Garden Design Trends and Ideas For 2024

Garden lighting can do far more than just make it easier to see at night. With carefully planned outdoor lighting through garden design, you can turn your outdoor living space into a little piece of paradise. Below, we explore how exterior lighting and modern garden design can come together to create a stunning space.

 

How To Design a Balcony Garden

Balcony gardens are the answer to being surrounded by greenery when you don’t have a lot of land to work with. When it comes to creating a beautiful balcony garden, there are a few tips you can follow to accomplish the task:

 

• CONSIDER A PLANTER GARDEN. If you have any oversized planters, plan out a dedicated space for them to fit. Using containers and pots for your garden instead of plots of earth requires a bit more planning, so take into account the size of the planters before committing to them.

• CREATE A GARDEN ROOM. With doors that lead out to the balcony kept open, you can create an extra room that seems to just be an extension of your indoor living space. Add furniture, decor and plants that go with the interior space to achieve the best results.

• PLANT YOUR FLOWERS ACCORDING TO SUNLIGHT. It is important to consider just how much light your balcony gets when choosing what plants to have. If your balcony never gets direct sunlight, for instance, you will want to avoid plants that require it.

• BE MINDFUL OF THE WEATHER. In a similar vein, if you live somewhere that gets a lot of rain, having cacti and succulents might not be the best option. For hot and arid balconies, however, they may be the perfect choice.

• CHOOSE ELEGANT POTS. You don’t have to only use the typical reddish-brown pots on your balcony. Choose planters in various colours, materials and textures to change things up and create a unique space.

• EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT HEIGHTS. Similarly, you don’t have to put all of your pots on the ground. Smaller plants on tables or hanging from an area above can create a lush environment surrounded by greenery that you’ll love to relax in.

• USE A LADDER. Small pots can be placed on the shelves of a decorative ladder for a boho chic look.

 

6 Ideas for Different Garden Themes

If you don’t want to start from scratch and test your creative limits, you could always go for a themed balcony. Some of the trendiest balcony themes today are:

 

• Mediterranean
• Herb Garden
• Split Level garden
• Cottage garden
• Vegetable garden
• Wildlife Garden

 

Mediterranean Garden

There are a few cornerstone pieces that any Mediterranean-style space should have. This includes tiles reminiscent of the architecture of ancient buildings that are often seen in Mediterranean countries. They are also quite durable and won’t crack in the sun.

Shaded seating will keep you out of the rays of the sun as well, letting you enjoy the warm summer breezes without being in the sweltering sun, a common feature in Mediterranean spaces.

You should also choose plants that are Mediterranean in origin and quite low maintenance. These include the popular choices of silver and green leafy plants, drought-tolerant Mediterranean spurge and ornamental grasses. A gravel garden is another beautiful way to bring the Mediterranean lifestyle to your back garden.

 

Herb Garden

Herb gardens are not only a subtle and stylish way to beautify your space; they can also be quite practical and rewarding, thanks to their edible quality. To create an herb garden, you can plant various herbs in small pots with colourfully labelled sticks indicating which is which. A raised herb garden will add some dimension and style to the space as another option.

To bring some boho chic charm to your herb garden, consider recycling old items like jars and small bottles to plant your herbs in. This is also an eco-friendly option, so you can do your part while creating a beautiful space. Baskets and other unconventional styles and shapes can add flair to the area.

 

Split Level Garden

With a split-level garden, you can create separate entertaining areas, such as a casual seating area and a dining area. You could also devote one level to plants and decor and another to entertainment.

You can preserve the longevity of delicate flowers and plants by keeping them on a separate level this way. Here, you can also use outdoor garden lighting to your advantage. Stringing up the same kind of LED garden lights in the two levels will give the areas a streamlined look.

 

Cottage Garden

Go for something a little cosier, softer and more intimate with a cottage-style garden. This type of garden is most often characterised by plants all across the garden instead of grass, first and foremost. Surrounding trees with floral blooms also creates the free-spirited feel of everything running wild in nature, which is a key feature of cottage spaces. To create a more uniform look in such a wild space, you can place raised beds to bring a sense of order to the area. Finally, place screens throughout the garden and consider stringing up fairy lights to give it that fantasy feel.

Vegetable Garden

Similar to the herb garden option, vegetable gardens have the benefit of being practical and rewarding while also pleasing to behold. You can begin your vegetable garden in a small area and grow outward, especially if you’re a beginning gardener.

Choose a few low-maintenance plants to get yourself comfortable with gardening on your own, and then move on from there. It may be tempting to grow veggies that are appealing to look at as they grow but to make sure they actually get used, you should grow vegetables that you actually like to eat.

 

Wildlife Garden

Those who want to do their part to preserve nature can create a wildlife garden that is friendly to various creatures. You can grow certain flowers that support the lives of bees and butterflies or include hedges that provide important shelter for various types of critters. Trees are always a good choice, as they provide not just shelter but also nesting sites and food to various animals.

 

How To Use Art in a Garden

Using art in your garden isn’t as difficult as it sounds. There are many beautiful sculptural pieces that you can incorporate into your space seamlessly. Certain features include:

 

• Paving stones
• Bottle art
• Painted fences
• Floral decoration
• Rock art
• Sculptures
• Mosaics
• Water features

Below are some tips on how to add art to your garden area:

 

• PICK A FOCAL POINT PIECE. Having something large and eye catching can make your garden beautifully dramatic. A lot of times, people choose water features to this effect, but you could also choose a large sculpture.

• PLAN THE ART AROUND THE OTHER PARTS OF THE GARDEN. Put decor near parts of the garden that you want to draw the eye toward. Putting it near plants will make them stand out. The same goes for ornate trees and bushes.

• DON’T OVERDO IT. Try not to overcrowd your space with small sculptures. A few tucked away here and there and a larger feature in a more noticeable place will prove in short order that less can certainly be more.

• CONSIDER THE SCALE OF YOUR GARDEN. Think about how large or small your garden really is when selecting decor. For instance, a piece might seem large in the shop, but when you take it home, your large garden swallows it right up and makes it difficult to see.

• USE LED GARDEN LIGHTS. Placing LED in-ground lights under sculptures or near water features can allow you to shine light directly on them. This will draw even more attention to the parts of your garden you want to get noticed.

 

Great Ways To Use Water Features in a Garden

Take a look at some of the different types of garden lighting features you can use in your outdoor spaces:

 

• RAISED POND. A raised pond as a focal point draws the eye to the center of the garden and leads attention outward from there.

• WATER RILL. Water rills add serene feelings to a garden, making them perfect for creating a zen space. They can be made from all manner of materials.

• GARDEN POOL. A garden pool is a fresh and modern way to create a focal point in your garden. A pool looks best when placed closer to your home and looks even better with the occasional aquatic plant in them.

• GARDEN FOUNTAIN. A water fountain will bring both movement and audible elements to the garden, which can also make it quite serene.

• WATER FEATURE SCULPTURE. Choosing pieces such as ones that allow water to drip and cascade down them will have a similar effect as a fountain while also adding another visual element to the space.

• WILDLIFE POND. This type of feature is not only a great addition to cottage gardens, but it can also promote the health and well-being of the local wildlife.

• For something truly dramatic, a waterfall is ideal. The rushing sounds and eye-catching nature is the perfect focal point, no matter the type of garden.

 

How To Use Lighting in a Garden

External lighting is an excellent way to spruce up your garden. Getting the lighting right is therefore an important part of garden design and should be among the first things you consider when planning your garden. Below are a few light-specific tips to create a garden space that is comfortable and beautiful in equal measure:

 

• PLAY WITH LANTERNS. Hanging lanterns along a railing, on the ceiling or the wall can create a whimsical appearance. If your space doesn’t innately allow for it, you can hang a small ladder from the ceiling and attach the lanterns that way.

• WALL SCONCES. By installing LED wall lights on your garden wall, you can bring illumination from top to bottom with ease. Outdoor wall lights are diverse in appearance and can be matched to the decor in your space.

• FAIRY LIGHTS. Known to add whimsy to any space, this type of lighting can make your garden area come to life with magical flair. They can be strung up along walls or over seating areas to lightly illuminate the desired areas.

• GARDEN SPIKE LIGHTS. LED spike lights allow you to place lighting on the ground around the paths leading through the garden. They are also a great choice for installing around a seating area. This will create a cosy, low-lighting appearance with a soft glow as the illumination.

 

What Is a Low Carbon Garden?

A low carbon garden is a garden that lessens the amount of carbon released into the environment. It does this by taking in the carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and then turning it into glucose, which they then use to help them grow.

 

Planting more plants outdoors can help suck up quite a bit of carbon in the air. Below are a few tips on how to accomplish this:

 

• PLANT IN LAYERS. Layering perennials, types of ground covers and shrubs beneath towering trees will provide carbon absorption throughout the garden.

• PLANT LONG-LASTING PLANTS. The more you need to turn the soil to plant new plants each year, the more you are disrupting the ecosystem and interrupting the absorption of carbon. Choose low-maintenance perennial plants to combat this.

• OPT FOR SHRUBS. Dense, woody shrubs with a permanent framework made up of branches are good for locking in carbon. This is especially true of plants that have an intricate root system.

• CHOOSE NATIVE PLANTS. Native plants that have less to adapt to in an environment can put most of their energy into converting carbon.

• ADD TREES. Trees naturally absorb a lot of carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen in large numbers, so you cannot go wrong with a few trees.

• GROW A HEDGE. As mentioned, hedges serve as shelter for wildlife, which you likely care for if you are interested in a low-carbon garden. Hedges are also dense and often woody, making them a surefire way to suck up more oxygen.

 

What Is Vertical Gardening and How To Use It in a Garden 

A living garden wall is a botanical wall that is full of plants inside planters. They are constructed out of a modular framework that is capable of being scaled down or up depending on the amount of space that you have to work with.

Typically, they will come with water pipes hidden away that give them the hydration they need to all but grow on their own. They are remarkably versatile and can be constructed any way you like to suit your taste and visual goals.

There are many benefits to having a living garden wall. Some of the perks include:

 

• Air quality improvement
• Natural insulation all year-round
• More greenery means a happier mood
• Elevation of your outdoor living space

To enhance your living garden wall at night and keep it visible, you can incorporate lighting. Shining LED spike lights and other types of ground lights at the wall will ensure that it is visible both day and night.

Small garden design styles tend to prioritise space-saving elements, making a vertical garden wall ideal. Outdoor lighting can be focused on your garden wall to make it stand out and keep the plants visible.

Alongside spike lights, you can also incorporate your small garden lighting ideas into the wall itself. Adding garden wall lighting to empty spaces on the wall can create a wall washing effect on the areas around it to better show off the details of the plants.

You could also incorporate spike spotlights near the base of the wall at a close distance to create wall grazing effects. Garden lighting like this will show off the unique textures of the plants themselves, adding another visually intriguing element to the wall.

Your outdoor garden lighting design could also include overhead lighting above the wall. Using pendant lights or even track lighting above it, you could make your vertical wall feel more like a gallery.

 

 

 

Why Outdoor Kitchens Are Great for an Exterior Area

Outdoor kitchens are an excellent way to extend your indoor living space into the outdoor area of your home. Much like an indoor kitchen, outdoor kitchens can serve as a multipurpose space that can transform your outdoor living experience.

 

Entertainment

Outdoor kitchens are a great idea for entertaining guests and throwing parties. You can hang around with your friends and cook or grill, letting you be a part of the action while you get food ready. Garden lighting design can be worked into the area so that it’s well lit for socialisation.

 

Décor Possibilities

Outdoor spaces can be made to feel like a magical and whimsical area with the right lighting. Turn your garden into a place of refuge with a mix of garden landscape design and modern garden lighting ideas. Exterior wall lighting, garden path lighting, spike lighting and other forms of exterior lighting can transform your patio and deck areas.

 

Improved Quality of Life 

Spending more time outdoors has many benefits, allowing you to breathe more fresh air and get more vitamin D from the sun. Beyond that, with easy access to a grill, you can enjoy healthier meals more often.

 

Increased Resale Value

Garden design ideas for home sellers, such as outdoor kitchens and a quality outdoor lighting design, can bump up the resale value of your home. Studies indicate that a home with an outdoor kitchen can raise the price of your home by up to 30 percent.

 

Lower Energy Bills

Cooking indoors can heat up the house quickly, especially if it’s smaller. This means having to run the air conditioner more, especially in the summer, to keep things cool and comfortable. By cooking in an outdoor kitchen, you won’t have to worry about heat building up in your home. This will naturally lower your energy costs, since you won’t be using as much.

 

Keep Food Smells Outside

If you’re cooking fish or even something with a lot of garlic and onions indoors, you may end up with the aromas of the food lingering. By cooking outside, you can keep your indoor environment more pleasant.

Why Fire Pits Are a Popular Addition to Garden Areas 

Garden lighting trends shift with time, but there is one source of light that never goes out of style: a fire pit. Fire pits allow you to enjoy the warmth and comfort of sitting around a fire without fear of accidentally catching your surroundings on fire.

It is one of the most low maintenance garden lighting styles you can incorporate since all it requires is the occasional dumping of ash. Garden lighting design ideas that include fire pits provide a lot of personality for the outdoor living area and will help you get use out of your outdoor living space, even in the colder months.

Around the fire pit, you can place plenty of seating for you and your guests to enjoy the fire. You can also enhance the general illumination of the area to help your eyes adjust when looking away from the fire for any length of time.

You can accent the cosy feeling that fire pits bring with supplemental lighting, available in many forms. Create a whimsical feel by draping string lights over the seating options, which can help section off the fire pit as well.

Go even further and install spike lights or bollards around the fire zone to more clearly define it. Pathway lighting leading up to the pit area is another great use of your garden design ideas, as it enhances both the visibility and the safety of the area.

Give the Garden Some Interest with Raised Beds and Containers 

Including raised garden beds in your garden design can give it a fresh and invigorating look and feel. Small garden design ideas usually emphasise making the most out of the space where you can, and small containers with flowers and plants can help you do just that.

With a raised bed, you can stay in control over the soil conditions and types the way you may not be able to do with the natural ground on your property. This will yield the best results for the particular flowers you want to grow, so you’re more satisfied with the end result. Design garden lighting around the raised beds to really make them stand out in your garden.

Exterior lighting design can easily be incorporated around your garden beds. By illuminating the beds themselves with spike lights or similar ground lights, you can create a focal point in your outdoor living space. Draw attention to these raised beds with spotlights to show off the plants and bring more visual interest to the area.

If your beds are near a path, outdoor lighting for garden boxes can be incorporated in the form of recessed lighting. Install recessed fixtures along the paths being sure to place a few by the raised box itself for more subtle illumination.

 

How To Design An Alfresco Outdoor Dining Area 

As you sift through the many styles, you may be wondering how to design a garden that is best suited to your taste specifically. Below, you’ll find a few tips on how to create the best outdoor dining area you can:

 

• SHELTER YOUR SPACE. Give your garden the feel of a roadside cafe in a quaint city with a covered dining area. Not only will this protect you from the sun and rain as you dine, but it also opens up opportunities for lighting that might not have been otherwise available.

Overhead coverings allow you to hang pendant lights or outdoor chandeliers over the dining table. They’ll provide plenty of light to see while you eat, while also creating a focal area out of the dining space.

 

• CHOOSE THE RIGHT FURNITURE. Every outdoor garden space has its own personality, and you can extend that personality through furniture. Wood, rattan or fabric furniture can influence the general vibe of the outdoor area, so choose what best works for your space.

 

• LIGHT IT UP. Lighting is important in your al fresco space. You need to be able to see while you’re eating and also see the people who you are eating with. Pendant lights, wall lights and even ground lights can provide illumination for the job, creating both ambient and task lighting.

 

• ZONE THE AREA. Find a way to separate the dining area from the other sections of the garden. This can be done with lights, but it can also be done more subtly with plants and raised beds.

 

• MIND THE CHILL. If you want to use the dining area when it’s cold out, you’re going to need a way to keep warm. This can come in the form of heaters or even fire pits if you want to keep with the cosy outdoor feel of the rest of your garden.

 

Ideas for Low Maintenance Garden Areas 

If you want to spend more time enjoying your outdoor living space and less time maintaining it, there are a few things you can do.

 

• KEEP THE PLANTING SIMPLE. Choosing evergreen plants and durable shrubs are best for low maintenance gardens. These hardy plants won’t need to be replaced every year, and certain evergreen plants will even drop fewer leaves for you to rake up.

 

• CHOOSE LOW MAINTENANCE LIGHTING. Low-maintenance lighting, like LED lights, is perfect for those who don’t want to fuss with their fixtures. Outdoor wall lighting, spike lights or pendant lights with LED bulbs will require far less maintenance than traditional bulbs. You may just have to, on occasion, dust them off.

 

• USE A TIMER. By setting your sprinklers to turn on automatically during certain times of the day, you won’t have to go out and individually turn them on or manually water your plants.

 

• LAWN EDGING. Keep weeds from invading your garden by edging the borders. This involves creating some sort of barrier between your garden and the borders. Doing so will keep everything neat and tidy while making it easier for you to manage.

 

• USE RAISED FLOWER BEDS. Raised beds can improve drainage and reduce the growth of weeds, limiting how much time you need to spend weeding. They can also be built at a height that is more accessible, so you don’t have to get down on the ground to plant and weed.

 

Sustainable Gardens for a Greener Garden 

How to design garden lighting that is gentle on the environment is something that is on the minds of many homeowners. There are a few things you can do to contribute to the overall health of the planet.

 

Save the Bees

The pollinators of the world are dwindling in number, which can quickly spell bad news if not remedied. Help support bees and butterflies by planting plants that they love to encourage pollination and support diversity.

 

Avoid Peat

Peat is thought to be one of the largest stores of carbon dioxide on the planet. In its natural boggy habitat, peat is good for the ecosystem. Removing it to include it in your garden can cause an unwanted shift in the distribution of carbon dioxide, which can be detrimental to Mother Earth.

 

Choose LED Lighting 

Outdoor wall lighting, pendant lights, path lights and beyond should all have LED bulbs. These bulbs use 80 percent less energy than their traditional counterparts, which means less of a strain on the environment. They are also rated to last tens of thousands of hours, so you won’t be throwing bulbs out as frequently as you would other lights.

 

Conserve Water

By watering your garden from natural water sources or even the tap, you can save on water usage. Sprinklers that run all of the time tend to use more water than is necessary, which can go to waste.

 

Choose Eco-Friendly Materials

Avoid buying single-use plastics for your plants, such as seedlings or even flimsy plastic pots that will need to be replaced often. Being more mindful of the materials you garden with can go a long way towards creating sustainable garden lighting.

 

Urban Garden Design Techniques

A typical garden lighting design guide will often focus on those with a lot of room to spare. Urban gardens, on the other hand, do not. Make the most out of your urban garden with these tips:

 

• POTTED PLANTS. If you don’t have a lot of land to work with, you can use potted plants and raised beds instead. These allow you to grow the same kinds of plants you would be able to in the countryside without the need for all of that extra space.

 

• UTILISE THE SHADE. Oftentimes, urban gardens are surrounded by buildings and high walls. Choose plants that love the shade and grow them for a healthy, thriving urban garden.

 

• TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HEAT. Urban area gardens tend to be warmer than gardens in the countryside. Take advantage of certain plants that love warmer spaces, such as succulents, cordylines and palms that you wouldn’t be able to grow anywhere else.

 

• CREATE AN INDOOR/OUTDOOR TRANSITIONAL SPACE. You can make your urban garden feel more spacious by blurring the lines between inside and out. Arrange the room in front of your patio or balcony door to be cohesive with the outdoor space, creating a nice flow and the illusion of more space.

 

• PLAY WITH LIGHTING. By installing exterior lights in your urban garden, you can turn it into a functional living space at night. Wall lights, pendant lights and other such fixtures make it easier to see at night, so you can enjoy the space after dark as much as you do during the day.

 

 

Five Unique External Lighting Options for Your Garden

 

 

2. LWA706 12 Watt Square Black Outdoor Wall Light

Modern gardens can instantly benefit from the inclusion of the LWA706 12 Watt Square Black Outdoor Wall Light. The square wall light adds contemporary style in the form of a cube shell and square opal diffuser that looks decorative in and of itself. It shines a gentle illumination that turns it into excellent supplemental lighting, especially as a part of a layered light system.

 

3. LWA703 12 Watt Square LED Outdoor Wall Light

Using the LWA703 12 Watt Square LED Outdoor Wall Light, you can draw attention to certain features in the garden. By installing this light on a wall above a sculpture, water feature or any favored plants and shrubbery, you can put the item front and center. The square shape of the light paired with the sleek profile allows it to fit in beautifully to any contemporary garden.

 

4. LFL026 10 Watt 700mm Tall Black LED Bollard Light

Create a well-lit footpath with the inclusion of the LFL026 10 Watt 700mm Tall Black LED Bollard Light. This simple black light features a post and a disc-shaped head that casts light down directly onto the ground. It is a gentle way to make traversing the garden safer and easier but can also be used to surround a seating area for gentle, low-lighting options.

 

5. LFL016 1 Watt LED 1000mm Tall Black Garden Spike Light

Decorative and modern, the LFL016 1 Watt LED 1000mm Tall Black Garden Spike Light adds an instant visual update to your garden. The thin, tall post and rounded light head offer an air of minimalism while it shines a light along paths and seating areas. The LED spike light can also be used like the others to draw attention to certain areas of the garden.

 

A well-used occupied garden is as important to a home as the interior space. Above, we have explored various ways for you to make the most of your garden, from lighting to water features to plants and design themes.