When you picture a garden, you probably imagine clipped hedges, orderly beds and layers of blooms framing an inviting outdoor retreat. It’s a timeless look—and one we’ll always love—but today’s most captivating landscapes often break the rules.
Whether it’s sculptural plantings, unexpected color palettes or designs that blur the line between architecture and nature, an unconventional garden can transform a property into something truly memorable. If you’re looking to move beyond the expected, these inspired ideas prove that a garden can be as distinctive and beautifully designed as the home it surrounds.
Garden sideways
Wall gardens were introduced when people just wanted more green in their lives than they had horizontal space for, according to Chris Raimondi, a certified landscape professional and president and CEO of Raimondi Horticultural Group in Ho-Ho-Kus. “Indoor green walls and vertical wall gardens came about because of how tight space can be, at first in commercial office buildings where people wanted plants around but didn’t have the room,” he explains.
Today, they go far beyond that. Garden walls bring nature close to us and, if they also prompt guests to peer for a moment in fascination, well, what’s wrong with that? You can go simple with trellises and climbing plants or stacked, tiered planters. But you can also opt for a garden that, in many ways, takes care of itself: “When they’re installed by a professional, these walls have watering systems installed with them,” says Raimondi. “They have irrigation pumped right through the back.”
Think native
All of us are craving a more sustainable lifestyle, and that’s certainly an ethic that’s extending to our gardens. Here’s the good news—the result is often beautiful and serene. A meadow garden calls to mind rolling hills and nostalgic childhood afternoons, mixing longer native grasses with flowering perennials to evoke a landscape the sprang up naturally. It creates a charming, whimsical backyard.
These gardens also use plants native to the area to promote biodiversity and give pollinators a home. According to Michael Kolenut, the owner of Lincoln Landscaping in Franklin Lakes, native plants also “require less input, meaning watering and fertilization, as they’ve adapted to the local growing conditions.” They’re also beautiful, with options like coneflower, bee balm, golden groundsel and wild ginger creating a beautiful world of color.
Head to the desert
We’re not just bringing this up because of the recent heatwave! Cactus and succulent gardens are beautiful, trendy and add a layer of interest and texture to your garden that you just can’t get anywhere else (and they can be great for beach houses, where the sandy soil and odd drainage can make conventional plots a challenge). There are also cacti with bright, beautiful blooms.
Looking for options hardy enough to handle the NJ weather? Options include tree cholla cactus, which is striking, cold-hardy and produces vibrant magenta or purple flowers; the claret cup cactus, which can survive in temperatures up to -20 degrees and has bright red, cup-shaped flowers; and the low-growing brittle prickly pear, which will give you lovely yellow flowers.
Let hardscape shine
A patio is the standard in outdoor entertaining, and we love options to expand it with outdoor kitchens, chic outdoor living areas, pavilions and fire features. But you can also go the extra step further and let your hardscape be the star of your garden, rather than creating a garden that’s accented by hardscape. It can be a work of art in itself.
A hardscape labyrinth design, accented and enhanced by turf and plants, adds something unique and historical to any space. Or consider winding hardscape paths, inspired by botanical gardens, that weave in and out of natural features and end in benches for quiet moments together. A mix of steppingstones and gravel create a space that feels intentional while also keeping a distinctively coastal air.
Be internationally inspired
You can also make your garden truly transportive and look overseas for guidance. Japanese garden design is iconic, soothing, guided by a deep philosophical history and designed for peaceful contemplation. Think asymmetry, scenery enclosure, framed views and lots of dry rocks with carefully added pops of green color.
These gardens are often centered around (and focus on enhancing!) naturally occurring features, so this is the time to embrace and work with your yard’s quirks, rather than fighting them. Make that boulder a centerpiece or create a water feature on that piece of uneven ground. A Japanese garden aesthetic is also focused on the “hide and reveal” principle, where different parts of the garden can been seen depending on where a visitor sits to enjoy it.
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