Informal Gardens

An informal garden is naturalistic and usually includes asymmetrically placed design elements, naturally shaped plants and beds, curved spaces, rustic-looking furnishings, and more casual pavings, like decking and even wood chips. It can be flowery and colorful or low key to suit the personality of the gardener.

Picture of a casual garden
This casual garden frames a path with a varieties
of plants that are allowed to grow freely.

Furnishings can be of either traditional or modern design, but they are comfortable looking. This style sometimes employs unusual accents, such as a back-door frame painted to match nearby plantings or a sweep of tall ornamental grasses in a broad, cloudlike band.

Whether your are leaning towards a formal or an informal garden, you will need to make a landscape plan to help you determine where your plants and accents should go. In the following sections, you'll get tips on putting together your plans.

Want more information on creating a garden? Try: