Whether for a small yard, suburban acreage, or somewhere in between, the landscape style you choose can transform the way you live, relax, and interact with nature. From elegant and symmetrical to wild and organic, landscape designs come in many forms, each with its own personality and purpose.
A well-designed landscape doesn’t just enhance curb appeal, it creates an experience, a mood, and a lasting connection to the outdoors. Living in the desert of St. George means we are somewhat limited to what vegetation tolerates our hot summers; however, there are many ways we can help you to combine some of your favorite landscape designs to do well in our environment.
Formal Gardens
One of the most timeless approaches is the formal garden, which emphasizes balance and structure through symmetry, neatly clipped hedges, and geometric shapes. These gardens often include specific focal points like fountains, statues, or gravel pathways creating a sense of order and refinement. Green shrubbery, neatly organized flowers and color arrangement all combine to enhance the organized look and feel of this design style.
Desert Landscape
Desert landscaping goes a step further by incorporating cacti, succulents, rocks, along with minimalist layouts suiting arid environments while still offering texture and interest. These gardens can create a feeling of quiet and stillness. Small pops of color using desert flowers such as desert sunflower or desert marigolds or flowering cactus like the prickly pear cactus with its bright yellow or orange flowers can add eye-catching variety.
Modern Minimalist Landscape
For a clean, sleek look, modern minimalist landscapes rely on a limited color palette, architectural plants, concrete surfaces, and water features to make a bold yet simple statement. Colors like white and/or black create a clean look and keep a smooth flow, but don’t afraid to add a simple pop of color. Adding pots with these landscape designs can provide a sense of order, clarity, and visual harmony; however, don’t forget to keep lines clean and simple. By adding or substituting cactus or succulents, this design style is a great option in our desert of southern Utah..
Japanese-Inspired Garden
If peace and mindfulness are your goals, Japanese-inspired gardens, sometimes known as Zen gardens, offer calm through bamboo, koi ponds, stone lanterns, and pathways inviting contemplation and slow movement. This style is often used for meditation and quiet contemplation and believed to have originated in the late 6th century in Japan. Add a separate pavilion or a “tea house” for entertainment along with a bamboo fence for a relaxing private space.
Sustainable Garden
Sustainability is also a growing focus in landscape design. Edible gardens, pollinator-friendly planting, and rainwater harvesting systems are increasingly blended into outdoor spaces, which allows homeowners to live in harmony with the environment while producing fresh food and/or supporting local ecosystems. Sustainable gardens also avoid pesticides and create designs to help prevent soil erosion. Much of sustainability focuses on reducing lawn sizes by replacing them with a variety of hardscapes such as permeable ground covers; this allows water to penetrate the soil instead of creating water runoff.
Mediterranean Landscape
Mediterranean landscapes are yet another popular choice, especially in dry climates. These gardens embrace drought-tolerant plants such as lavender, rosemary, and olive trees, and include rich toned materials like terra cotta, gravel, and stone to create a warm, sun-washed atmosphere. Add in a shaded seating area and water features such as fountains or a pool to create the look and feel of outdoor living. Many of the plants and trees used in this design style are the same as those often planted in southern Utah which thrive in our hot summer temperatures.
In the end, ultimately, landscape design is more than aesthetics. It’s a personal expression of lifestyle, climate, and values. Whether you crave order, serenity, productivity, or wildness, your yard is a canvas to reflect what matters most to you. In the end, every landscape is not just a backdrop to life. It’s a living, growing extension of who you are.
Schedule an appointment with us at True Roots Landscape & Design to create the landscaped yard of your dreams. Whether for your front yard, back yard, or both, we’ll help you achieve the look and feel you want. Create a new living space right outside your door.
