How to create a minimalist garden

Minimalism. A hot buzzword in interior and landscaping design, but what does it actually mean? Let’s unpack with a brief history of the movement: Founded in the 1960s, minimalism championed owning less and appreciating the beauty of simplicity and function. Concurrently, the post-WWII art world shunned embellishment in favour of empty space. At the intersection of life and art, minimalism was born. And it soon found its way into home and garden design. 

With such a heavy focus on minimalist homes in recent years, it’s time to turn to the great outdoors. Let’s face it, your bathroom has probably been decluttered within an inch of its life, your wall hangings levelled and re-levelled, and every light bulb in your home stripped of elaborate shades. Next up: the garden!

As well as creating a contemporary aesthetic (you’ll feel like you’re on the grounds of an A-list celebrity’s home, in your own garden), minimalist gardens require very little upkeep. The clue’s in the name really – minimalist garden, minimal maintenance – but maximum impact. Using just five minimalist garden ideas, you’ll craft a high-end plot sure to spark garden envy among all your summer party guests.

This doesn’t mean binding yourself to blacks, whites, and greys to achieve the minimalist look – far from it. While a monotone theme can look stunning, it goes against our instincts to bin the colour chart.

The signature minimalist touch comes from the effortlessness of your space, so why not choose one colour theme instead? Think of it as creating warmth in the simplicity of shades, building an appreciation of natural colours and tones. This way, you’ll end up with an outdoor space that’s minimalist in style, but big on personality. Weave your chosen hue throughout cushions, plants, and other accents. Which leads us to our next top tip…

Introduce nature into your garden in the form of native plants. Low maintenance and easy to nurture, they require little water – so you can enjoy a gorgeous floral display without all the upkeep! After all, minimal maintenance is one of the best perks of a minimalist garden. Trust us, it’s all about the low-maintenance minimalist garden design. Here are a few of our favourites to pick from, depending on your chosen colour theme:

Hard landscaping is one of the most defining features of any minimalist-centric space. It quite literally refers to the hard materials in your garden – like concrete, bricks, and walls. It’s the key to turning the most mundane aspects of your space into a dramatic focal point. For example, create a perpendicular, hard-landscaped path up to your shed or a seating area for an easy minimalist feature. Or if you’re working with a sloping garden, create defined tiers with the help of our blog.

Negative space is the yin to hard landscaping's yang –  you can't have one without the other. In garden design, negative space refers to any area of uninterrupted hard landscaping. Especially when framed with a delicate array of native plants, we recommend keeping negative spaces to a gentle colourway. Then you’ll truly appreciate the contrast of natural greenery vs manmade materials.

You can also use gravel to create texture within your hard landscaping. Whether it’s scattered in or amongst your yard’s borders, it’s a super simple way to create depth and play around with materials. Or why not truly embrace the modern aesthetic and create a whole rock lawn? Whatever your preference, there’s no denying that gravel is perfect for suppressing weeds, keeping maintenance to an ultimate minimum! Paired with some minimalist garden furniture, it’s a win-win.

While minimalist interior design favours bare bulbs, when it comes to the outdoors, natural lighting is all the rage. And it’s just as well, as this requires literally no effort from you! Maximise natural light using garden mirrors – just a few will make your garden space feel lighter, brighter, and twice the size. All without using electricity.

When day turns to dusk, light up a couple of simple LED wall lights to keep the sleek, angular theme going around the clock. Or why not add a contemporary fire pit to illuminate your garden, keep you toasty, and elevate your modern square garden design game?

So, there you have it. We hope that any misconceptions about minimalism meaning quite literally *nothing* have been banished from your mind – it’s far from replacing everything with grey concrete slabs. With all the social media inspo accounts out there, it’s easy to be overloaded with ideas and end up with a jumble of a garden. Just take a breath and let the urge to add frills pass – remember, less is more! So head outside, take our five minimalist contemporary garden ideas with you, and let us know how you get on in the comments!