From classic charbagh to modern green pockets, many types of gardens define outdoor spaces across Indian Landscape and Climate. Every garden style gives contextual aesthetics and functionality, blending cultural influences with garden design. Be it the tranquil Zen gardens, the exotic greenery of terrace gardens, or the formal buddhist garden, these types of gardens attempt to inspire your next intervention. Various elements like art, architecture, religion, climate, history, geography, politics, and cultural norms influence garden designs. You can enhance your interior and outdoor spaces with stunning garden designs by knowing all these types of gardens.

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Major Types of Gardens

Today’s modern landscape design incorporates features influenced by cultural garden types and styles from the past. From expansive garden plots to creating green pockets or planter boxes on facades, the evolution of gardens has been a continuous story since ancient times. There exist only two types of gardens: symmetrical and asymmetrical. Occasionally, a third category is referred to as wild gardens, which is essentially a blend of the asymmetrical style and features akin to a forest, as elaborated below.

1. Formal or Symmetrical 

A formal garden features a symmetrical design in a flat land. The geometrical shapes include squares, rectangles, circles, and borders with roads and paths cut at right angles. The symmetrical balance with trees is an individual feature. The Mughal, Persian, Italian, and American Gardens and many more are examples of Formal Gardens. Formal gardens are suitable for urban settings or near residences but require labor to maintain.

2. Informal or Asymmetrical 

An informal garden features an asymmetrical layout with flowing shapes and relaxed groups of plants. It may seem wild if not maintained properly, but when designed well, it appears natural. Despite being less labor-intensive, it still requires upkeep to prevent overgrowth. While asymmetry can have balance, it can also incorporate elements found in formal gardens, including axes and varied plantings in irregular beds and blocks.

1. Mughal Gardens

The Large Courtyard Culture surrounds rulers, aristocrats, and the elite class with a comfortable, relaxing, and visually appealing environment, with gardens playing a central role. To create a feeling of paradise, Mughal gardens have rectilinear forms, enclosed walls, and important features like pools, fountains, canals, structures, and a few artifacts. The home of love, Shalimar Bagh, was built in Kashmir in 1630 A.D. by Jahangir with the assistance of his son Shah Jahan. This Mughal garden has a zenana garden with an attractive design, with fountains surrounded on all sides.

2. Indian Gardens

India has a long history of landscaping, being among the initial civilizations to use gardens as a soothing and suitable setting for meditating. The lakes overflow with lotuses, and gardens adorn in flowers and trees during the Aryan epic. Vatsyana, between 300 and 400 A.D., described four gardens for kings, queens and ministers: Pramodoyan, Udyan, Vrikshavatika, and Nandanyan. Each had a water pool, lotuses, lilies, shrubs, trees, and climbers.

Later, Indian gardens took on different shapes in the following eras. The Buddhist garden was followed by the pleasure and tomb gardens during the Mughal period. Some of the other forms of gardens include Mauryan, Hindu, Rajput, and British gardens. Today, it has narrowed from being a garden to having green pockets.

3. Rajasthani Garden

Rajasthani gardens, which found their roots in the state’s rugged desert terrain, are an equilibrium of functional design principles and traditions of culture. These gardens have xerophytic plants, which have evolved to grow well in arid regions, like succulents, cactus, and drought-resistant shrubs. Around them are gravel walkways or dunes embellished with traditional architectural features like ‘baoris’ (pavilions) providing shade. Rajasthani gardens provide areas for rest and observation and act as calm shelters in the face of challenging weather. Its acceptance into the Indian environment demonstrates how to preserve regional customs and adapt to harsh weather conditions.

4. Buddhist Garden 

A Buddhist garden is a serene, contemplative space that embodies the core ideas of Buddhism. It is simple, harmonious with nature, and encourages mindfulness. The garden features a bodhi tree, a lotus pond, and a visually permeable barrier made of bamboo and wood. The layout promotes balance and harmony while curving walkways encourage exploration.

5. The Sacred Place

The private enclosed garden takes inspiration from Manasara’s nine-square mandalas. It divides itself into squares, triangles, or circles for specific activities. At its core, there is a temple, trees, grassy area, and mini waterfall along with traditional flowers. This garden can enhance the appeal and utility of smaller areas by including these features.

6. Pleasure Garden

The Garden of Pleasure surprises with its attempt to integrate all traditional udayan elements into a compact garden space that is expandable for larger areas. It includes an Otla with a swing extending from the house. Similarly, a narrow vertical jali on the wall hides the garden behind ornamental niches. A classic swing is on one corner. Additionally, there’s an open central area with fascinating plants, sculptures, or mica-flecked rocks mixed with white ganga pebbles nestled in each corner. A lotus pond is in one corner, while the others are around a tree.

7. Rock Garden

A rock garden, occasionally referred to as an alpine garden, is a significant area with different kinds of rocks, boulders, and stones. Evergreens, deciduous shrubs, bulbs, perennials, and annuals are all included. The soil has to have good drainage and a moderate amount of compost or humus. Shallow terrain or slopes with limited access to water are good options for rock gardens. Natural terraces or slopes are the ideal locations for it. Since they are difficult to keep weeds in and require frequent watering, rock gardens require minimal maintenance despite their visual appeal.

8. Water Garden

A water garden in the landscape instantly creates a feeling of peace and relaxation. Unlike any other garden feature, a small pond featuring water lilies, cattails, and Japanese Koi can completely transform an ordinary outdoor area into a serene oasis. For optimal growth of flowers or plants, it’s important to choose a location that receives a minimum of 10 hours of sunlight every day. The pond should ideally be 18”-24” deep to prevent freezing in winter. The positioning of water plants should be 9”-12” below the surface providing them with a more conducive growing environment. Suitable types of water plants include deep water plants, bog plants, floating varieties, and oxygenators.

9. Botanical Garden

A botanic garden is a public space that preserves collections of living plants that requires proper maintenance. With a focus on the study and preservation of native flora, it operates as a center for botanical research, conservation, education, and public display. Its main responsibilities include taxonomy research, botanical studies, conservation initiatives, government services, job opportunities, and providing visitors with recreational and educational options. NBS has identified challenges related to climate change, including urban space management and climate mitigation and adaptation.

10. Zen Garden

One of the most peaceful varieties of philosophical gardens created as artwork is the Zen Garden. Created as places for reflection and peace in ancient Japanese culture, these gardens have been thoughtfully designed for meditation and relaxation. Rocks, which are depicted as natural materials vital to Japanese garden design founded on religious notions, are central to their composition. In this setting, objects like water, rock, fences, bridges, pathways, and traditional Japanese furniture all have symbolic meanings that work toward achieving balance and harmony. Empty spaces are seen as crucial auxiliary elements that enhance the overall aesthetic and philosophical character of Japanese horticulture.

11. Sensory Garden

With complete immersion, sensory gardens attempt to stimulate visitors’ senses and strengthen their user behavior with the environment. Usually divided into various zones, each area concentrates on a particular sensory element—such as sight, sound, smell, texture, and occasionally taste—finalizing in a subtle combination. To create a user comfort, multifaceted experience, plants are chosen for their varied textures, scents, colors, and occasionally flavors. Incorporating sculptures and water features improves the garden’s aesthetic appeal and sensory engagement. The intentionally designed gardens are meant to provide guests with healing, instructive, and deeply engaging experiences with nature.

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12. Terrace Garden

Concerns like rapid urbanization, the boom in real estate trends, the construction of high-rise buildings, and heavy civil infrastructure projects, have led to a scarcity of land for gardening in cities. Terrace gardens offer space for cultivating both shade & non-shaded plants using various nets available in the market. Terrace gardening involves growing cereals, pulses, herbs, vegetables, and fruits on rooftops. The important factors include terrace capacity, waterproofing, drainage, container gardening, flower beds, terrace-specific landscaping principles, and optimizing vertical space utilization. This charming terrace consistently blossoms with a variety of seasonal flowers amidst lush tropical greenery, generating its unique microclimate.

13. Vertical Garden 

The effective performance of building occupants hinges not only on their sense of belonging but also on the indoor environment they inhabit. Another technique that enhances Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is the Vertical Garden, which involves covering any type of wall surface with vegetation. Using hydroponics, a vertical garden cultivates plants on vertically suspended panels, which can stand alone or be attached to a wall. These structures are designed to meet the growing energy demands of buildings. Vertical Gardens are categorized into two types: Green Facades, which incorporate flower pots and modular trellis systems, and Living Walls, which feature landscape walls, vegetated mat walls, and modular living wall designs.

14. Tropical Garden

Tropical gardens are characterized by their lushness and vibrancy, emphasizing bold colors and exotic foliage. Materials such as wood, bamboo, and stone are typically used in their construction. Common plants found in tropical gardens include palm trees, hibiscus, and bromeliads. Practical elements include pergolas for climbing plants, shaded seating areas, tropical-inspired lighting, and colorful containers for planting tropical flowers.

15. Modern Green Garden

This approach harmoniously integrates natural elements with modern design principles, crafting an inviting and visually striking outdoor environment.

This design ethos prioritizes abundant greenery to cultivate a dynamic and organic atmosphere, employing various components:

• A large, luxuriant party lawn for events and gatherings.
• Soaring, mature trees to provide shade and enrich the landscape.
• On the parapet walls, artistic constructions of green walls.
• Natural stone is used to create outdoor floors and paths that blend in with the environment.
• A broad canopy of greenery that provides shade and aesthetic appeal.
• vibrant floral arrangements that enhance the aroma and appearance of the garden

With rich types of gardens practiced historically, today’s contemporary landscape design often overlooks large-scale garden projects, favoring micro-scale features like planter boxes and simple green spaces. It’s vital to reconsider this approach and integrate cultural elements that enhance tranquility and elevate both indoor and outdoor environments. The concept of ‘greenery’ shouldn’t be limited to the color green or artificial elements but should embrace traditional gardening styles. These types of gardens bring timeless charm and ecological benefits, enriching the aesthetic and functional aspects of modern landscapes. Integrating these types of gardens can significantly enhance the quality of living spaces and reconnect people with nature.

Content Writing And Research By: Ar. Baarat Krishna