An Overview of Five Popular Gardening Styles

Gardening styles are as personal as what someone chooses to eat for breakfast or her choice of vehicle. Five of the most popular styles are listed below.

While it is true that today gardening styles are as diverse as the gardeners who work on them, at one time the only gardening style was the kind that put food on the table. Flowers were a luxury and herbs were medicinal. Herbs can still be used as medicine but flowers are accessible to everybody and food no longer must be grown at home. The luxury of today is that modern gardens can be whatever we want them to be.

Theme Garden

Most landscapes include some sort of theme. A vegetable garden focuses on food, while a rose garden displays prize roses. Kitchen gardens are placed near the backdoor to keep herbs accessible at dinnertime, or an area may be planted with flowers that bloom at the same time, which could be a desirable plan for a vacation home.

Children’s Garden

In our family-centered society, parents try to involve their children in all aspects of their lives, and the yard is no exception. Kids of all ages can enjoy a little corner of the yard that is dedicated just to them. Bean-pole teepees, walls of giant sunflowers and a mix of brightly colored blooms will keep them involved all season long.

Edible Garden

The most common type of edible garden is the vegetable kind. Many people do not have room for a dedicated food plot, but one trend today is to intersperse edible plants into the existing landscape. Many plants are available that look very pretty but are tasty, too. The edible garden is distinct from the vegetable plot in that it is designed to be decorative instead of just a square plowed field.

Container Gardening

This style of garden is meant for everybody. It does not matter where or how large the yard is. Even someone with only a balcony can keep his fingers in the dirt, and virtually anything that can hold water has the potential to be a container.

Nurseries have bred many plants to thrive in the compact environment of a planter, from blossoming beauties to vegetables. It is very important to fertilize containers well since the roots are trapped within the planter.

Xeriscape garden

Xeriscaping is a low maintenance and low water form of gardening. The principle behind it is using plants that are native to the area so they require no pampering, including low water and fertilization needs.

From year to year plants multiply on their own without the need for greenhouses or purchased plants. This is thought of as the most environmentally friendly gardening method.