Exploring Garden Styles: Part 5: Modern & Adaptive Living
- Robyn Cates
- Nov 13, 2025
- 5 min read
Farmstead Garden Contemporary Urban Garden Xeriscaping Garden
This series is La Madrina's guide to 16 distinct garden styles, each paired with a mini design lesson to help you translate inspiration into action. From layout and plant selection to climate considerations and maintenance tips, we’ll walk through the elements that make each style work—and how to adapt them for Indiana’s growing conditions.
Landscape Design 101
Site survey and Planning
A site survey involves carefully observing and recording factors such as sun and shade patterns, soil type, drainage,, topography, structures, and property features like utilities. By understanding these conditions before selecting plants or designing layouts, you ensure that every element is placed where it will thrive, In landscape design, site planning ensures that each garden style works with the land rather than against it.
Modern & Adaptive Living
From the Farmstead, Contemporary Urban, and Xeriscaping garden styles, we learn that successful landscape design is about adapting beauty to function and environment. Each style responds to its setting: the Farmstead Garden celebrates practicality and productivity with edible and ornamental plantings tied to rural roots; the Contemporary Urban Garden maximizes small spaces with clean lines, container plantings, and efficient layouts; and the Xeriscaping Garden proves that design can thrive with minimal water through smart plant selection and soil management. Together, they teach that great landscapes are not one-size-fits-all—they blend purpose, place, and sustainability to create spaces that truly belong where they’re planted.
Farmhouse/Rustic Landscaping
Farmhouse/Rustic landscaping evokes the charm and simplicity of rural life, blending practical functionality with natural beauty. This style features informal plantings, edible gardens, and natural materials, creating an inviting, unpretentious, and often nostalgic atmosphere. It's a wonderful choice for homes that seek a cozy, lived-in feel, particularly fitting for properties in Indiana with a connection to its agricultural heritage.
Key Design Elements: Expect elements that are both decorative and functional. A classic white picket fence or split rail fence often defines boundaries. Raised garden beds for vegetables and herbs are common. Pathways are typically informal, made of gravel, wood chips, or simple stone. Outdoor living spaces might feature a porch swing, rocking chairs, or a rustic fire pit. Materials like reclaimed wood, old farm implements (artistically repurposed), and natural stone contribute to the aesthetic. The overall feel is one of comfort and approachability.
Plant Recommendations for Indiana: Edibles like tomatoes, peppers, corn, squash, and various hardy herbs (e.g., mint, oregano, thyme) are central. Flowering plants include those with a country charm such as Sunflowers, Zinnias, Marigolds, Lavender, and Daisies. Fruit trees like Apple, Pear, Cherry and berry bushes (Blueberry, Raspberry, Elderberry) can be integrated. Ornamental grasses and hardy shrubs like Hydrangeas (e.g., 'Annabelle' or 'Limelight'), Lilacs, and Viburnums fit well. Climbing plants like Wisteria, Trumpet Vine, or climbing roses on pergolas or fences enhance the rustic appeal.
Best Climates/Regions & Historical Background: This style is well-suited to temperate climates with fertile soils, such as Indiana, which has a strong agricultural tradition. It draws inspiration from traditional American farmsteads and rural gardens, emphasizing self-sufficiency and a connection to the land.
Practical Implementation Tips: Integrate edible plants seamlessly into your ornamental beds. Create a clear, yet informal, entry sequence to the home. Design functional outdoor "rooms" for dining, relaxing, and gardening tasks. Consider adding a small water feature like a rain barrel connected to a downspout for practicality and charm. Embrace seasonal changes and the natural ebb and flow of a working garden.
Contemporary Urban Garden
The Contemporary Urban Garden adapts modern landscaping principles to smaller, often constrained city spaces like patios, balconies, and compact backyards. It emphasizes clean lines, functional design, sustainable practices, and a minimalist aesthetic, creating a sophisticated and tranquil retreat within an urban environment. This style is perfect for downtown nand condo dwellers who desire a stylish, low-maintenance outdoor extension of their modern home.
Key Design Elements: Hardscaping is key, often using pavers, composite decking, or gravel to define spaces. Vertical gardening solutions (green walls, espaliered plants) are common to maximize planting area. Built-in seating, sleek planters (metal, concrete, or composite), and minimalist water features (e.g., a simple bubbling stone or linear trough) enhance the contemporary feel. Lighting is integral, often integrated into hardscapes or plant beds to create ambiance. Color palettes are typically restrained, allowing the architecture and plant textures to stand out.
Plant Recommendations for Indiana: Plants are chosen for their compact size, architectural form, and hardiness in containers or small beds suitable for Indiana's climate. Examples include ornamental grasses (e.g., various sedges, smaller varieties of Switchgrass Shenandoah, Fountain Grass), evergreen shrubs (e.g., Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Boxwood, Inkberry Holly), and small specimen trees suitable for containers (e.g., Dwarf Japanese Maple, Serviceberry). Perennials like Hostas, Coral Bells , and Lenten Rose can provide texture and color. Herbs and compact vegetables can be grown in stylish, weather-resistant planters. Consider using Indiana native plants adapted for urban conditions, such as Prairie Dropseed or Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle.
Best Climates/Regions & Historical Background: Highly adaptable to various climates, this style is specifically designed for urban settings where space is at a premium. It draws from modernist architecture and sustainable design principles, catering to contemporary lifestyles that seek beauty and functionality in compact outdoor areas. It's well-suited for Indiana's urban centers with their four distinct seasons.
Practical Implementation Tips: Maximize usable space by incorporating multi-functional elements like built-in benches with storage. Choose durable, weather-resistant materials suitable for outdoor urban exposure. Plan for efficient irrigation, such as drip systems for containers. Consider strategic lighting to extend the usability of the space into the evening. Focus on a few key plants or features to create visual impact without overcrowding the space.
Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping is a landscaping approach focused on water conservation through efficient irrigation, appropriate plant selection, and thoughtful design. Far from being barren, a well-executed xeriscape can be vibrant and diverse, utilizing drought-tolerant plants to create beautiful, sustainable outdoor spaces. It's an essential style for regions facing water scarcity or for environmentally conscious homeowners.
Key Design Elements: The seven principles of xeriscaping include planning and design, soil improvement, efficient irrigation (often drip systems), appropriate plant selection, mulching, limiting turf areas, and proper maintenance. Design often incorporates rocks, decomposed granite, and pathways made of permeable materials. Swales or rain gardens may be used to capture and direct rainwater.
Plant Recommendations for Indiana: Drought-tolerant plants that thrive in Indiana's climate are key. Succulents like Sedum and Sempervivum, hardy cacti (e.g., Eastern Prickly Pear), ornamental grasses such as Muhly grass, Little Bluestem, and many native plants (which are naturally adapted to local rainfall) are prime choices. Other popular options include Lavender, Rosemary ('Arp'), Russian Sage, and various varieties of Yucca (e.g., Yucca filamentosa) and Juniper.
Best Climates/Regions & Historical Background: Xeriscaping is particularly vital in arid and semi-arid regions such as the American Southwest, parts of Australia, and the Middle East. The concept originated in Denver, Colorado, in the 1980s as a response to drought conditions and growing awareness of water conservation.
Practical Implementation Tips: Group plants with similar water needs together to optimize irrigation efficiency. Use a thick layer of organic or inorganic mulch to retain soil moisture and suppress weeds. Consider removing non-essential turf areas and replacing them with drought-tolerant alternatives or hardscaping. Always check local water restrictions and available rebates for xeriscape installations.
Let’s keep growing.
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