Design feature – Formal Garden

A formal style of garden is of timeless appeal. Formal gardens suits heritage style houses, mansions, large blocks or small urban elongated spaces.

Facts

Aims– A sense of grandness
Words which would be used to describe your formal garden– elegant, classical, graceful, sophisticated
Features to build the garden style – Stone paving, retaining walls, classical style water features, ponds, fountains, paterre gardens, symmetrical lines, sitting areas, tree lined driveways, a ‘grand entrance’
Garden theme for formal landscapes – All greenery ‘manicured’, use of green and one colour flower, use of hedging to create lines
Plant examples for formal design– Buxus sempervirens, aborvitae hedge, syzgium christmas bush, juniper spartan, camellia sasanqua, azalea, gardenia florida, michelia scented pearl

Like all garden design styles, there are plenty of options when it comes to design, materials used and plant choice allowing the design to be adapted to your budget. As the formal design tends to use alot of hedges creating the classical feel to your space, the ongoing maintenance of your garden will need either your time or an on-going budget for a gardener, which is a consideration to be factored into your decision on style.