Plants Best Suitable for Various Types of Landscape Design

Updated: January 2026

The easiest way to make a yard look “designed” isn’t buying rare plants. It’s choosing plants that match a style on purpose—formal vs. cottage, modern vs. naturalistic, dry vs. wet—so everything looks like it belongs together. This guide covers the best plants for landscape design across popular styles in the USA, plus quick answers to the questions people search before they plant.

Which Plants Fit Your Landscape Design Style Fast?

What are the best plants for a formal landscape design?

Start with structure: evergreen shrubs you can keep crisp, then add classic flowering accents for seasonal color.

What are the best plants for xeriscape landscape design?

Choose drought-tolerant plants that thrive in sun and well-drained soil, then group them by water needs so the garden stays low effort.

What are the best plants for a rain garden design?

Pick moisture-tolerant natives and match them to zones from wet center to drier edges to handle stormwater swings.

Do native plants really work for landscape design?

Yes. Natives can be low maintenance once established, support pollinators, and still look clean and intentional with the right layout.

Which Landscape Design Type Are You Building?

If you’re not sure what style you’re aiming for, pick the feeling you want visitors to get:

• Formal and tidy (symmetry, clipped shapes, clean lines)
• Modern and minimal (limited palette, strong texture, architectural plants)
• Cottage and romantic (layers of blooms, softer edges, lots of seasonal color)
• Native and pollinator-friendly (habitat, long bloom season, natural drifts)
• Xeriscape and low-water (gravel, drought-tolerant perennials, hardy shrubs)
• Woodland and shade (ferns, understory shrubs, calm greens)
• Coastal (wind, salt, sandy soil, tough foliage)
• Rain garden (wet/dry swings, stormwater-friendly planting)

Quick Table: Best Plants by Landscape Design Style

Want a Clean, Formal Look?

Formal landscape design is “good bones.” Start with evergreens that naturally hold shape or respond well to light pruning, then add a few flowering focal points near paths and entryways.

Good plant choices:

• Boxwood (or similar hedge-friendly evergreens) for borders and symmetry
• Yew for deep green structure and winter presence
• Roses for classic focal points that feel intentional
• Hydrangeas for big seasonal blooms that read well from a distance

One simple rule: repeat plants. In formal gardens, repetition is what turns separate shrubs into a design.

Prefer Modern, Minimal Landscape Design?

Modern landscape design looks strongest with a limited palette and bold texture. Think spiky leaves next to soft grasses, clean hardscape lines, and lots of breathing room.

Try building with:

• Yucca or agave-style silhouettes (where climate allows)
• Sedum and other low succulents for tidy groundcover texture
• Ornamental grasses for movement without visual clutter

Modern beds often look better with fewer varieties. Two to five plant types, repeated, can feel more high-end than a “collector” border with fifteen.

Designing a Cottage Garden Without the Chaos?

Cottage style is lush and colorful, but it still needs a backbone so it doesn’t turn into a tangle by mid-summer. The secret is mixing structure with waves of bloom.

A practical cottage plant mix:

• Long-bloom perennials for color (coneflower, coreopsis)
• Lavender for scent and a clean edge in sunny spots
• One flowering shrub repeated two or three times to anchor the border

Plant in drifts (groups of 3–7) rather than single “one of everything” specimens. It reads as abundant, not messy.

Want a Native, Pollinator-Friendly Landscape?

Native landscape design isn’t one look. You can make it neat and modern or wild and meadow-like. The advantage is that native plants often fit local conditions and support wildlife.

A simple way to keep it looking designed:

• Use native shrubs as the structure layer
• Add native perennials for seasonal color and habitat
• Keep the edge crisp with stone, steel, or a mowed strip

This mix gives you the ecology benefits without losing the “landscaped” feel.

Building a Low-Water Xeriscape?

Xeriscape landscape design is not “just rocks.” It’s a low-water planting approach that still looks alive. Drought-tolerant plants like lavender, sedum, and agave can anchor the look because they handle heat and dry spells well.

To make xeriscape look intentional:

• Group plants by water needs (hydrozones)
• Repeat shapes (mounds of sedum, spikes of yucca, drifts of grasses)
• Keep mulch consistent (gravel or one type of bark)

If you can’t describe the bed in one sentence, it’s usually too complicated. Xeriscape shines when it’s simple.

Need Plants for a Rain Garden?

Rain gardens are built for extremes: wet after storms and drier later. Plant selection works best when you treat the garden like zones.

A simple zone approach:

• Deepest zone (wettest): moisture lovers like iris-type plants and sturdy natives
• Middle zone: plants that tolerate both wet and average soil
• Edge zone: drought-tolerant natives that can handle occasional runoff

This setup keeps plants healthy and makes the bed look planned instead of accidental.

How Do You Choose Plants That Won’t Regret You Later?

Before you buy anything, answer four questions:

1. What is your USDA hardiness zone?
2. How many hours of sun does the spot really get?
3. Is your soil usually dry, average, or often wet?
4. Do you want low maintenance, or are you willing to prune and divide?

Match plants to conditions first, style second. When plants are happy, your landscape design looks better with less effort—and you’ll spend more time enjoying your yard than troubleshooting it.