Plant selection is one of the most powerful tools in a garden designer’s toolbox. The right plants define the character of a space, influence how it changes through the seasons, and affect how it’s used and maintained. For both aspiring and professional garden designers, knowing a core set of versatile, beautiful, and resilient plants is essential. Here are ten plants that every garden designer should be familiar with—plants that work in a variety of designs and climates and bring strong aesthetic and functional value to any landscape.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Lavender is beloved for its fragrance, drought tolerance, and ability to attract pollinators. With its silvery foliage and soft purple flowers, it suits everything from Mediterranean-style gardens to modern minimalist landscapes. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it a favorite in dry climates and xeriscapes.
Designers often use lavender as a border plant, in mass plantings, or to soften hard edges. Its calming scent and elegant form make it a multi-sensory addition to any space.
Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)
Boxwood is a classic evergreen shrub known for its dense, tidy form. It is highly valued in formal gardens for creating structure through hedges, topiary, or geometric borders. Its slow growth and tolerance for pruning make it ideal for low-maintenance garden frameworks.
Designers use boxwood to provide evergreen bones to a garden, offering year-round interest and a sense of order and balance.
Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)
The Japanese maple is a small ornamental tree prized for its graceful shape and dramatic foliage, especially in fall. Available in various leaf colors and forms, it works beautifully in traditional, modern, and woodland garden styles.
It thrives in partial shade and well-drained soil. Designers use it as a focal point tree, especially in small gardens or areas where visual impact is needed without overwhelming the space.
Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Coneflowers are North American natives known for their daisy-like blooms and pollinator-friendly nature. They bloom from summer into fall and tolerate drought and poor soil, making them an excellent low-maintenance perennial.
With varieties in purple, white, pink, and even orange, coneflowers add vibrant color and vertical texture. Designers love their adaptability and naturalistic appeal, especially in prairie or cottage-style gardens.
Ornamental Grasses (e.g., Miscanthus, Pennisetum, Festuca)
Ornamental grasses add movement, texture, and seasonal interest to garden designs. They vary in height and form, from compact tufts to tall, waving plumes. Grasses are ideal for softening hardscapes, filling gaps, and creating contrast with leafy or flowering plants.
Many grasses are drought-tolerant and require little care. Designers often use them in modern, prairie, and naturalistic gardens to add rhythm and year-round appeal.
Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
Hydrangeas are shrubs known for their large, dramatic blooms that range in color from blue to pink to white, depending on soil pH. They bloom throughout summer and can handle part-shade conditions, making them valuable in less sunny spots.
Designers appreciate hydrangeas for their lush, romantic look. They’re often used in borders, foundation plantings, or as statement shrubs in both traditional and contemporary gardens.
Yew (Taxus baccata)
Yew is an evergreen shrub or small tree with a formal appearance and strong architectural presence. It can be pruned into hedges, cones, or globes, and its deep green foliage contrasts beautifully with lighter or more textured plants.
Highly durable and long-lived, yew is a go-to plant for structure and winter interest. Designers use it in classical, minimalist, and mixed-style gardens alike.
Salvia (Salvia nemorosa)
Salvia is a perennial that provides long-lasting spikes of purple, blue, or pink flowers and is a magnet for bees and butterflies. It is drought-tolerant and thrives in full sun, blooming repeatedly when deadheaded.
Designers favor salvia for adding vertical interest and vibrant color. It pairs well with grasses and roses and is a staple in Mediterranean and cottage gardens.
Hostas (Hosta spp.)
Hostas are shade-loving perennials with lush foliage that comes in various sizes, shapes, and color patterns. While primarily grown for their leaves, many varieties also produce delicate lavender or white flowers.
They are ideal for underplanting trees, shady borders, or alongside paths. Designers rely on hostas to add texture, depth, and a cooling palette to shaded areas of the garden.
Climbing Rose (Rosa spp.)
Climbing roses offer vertical impact and timeless beauty. They can be trained over arbors, trellises, fences, or walls to add height and floral abundance to the landscape. Many varieties are fragrant and bloom for extended periods.
Designers use climbing roses to add romance and softness to vertical structures or to draw the eye upward in small gardens where horizontal space is limited.