Contemporary Garden was designed around a Central Koi Pond

My wife and I would like to have the garden in our backyard redesigned. We have heard some of our neighbors talk about contemporary gardens, and wanted to know exactly what this term means.

Most contemporary garden designs are a blend of geometry, natural features, sculpture, masonry, and proportionally designed man-made forms. The very nature of any type of contemporary landscaping design is highly subjective, due to the fact that contemporary refers to virtually anything that is not historically traditional or characterized by a fixed form that assumes a static reality. Contemporary garden design will often blur the boundaries between the organic and inorganic, bringing into question our assumptions about the nature of life itself, and create a new aesthetic that combines natural tranquility with the eclectic, the intellectual, and the progressive.

Do they have more or less vegetation than typical garden?

The amount of vegetation in your garden is going to be relative to the overall size of the garden and the various structures and forms you use to shape the landscape. In a recent project we did in River Oaks, the only green areas in the garden were the four sides of the perimeter. This was done for two reasons. First, the original garden had been laid out in the form of a rectangle, which also provided an ideal template for a new, contemporary design. Secondly, the homeowners had requested we replace a three-tiered fountain in the center of the garden with a koi pond. Neither one of them was a swimmer, but both enjoyed conversation and entertainment at neighborhood pool parties. Knowing this about our clients, we decided to convert the central portion of the garden into a koi pond the size of large swimming pool. This gave them the equivalent of private, poolside seating on the new patio we built them, just next to a lighted fountain where koi fish darted in and out of the light.

Do contemporary garden designs feature a lot of abstract elements?

They can, but in the case of our River Oaks landscape clients, no abstract elements were used at all. Straight linear geometry was used to build almost every feature. The only exception to this was the way we did the masonry on the brick patio. We decided not to lay the bricks down in a typical linear pattern, but rather arrange them in diagonally in alternating rows. This created a sense of forward motion the minute you stepped out onto the patio, and helped to immediately establish the contemporary theme of the entire garden and landscape design.

We also built a stone walkway across the water using simple limestone slabs supported by pedestals hidden underwater. This created the illusion that the pads were floating on the water, although in reality they were fixed quite firmly in position, and could support the weight of anyone standing on them.

What types of plantings and decorations can you put in a contemporary garden?

Any type of plant life will work that is appropriate to a garden in general. As far as decorations go, many designers add a touch of the past to their contemporary design with small classical statuary, cherubs, or lighted fountains. Again, this is all highly subjective and depends on what you are looking for as a compliment to your home and yard.