English vs. French vs. Japanese: An International Garden Primer

If your garden style is more relaxed and natural as opposed to formal and geometric, then the English cottage garden may be right for you. These gardens, developed as a counterpoint to the “strict lines and artificiality” of gardens in the early 1700s, are often filled with climbing plants and ivy, designed to be as unsymmetrical as possible, and finished with arbors and benches. The key is to give yourself permission to let it all look and feel a little overgrown, without crowding the plants or leaving them untended.

Daydreaming of a Versailles-inspired garden that recalls pre-Revolutionary France? Incorporate planting beds laid out in precise geometric shapes, bisected and cut off by crisp walkways, and add small water features and fountains that mimic the jaw-dropping ones designed for King Louis XIV. Add vegetables common in French cooking – including celeriac, asparagus, and leeks – and add pops of color with lavender, roses, and climbing vines.

Japanese gardens don’t just emphasize the beauty of nature: They’re also designed to bring together the principles of Zen Buddhist philosophies. The gardens around Japanese homes are frequently surrounded by hedges or fences, and show off brilliant blooms from irises and lilies while highlighting evergreen plants year-round. Another key focus in a Japanese garden is running water: Whether you add a fountain, pond, or water basin, be sure to use natural materials and have water flow from east to west with the sun. And don’t forget to add rocks and stones to your design; these are often more important than the plants themselves.