34 Vibrant Plant Garden Ideas

Gallery featuring 34 vibrant plant garden ideas, showcasing the breathtaking range of possibilities for your own backyard.

Welcome to our gallery of lush plant gardens!

In the world of landscaping there are plenty of options. Gardens are a popular choice for many homes and there are a number of different kinds of gardens. There are gardens constructed out of sand, such as zen gardens, or even gardens that are simply arrangements of stones; although most gardens are filled with plants.

Gardening can become an amazing pastime. If you have a green thumb, there is likely nothing you love more than being in the garden bed, trimming your plants and caring for your growing crops.

The types of plants you can fill your garden with vary widely. Your garden can be filled with vegetables, flowers, or even just wonderful leafy plants.

While the image of flowering plants and bushes typically comes to mind when someone says the word ‘garden,’ a garden does not need to have flowers. There are plenty of plant arrangements that can look amazing even without the presence of flowers.

What are the pros and cons of plant garden?

Pros:

Could save money – Many plants produce edible food that could save you money. Fruits, vegetables, berries, and flowers can all be harvested. If your plants produce harvestable items and your garden is prolific enough you can save money on buying these items in the future.
Teaching and bonding – Gardening is a great activity that can be fun for the whole family. Teaching children to garden can provide them with skills and values that will last them for the rest of their lives. You can teach patience and how to care for things while instilling a sense of hard work. It is also a great way to spend time with your family out in the garden.
Return to nature – Gardening is one of the best ways to connect with nature; you can really get back to earth and enjoy Mother Nature at her finest.
Increase yard appeal – Plants bring a greater curb appeal and vibrancy to your home.

Cons:

Initial investment – Gardens take a bit of initial investment to set up properly. Even a basic garden requires investment.
Skill – Gardening is a skill that takes time to learn and comes with practice. You will likely make mistakes, but you will learn from them as well. Books, websites, and online communities may have great information and tips, but there is nothing like learning through experience. Don’t expect to be a primary gardener right away.
Plant loss – In the process of gardening you will inevitably lose plants. This can be frustrating but it is part of living and learning.
Hard work – Most plant gardens require work. They demand continued care and attention.
Specific to area – In many cases, depending on your local climate, you are restricted in the types of plants you can grow. Certain plants are particular about their growing conditions. You will have to learn what grows best in your location, as well as what kinds of plants grow well together. When you have a garden with many different plants, you may want plants that need about the same amount of watering and sun. Having half of your plants drown just so you can water the rest can be an issue if your plants are incompatible.

If you are looking to install a new plant garden, you can install a bare dirt plot for around $402. If you have extensive landscaping you may end up spending more. Gardens like this average around $614. If you are rejuvenating your space and replacing an old garden with a new one, you can expect to spend around $537.

Of course this is also dependent on size. Smaller gardens require less effort, less materials, and smaller tools. Gardens less than 500 square feet may cost around $483. The larger the garden, the more it will cost. A garden between 500 and 1000 square feet costs approximately $604. From there on up, 1000-2000 square foot gardens average $827, 2000-3000 square foot gardens average $1004, 3000-4000 square foot gardens average $1172, and gardens ranging between 4000-5000 square foot average $1394. (Source: Red Beacon)

Find more backyard ideas in our definitive guide to backyards!

Plants can have a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and textures. Even without flowers you can have a variety of different shades and depth of color. Subtle contrast amongst shades of green can be as effective as flashy colors.

This lush plant garden creates a walkway between two lovely patches of plants, making a fabulous path through the yard.

Traditional Landscape by Eugene Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Mosaic Gardens

Plant gardens are amazing for lining walkways and pairing with stairs. A flourishing plant garden along the path is a great way to keep people from wandering off the walkway into areas meant to be off-limits.

Plant gardens do not have to be large or massive to make an impression. A small patch of interesting plants can be perfect to punctuate a lawn or walkway.

One way to spice up the area around the base of a tree is with a nice plumage of plants. It gives your tree plantings depth and a visually interesting element. Learn more here.

Traditional Landscape by Chicago Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers The Brickman Group, Ltd.

This neat backyard space is weaved in fantastic brick pathways. The plant gardens tucked between these paths are lush and varied, making this space blooming.

With small controlled plants, your garden can have a very specific design. Here are a few plants used to build a cool and fun design within a rock garden.

With the right plants you can really let them go wild. This space has a naturally wild look that makes the area dreamlike. When your plants climb the walls and grow over the path you are bringing a nice dose of nature to your space. Source: Zillow Digs™

This fantastic pondside garden introduces the qualities of a wild marsh to the backyard. You can recreate different ecosystems in your yard with the right combination of plants.

Traditional Landscape by Silver Spring Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Cathy Carr, APLD

If you are not interested in mowing, you may choose to replace your entire lawn with large plants. This gives your yard depth and makes for an interesting look. You can sit on your patio surrounded by a consuming plant garden.

If your space is city-locked, a lush plant garden can bring nature back to into your life. A tall and wide bed of green plants can turn your urban patio into the rustic countryside. Learn more here.

Here is a well designed and organized plant garden. Plant gardens such as this make a perfect centerpiece for a landscape. It is the perfect focus point for your yard and really heightens your design.

Traditional Porch by New York Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Jeffrey Erb Landscape Design

Grass-type plants are great for filling space as well as providing depth and variety to your garden. If you have unused space, filling it with plants can make your area feel more cozy and lively.

One way to accentuate your water features is to have hanging plant gardens. These hanging plants give manmade structures a lively appeal. Hanging gardens are one of the best ways to quickly cover a wall in greenery.

Mixing plants can be a delicate balance. In this garden, there are some plants with little leaves in a bright and vibrant green, while others have large leaves in dark and rich greens. Source: Zillow Digs™

If you want your garden to be well lit at night you can install well lighting into your garden. Well lighting highlights your plants from underneath, giving your garden a nice glowing quality.

Contemporary Landscape by Seattle Architects & Building Designers Rhodes Architecture + Light

One of the great things about a varied plant garden is that you can let the plants grow wild and consume your area while still looking great. Moss and foliage look fantastic lining and covering stepping stones.

Even on a well manicured lawn you can place a number of bushes and trees to give good depth and variety to your space. You can really let your space reflect your style by the placement and types of plants chosen. Source: Zillow Digs™

You can grow small plant gardens in many places as they can fit nearly anywhere. You can fit a small plant garden in the spaces between large rocks and boulders. Small plant gardens look great amongst large stones.

Contemporary Landscape by Novato Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Derviss Design

If your property lines a forest you can use plant gardens to blend your garden space into the woods. This creates a wonderful transition from your yard into the wilderness of the forest.

Even without flowers this plant garden has a wide variety of shades and colors; rich dark tones, bright patches of vibrant green, and luscious reds all grow here. There are so many color combinations that can be built with plants.

You can build layers into your plant gardens. By placing smaller plants under larger plants you can create a full and lush garden. Your garden will never feel empty when you have filler plants like this.

Tropical Landscape by Miami Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Raymond Jungles, Inc.

Here is a garden with a wide variety of plants that have grown wild, resembling a jungle. With a garden like this you would feel as if you are lost in the wild.

You can combine a few flowering plants with non flowering plants. This gives your garden a good variable look. The mix of plants are great for a dynamic and interesting garden.

Small plant gardens are great for filling space with vibrancy. These plants are great for making otherwise unused space appealing and interesting.

Modern Landscape by Sydney Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Secret Gardens

One way to build a dynamic and interesting plant garden is with a number of large bushes. Bushes take up a good amount of space and many can be trimmed into interesting shapes.

Bring life to your walls with plants. Some plants can even grow within the nooks and crannys of a brick wall. This can give your wall an aged and weathered look.

You can line smaller plants up in designs, creating a cool and organized look. Source: Zillow Digs™

Raised garden beds are perfect for plant gardens. Raised garden beds make gardens easier to care for and prevents them from becoming overgrown into unwelcome spaces.

Contemporary Landscape by San Diego Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Amelia B. Lima & Associates

If you have the right combination of plants you can create a wall of greenery. This plant wall is made from a variety of plants that makes the wall look wild and untamed. The bramble comes to a sudden halt at the path that runs through this yard.

Here we see a sundial in the center of a nice plant garden. The stepping stones have plenty of greenery between them, and the light dotting of flowering plants lends the garden a touch of color without being overwhelming. Learn more here.

Contemporary Landscape by Encinitas Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers debora carl landscape design

If you look hard enough you can find a unique and visually intriguing combination of plants. There are many uncommonly used plants that can truly set your garden apart.

This yard has a small manicured lawn that has been surrounded by lush plant gardens. The plants have been left to run wild and appear to be swallowing the lawn area. This design makes it look as though the lawn has been carved out of the wilds of nature.