Photo of a mid-sized contemporary courtyard partial sun formal garden for spring in London with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Western Exposure

TLC Gardens

David Winger
Large modern front yard full sun formal garden in Denver with concrete pavers and with rock feature for summer.

Southampton Farm

Warren's Nursery

River Birch clump allees
Design ideas for an expansive transitional sloped partial sun formal garden in New York with a container garden and gravel.

Ranches

Hortus Grass-Artificial Turf Solutions in Dubai

Nadeem
Design ideas for a small contemporary side yard formal garden in Other with concrete pavers.

Paths and Steps

Russell Combs Design

Inspiration for a large country sloped shaded formal garden for spring in Richmond with a garden path and gravel.

Fulham Garden 2

Tom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun formal garden for summer in London with a vertical garden and natural stone pavers.

Birkerød Svømmesø

Anlægsgartnerfirmaet Junckerhaven

Karl Ravn
This is an example of a mid-sized backyard full sun formal garden for summer in Other with with pond and natural stone pavers.

Vinyl Spaced Board Fence

AVO Fence & Supply

White spaced board fence with scalloped top - This fence is a "Beautiful Border" for this property along the sidewalk. It ensures safety for children and pets as they enjoy their front yard.

Halsted House Backyard Koi Pond

Creative Zen, Inc. Landscape Designer & Contractor

Koi pond in between decks. Pergola and decking are redwood. Concrete pillars under the steps for support. There are ample space in between the supporting pillars for koi fish to swim by, provides cover from sunlight and possible predators. Koi pond filtration is located under the wood deck, hidden from sight. The water fall is also a biological filtration (bakki shower). Pond water volume is 5500 gallon. Artificial grass and draught resistant plants were used in this yard.

Hoffman Residence

Scott Brinitzer Design Associates

Photographer: Roger Foley
Photo of a traditional front yard full sun formal garden in DC Metro.

Historic Evanston Retreat

Greenwise Organic Lawn Care and Landscape Design

Bluestone paths traverse the property, unifying outdoor rooms and directing flow from one space to the next. Photo: Linda Oyama Bryan
Inspiration for a large traditional backyard partial sun formal garden in Chicago with natural stone pavers and with fireplace.

Alpenhof Bed and Breakfast

NightOrbs, llc.

tom rupnicki
This is an example of a large country backyard full sun formal garden for summer in Philadelphia with a garden path and natural stone pavers.

High Meadow Contemporary

Caribou Construction Company

This is an example of a large and desert look backyard full sun formal garden in Other with natural stone pavers.

Garnet Residence

Envision Landscape Studio

This small tract home backyard was transformed into a lively breathable garden. A new outdoor living room was created, with silver-grey brazilian slate flooring, and a smooth integral pewter colored concrete wall defining and retaining earth around it. A water feature is the backdrop to this outdoor room extending the flooring material (slate) into the vertical plane covering a wall that houses three playful stainless steel spouts that spill water into a large basin. Koi Fish, Gold fish and water plants bring a new mini ecosystem of life, and provide a focal point and meditational environment. The integral colored concrete wall begins at the main water feature and weaves to the south west corner of the yard where water once again emerges out of a 4” stainless steel channel; reinforcing the notion that this garden backs up against a natural spring. The stainless steel channel also provides children with an opportunity to safely play with water by floating toy boats down the channel. At the north eastern end of the integral colored concrete wall, a warm western red cedar bench extends perpendicular out from the water feature on the outside of the slate patio maximizing seating space in the limited size garden. Natural rusting Cor-ten steel fencing adds a layer of interest throughout the garden softening the 6’ high surrounding fencing and helping to carry the users eye from the ground plane up past the fence lines into the horizon; the cor-ten steel also acts as a ribbon, tie-ing the multiple spaces together in this garden. The plant palette uses grasses and rushes to further establish in the subconscious that a natural water source does exist. Planting was performed outside of the wire fence to connect the new landscape to the existing open space; this was successfully done by using perennials and grasses whose foliage matches that of the native hillside, blurring the boundary line of the garden and aesthetically extending the backyard up into the adjacent open space.

Formal Graden Path with Arborvitae and Boxwood

Land Architects, Inc.

Land Architects, Craig Terrell, Ann Arbor
Traditional shaded formal garden in Detroit.

Tropical Garden - Palm Beach

sticks and stones Landscape Design

Brigid Arnott
This is an example of a large tropical backyard full sun formal garden for spring in Sydney with a garden path and concrete pavers.

Simply Elegant

Mariani Landscape

Credit: Linda Oyama Bryan
Photo of a large modern backyard partial sun formal garden in Chicago with a garden path and gravel.

Bighorn Palm Desert luxury modern home front entrance walkway water feature

Whipple Russell Architects

Bighorn Palm Desert luxury modern home front entrance walkway water feature. Photo by William MacCollum.
Design ideas for a mid-sized modern front yard full sun formal garden in Los Angeles with a water feature.

Garden Transformation April

Herseys LTD

This is an example of a small modern backyard full sun formal garden for summer in Berkshire with with pond, decking and a wood fence.

Williamsburg Colonial Garden Gate

Jeffrey Preuss Landscapes

Entrance Gate, Annual and Perennial beds lined in boxwood, classical urns
Photo of a mid-sized traditional front yard shaded formal garden for summer in Kansas City with with a gate, brick pavers and a wood fence.

Black 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.