A once forgotten side yard turns into a charming gravel garden Martin Residence Cardiff by the Sea, Ca
Small mediterranean side yard formal garden in San Diego.

York - Private Garden

Yorkshire Garden Designer

Design ideas for an australian native traditional backyard formal garden in Other with a garden path and decking.

Very private backyard enclave

Morgan Howarth Photography

Very private backyard enclave waterfall with fire pit and screened in patio
Contemporary backyard partial sun formal garden in DC Metro with with waterfall and natural stone pavers for summer.

Osterville Woodland Garden Patios and Planters

Mary LeBlanc Landscape Design

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional front yard full sun formal garden in Boston with brick pavers.

Southfields Garden

Tom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping

Mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun formal garden in London with with pond and natural stone pavers for summer.

Formal Vegetable Garden

Offshoots, Inc.

A beautiful escape in your edible garden. Fruit trees create a privacy screen around a cedar pergola and raised vegetable beds.
Design ideas for a country backyard full sun formal garden for summer in Boston with a vegetable garden and gravel.

Arts and Crafts Woodland Home Gardens, Phoenixville

Donald Pell - Gardens

This is an example of a large country backyard partial sun formal garden in Philadelphia with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Front Yard Landscape Project in Buffalo

Gorski Landscaping

Photo of a mid-sized traditional front yard full sun formal garden for summer in New York.

SC 3

Jon Eric Christner ARCHITECT INC.

Garden Entry - General Contractor: Forte Estate Homes photo by Aidin Foster
Mid-sized mediterranean side yard partial sun formal garden in Orange County with natural stone pavers and with path for spring.

Southwest Contemporary

Soloway Designs Inc | Architecture + Interiors AIA

Photo of a front yard partial sun formal garden in Phoenix with natural stone pavers.

Modern Backyard Oasis in Moorestown, New Jersey

Techo-Bloc

This backyard landscape design is inspired by our Blu Grande Smooth patio slab. Perfect paving slab for modern poolsides and backyard design, Blu Grande Smooth is a large concrete patio stone available in multiple colors. It's smooth texture is sleek to the eye but rougher to the touch which avoids it from getting slippery when wet. The large rectangular shape works as an easy add-on into Blu 60 regular modular patterns but can also work as a stand-alone to create a very linear look. Check out the HD2 Blu Grande Smooth which is all about seamless looks with a tighter/poreless texture and anti-aging technology. Check out our website to shop the look! https://www.techo-bloc.com/shop/slabs/blu-grande-smooth/

Family Garden in Putney

Ruth Willmott Associates

Ruth Willmott
Design ideas for a mid-sized modern backyard formal garden in London.

Private Modern Garden

Outside Collective

Christel Leung
Small modern backyard full sun formal garden in San Francisco with a garden path and concrete pavers.

Side path with gate

Heaven & Earth Landscape Design

Design ideas for a large traditional side yard partial sun formal garden in San Francisco with natural stone pavers.

G A R D E N - Pacific Northwest

Lore Patterson

Island Garden Designed by : Bliss Garden Design
Design ideas for a modern shaded formal garden in Seattle.

Traditional Landscape

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional backyard partial sun formal garden for summer in Other with a garden path and mulch.

Remodeled Queen Anne

The Lazy Gardener

A refurbished Queen Anne needed privacy from a busy street corner while not feeling like it was behind a privacy hedge. A mixed use of evergreen trees and shrubs, deciduous plants and perennials give a warm cottage feel while creating the privacy the garden needed from the street.

Simple, Attractive, High-Quality Garden

Homefront Farmers

We refer to this style of garden as "basic," but it has all the features of a great growing space. You'll find raised beds filled with quality organic soil, rugged construction using natural (untreated) lumber, animal resistant fencing w/ground barrier, simple good looks, hinged gate with latch for easy access, and isles lined with weed block/crushed stone. At the same time, because we forgo some of the premium features of our "classic" gardens, our "basic" gardens and available at excellent prices.

Traditional Landscape

Design ideas for a small traditional backyard formal garden in London with a garden path and brick pavers.

English Jewel Box

Mariani Landscape

The transition to several garden rooms, a gravel path leads from the rear terrace to the many spaces. The entry is flanked by the New England fieldstone seat wall, capped in blue stone. The path is lined with cushwa brick outlining the formal garden filled with boxwood, pachysandra ground cover, hydrangea, magnolia, and eastern redbud. Photo Credit: Linda Oyama Bryan

Formal Garden Design Ideas

Get Inspired by Gardens on Houzz

A lot of the time when you get home from a long day at work, all you want to do is wind down. Where better to do this than in your very own garden at home? If you do it right, a great garden design can send you right into holiday mode. But where to start? There’s so many styles to choose from when it comes to garden design. Whether you want to create a tropical, modern, contemporary, beach style or country garden - or something else entirely - the large garden image gallery on Houzz has got you covered. Get inspired and collect your ideas to narrow down your desired garden style and features.

How to Create a Garden for Your Home

Depending on which style you’re going for, be sure to know what makes a garden and if it’s appropriate for your climate. You may want to consider adding a deck or other landscaping features, but the plants you choose will mostly dictate your style and what kind of ongoing maintenance is required. Don’t worry if your backyard isn’t very spacious - there are many plants that can thrive even in a small space and allow you to turn your space into a little paradise of your own, regardless of size.

Decide which plants to use

The greenery you choose is critical to your look. For example, if you’re trying to create a tropical garden palm trees and bamboo are your go-to options. Other popular options are golden cane palm trees and fern for ground cover. From there you can add some colour with bright flowers like frangipani, hibiscus or bromeliads. All these are actually quite hardy plants, so once established, your tropical garden is actually quite easy to maintain. Use this structure and apply it to your style. Research which plants you need to set your base for a garden and go from there.

Add some decor

If the plants don’t quite do it for you yet, or if you want to add some extra wow-factor, consider adding some extra features. Even if you can’t accommodate a swimming pool, hot tub or pond, you could look at smaller water features. Simple rocks can also have a great effect, while statues and gnomes will add some extra character. Don’t forget to add some furniture so you have a nice place to sit and enjoy your garden!

Need some help?

Once you know what you want your garden to look like, it may be hard to make it a reality on your own. If that is the case for you, consider consulting a professional to help you with your garden design. Every photo you find on Houzz will lead you to the local pro that did the job, so you won’t have a problem picking the perfect person to help! Whether you need a gardener in Brisbane, a landscape architect in Melbourne or a fireplace installer in Sydney, you can be sure to find one on Houzz.