Image Credit: Flashcoo
Informal is defined as “casual, not ceremonious, suited for everyday use” and that definition plays out perfectly in an informal garden. Instead of straight lines, axis designs, and strategic placement of hedges and trees, informal design utilizes undulating lines and mixes shapes, colors and textures into large garden beds. It’s become much more likely to be found than formal gardens, and focuses on creating a more groomed idea of what you would find in nature. Wildflower, shakespeare, cottage, landscape, rock, and naturalistic gardens are typically informal.
Image Credit: Gardening with Confidence
Image Credit: Linen Hill Gardens
Image Credit: Moosey’s Country Garden
Image Credit: Silva Landscapes
Image Credit: Monet Gardens at Giverny
Image Credit: Marilyn Young
Love this mix of white roses clementis, found on Garden Design. The owner said that the clementis kept the roses from looking “skanky” after they bloomed.
Image Credit: Jan LeCocq
An informal winter garden, via Garden Design.
Image Credit: Daily Mail
Even a kitchen garden can be informal, if you mix herbs with vegetables in the same container. Designed by Daylesford Organic Garden via Pinterest.
Image Credit: Dawn Compton
Conifer Garden designed by Dawn Compton.
Image Credit: Rob Cardillo
I promise this is a photo, not a painting. Found via Garden Design.
Informal design often uses existing structures, like fences and buildings, as bases. Turning functional items into works of art.
Image Credit: The Garden Wanderer
A stone fence garden, via The Garden Wanderer.
Image Credit: RDM Architecture
A wandering path through a naturalistic cottage garden, via Houzz.
Image Credit: Unknown
Modern cement steps and lilies, from the Chelsea Flower Show, via Aussenwelten.
It’s a fallacy to assume that informal and contemporary styles don’t mix well. These images show how perfectly the two styles mix. Designers have successfully used contemporary design materials like concrete, stone, and steel mixed with traditional plants like iris and maple.
Image Credit: Andrea Georgia
From the Chelsea Flower show, via Gardenweb Forums.
Image Credit: Laurent Perrier
Modern concrete planter surrounded by greenery.
Image Credit: Gemma and Andrew Ingalls
An informal succulent garden, via Garden Design.
Image Credit: Kim Cosgrove
Contemporary garden design, via The Creative Gardener.
Doesn’t this lawn make you want to walk barefoot through it?
Image Credit: Unknown (please email if yours)
Which type of garden design do you prefer, formal or informal?
Founded in 2009, Honeysuckle Life® is your source for lifestyle inspiration with a focus on vintage modern decor, simple recipes, stylish entertaining ideas, and beautiful travel destinations. Edited by Rebekah Marenda Burder and published by D2L Studios, LLC.
