What kind of plants should I use to give my front garden a "modern Look"?

The garden itself is fairly small and square. I have a small tree in the centre and the rest is just grass, however I would like to do something different with it this year. (in the spring of course!)

What kind of plants should I use to give my front garden a "modern Look"?
Hi





A minimalist garden could be for you with a contempary feel.





Start with a list of things you do like and stuff you dont. Add pictures to build up an idea of where it might be going.


Plants yo may like or modern art/sculptures that you find interesting and find out about materials what is soft and smooth or uneven and rough. Colours also play a big part in a garden so build up on those too.


Building up a mood board will let you see what you like or dont like and give you a direction to head off in.





Once this is done you can then set about the shapes you might like to see in your space. Best way to do this is with a hose pipe layed on the floor. That way you can move it around to where you like.





You can start to build up a picture of where you are going at this point and start doing some drawings of what you would like where, shapes paving, water, shingle, grass, raised area's, planting that sort of thing.


Research materials needed. Plants and what goes where builing up a list of what you want.





Then its shopping time. Then back breaking time. Then enjoy your garden time.





Sounds long winded but its not. This way you dont end up with plants or paving you dont like together, saving you money in the long run.





No one can tell you how to do your garden only you know what you like.





Gardening is very personal and even emotional.


It will reflect you and who you are. So I wish you luck and If you need any advice just drop me a line.
Reply:Let me say first of all I have been to horticultural college and have studied plants and also completed Garden design courses.


I am therefore probably best qualified to answer your question.


If you are wanting a modern look I would suggest buying plastic plants .They are in bloom all the year round and require no watering except when you want to wash the dust off of them.


If you don't fancy the thought of Plastic plants then I would just get a load of ready mixed concrete and cover the whole damn lot. Plants are such a pain with all the greenfly , watering dead heading etc.
Reply:grow some marijuana you can get seeds at www.seriousseeds.com have fun
Reply:You could just stick to one colour flower eg. white and use plants with an architectural shape eg. corkscrew pine. My mum did something like this in her front garden and it's very effective.
Reply:Try a palm.
Reply:a rose bush
Reply:what about having bamboo and making your garden look oriental
Reply:Archetectural plants are good, stuff like Cordylines, Phormiums, Yuccas and Tree Ferns. Get a copy of Matt James book, the City Gardener who appears of Channel 4 sometimes, he has some great ideas! (it's cheap on Amazon!)
Reply:Depends if you are intending keeping the tree? If so what sort of tree is it? I would get rid of the grass (no mowing!!) and tree and plant bold shapes and colours, but stick to a theme if having flowers. I like purple, white and green best I think. I did my own small square front garden a couple of years ago. It's on a slight hill, so I dug up all the grass and put a rockery on the slope in the corner. The rest I divided up with a tiny winding path (only 30cm wide) of purple slate and bamboo edging and planted the remaining beds with easy to maintain plants. In the centre bed instead of a tree I have a modern style wire pyramid with honeysuckle and clematis on it. Lots of people have commented how unusual (and nice) it is.
Reply:make ur garden--multicoloured!! You can plant roses at the corners, and then after that white jasmines, and then tulips, prefreably yellow ones. And also keep some spiral walking path in the between of these three layers. You can also plant bushes at the border of the path.
Reply:Robert Plant
Reply:How about a scented theme? Remove some of the grass, perhaps around the edges, and plant camomile. Camomile lawns give off a lovely fresh scent when walked on. In the borders plant night-scented stock (as seeds) and scented leaved geraniums in front of them. You will then have not only the flowers but the delicious scent of these lovely plants, day and night. Wonderful!
Reply:Stick to simple, few and bold. Grasses and phormiums with natural stone underneath, like blue slate. If you are in an urban area, you could use glass instead (it is not dangerous)
Reply:get a rose bush. why not go garden centre together and chhose some seeds. or choose lots of seeds and hope that your garden will look good
Reply:Plastic - You don't have to water them - and they always flower.
Reply:Sasha if your front garden is small i would cover it then use bark chippings or 20mm stone then put plants in pots this way they can be replaced more easy and if true that we are heading for a hot year watering will be o lot easier and poor plant can be replaced. The cost of covering your front with Chippings is not as expensive as you may think and in the long run less work due to work. You then can plant most plants.