Create a Contemporary Environment with Modern Landscaping

What is modern landscaping?

One of the most interesting and creative forms of landscape design is modern landscaping. Modern landscaping is all about carefully selecting your design elements to create a contemporary aesthetic that will stay consistent. Well-known elements include clean lines, interesting mixes of textures and shapes, minimalism, and less color than traditional landscaping. Modern landscaping often features artificial materials, such as concrete walkways and pavers, metal fences, and interesting ornamental grasses, succulents, or other trees and shrubs, sometimes in beds of stone instead of grass or mulch. It can feature many interesting decorative landscaping pieces, including natural pools or distinct plants.  

The benefits of modern landscaping

It's not just about the looks. This approach also features a lot of sustainable aspects and utilizes solar and wind power, as well as rainwater collection. Drought-resistant and easy to maintain, the modern concept is a wonderful choice for Florida landscaping. To learn more about the history of modern landscaping, as well as its sustainable features, read here.

This unique style of landscaping often emphasizes inorganic materials shapes over organic ones. This creates more contrast between landscape and architecture. Instead of a flurry of bright colors, choose more pale and neutral, natural colors. Instead of organic mulch in garden beds, use gravel. Stone pavers can be cut in interesting geometric shapes, and straight lines and shapes can be used in your design. Plants, instead of being multitudinous in variety and quantity, should be grouped carefully, and centered in a similar theme, color, or style.  

Using organic elements in your landscape design

If you aren't interested in the inorganic route, the principles of modern landscaping can still be developed in your design. Use walkways or pavers to create structure surrounding shapes. Xeriscaping, whether with organically or inorganically, automatically modernizes the yard as opposed to a traditional grass lawn. Flowers or wooden features can bring warmth to the landscape. The essence of modern landscaping is structure and organization, but within those boundaries, the material is much more flexible. You can still choose the plants and elements you like best, but with a more structured concept and clearly defined spaces to contain them.

Some interesting plant choices for modern landscapes include succulents, grass, and stone. Placing natural plants inside a structured environment helps them stand out, so plant selection is more precise. Succulents and other plants can be spaced out in gravel, outline pools or patios, flow together in groups, or peek out of raised beds. Ornamental grasses tie the landscape together, filling in gaps and softening edges. Shrubs or trees make wonderful centerpieces or accents.  Interested in the ideas and principles of modern landscaping? Looking to incorporate its structure, organizational, and defined shapes into your landscape design? Contact the friendly professionals at LawnMore to learn more about how to modernize your Gainesville landscape design.