiles and plenty of fragrant shrubs such as lavender, rosemary, and thyme. A wooden pergola will provide an atmospheric dining spot for those lighter evenings, and you could create your own rustic outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and pared-back furniture. Finish the space with a couple of potted olive trees and you’ll wonder if you’ve stepped into sunnier climes.

Create your own quintessential English country garden with the cottage look. A fantastic opportunity to have fun with florals, the best cottage gardens are relaxed yet colorful and always undeniably beautiful. Play with your plants to create a charming space that’s full of character, whether your favorites are softly colored perennials, foxgloves and hollyhocks or a classic rosebush. Add interest to exposed-brick walls with vertical climbing plants and line meandering cobblestones with white picket fences to keep the bounty of flowers off the pathways. Forget the rules and embrace the beauty - anything goes in your very own secret garden.

Every element of the traditional Japanese garden is carefully constructed to inspire ultimate relaxation and meditation. A true Japanese garden is notoriously difficult to master; it has been claimed only 100–200 exist in the world. However, if you want to recreate your own, there are some key things to include to nail the look. Introduce large stones and rocks to symbolize mountains and hills, create a tranquil a water feature to promote a sense of calm and ensure all mosses, trees and plants are meticulously maintained to reflect the shapes of nature. As long as you combine the basic elements of plants, water and rocks, you'll create the sense of calm and tranquility that a Japanese garden is renowned for.

Contemporary gardens are simplistic, sometimes minimalistic, but never boring. The perfect choice if you’re stuck for space, contemporary gardens are low-maintenance and ideal for urban areas. Featuring sleek, clean lines throughout, contemporary gardens typically feature angular raised flowerbeds, built-in planters, modern water features and clean, rendered walls. But the biggest appeal in a contemporary garden is how they come alive at night. Through the use of clever lighting, you can create the perfect spot to while away summer evenings, simply line pathways with spotlights, highlight your favorite plants to create an elegant display or hang festoon lights across a pergola to create the perfect summer dining spot.

Most often associated with grand manor houses and stately homes, the formal garden theme has a few key features that can be adapted to any space, large or small. The most important element? Symmetry. Formal gardens are neat, tidy and always symmetrical. Elegant pathways are typically lined with low hedges, wrought-iron benches are strategically placed so as not to obstruct the landscaping and there is always a focal point, whether this is an oversize fountain or an impressive lounging area that will extend the indoors out. Create the ultimate spot for an al fresco high tea with an ornate furniture set and luxurious soft furnishings. Think luxe wing chairs and tassel-trimmed outdoor pillows. Impeccable and elegant all at once, formal gardens require a little more upkeep, but they’re worth the effort.

Think carefully about the different uses you have for your garden, then break the space down into sections accordingly. Not only will this add interest to your garden’s aesthetics, but moving from space to space makes your space feel bigger and more exciting. Something as simple as a low hedge or arch can be a perfect space divider.

Think about decluttering your garden to free up space for the things that matter? A spring clean of your garden costs you nothing except your time. Why not invest in some good quality outdoor storage pieces to make the task easier?

This spectacularly colorful garden is found in Holland, and is famed for showcasing only one category of plants – spring flowering bulbs. As a result, the Keukenhof Gardens are only open for a few weeks each year, usually from mid-March to mid-May, but they attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year nonetheless. With acres of scented hyacinths, crocuses and anemones, there’s a reason this garden is the most visited in Europe.