Foreign influence gardens

Mediterranean gardens are recognisable by their pastel palette, formal hedges, scented plants and colourful patterns. A space for entertaining is vital in any Mediterranean garden, but seating areas are usually shaded with a plant-covered pergola. Across the Med you’ll often find grapes hanging from these, but in the UK you can create a similar effect with jasmine, wisteria and morning glory, which will not only provide shade but also a subtle scent on summer days.

Because of the warmer climate in southern Europe, you’ll rarely find a lawn in a Mediterranean garden. Cobbled terraces – often created in intricate designs – or gravel patches, or a combination of both, are a more common sight, and walls are often decorated with patterned tiles in bright colours.

Complete your garden with drought-resistant plants such as rock roses, bay trees, lavender, rosemary and yucca. Succulents come in a huge range of shapes and colours, and work well with agaves, whose huge fleshy spiky leaves complement any Mediterranean garden.

A tropical garden is an opportunity to run riot with large-leaved plants and bright colours to create a jungle you could get lost in! Many exotic plants cope well with the British weather, though some varieties, such as orchids and banana plants, are more delicate and will need taking in or wrapping in protective fleece in winter. A straight path through a tunnel of palm trees presents some drama, or plant palms against a sunny wall to provide shade for a seating area.

The best tropical gardens are structured around a “backbone” of evergreens that form a canopy overhead and interest at ground level. As well as palms, consider fatsia, mahonia, ferns and bamboo. If you have the space, an eriobotrya tree will make a striking centrepiece and will also provide you with sweet loquat fruit in summer.

Look for plants with big leaves, strong shapes or contrasting colours, and create layers to give that jungle wilderness feel. Bright splashes of colour can be added with exotic bromeliads, dahlias, hibiscus, lobelia, begonia and fuschias.

As a complete contrast, a formal Italian garden relies on geometric shapes, structure and symmetry. It usually features a stone or gravel “promenade” that runs the full length of the garden, with square or rectangular topiary and trimmed hedges placed symmetrically on either side. Juniper, boxwood and Italian cypress are the most common plants used here, and they are meticulously trimmed to create a formal look.

Flowers rarely feature; instead, interest is created with water fountains, sculptures and statues, often of Roman gods and goddesses. You’ll also find urns, often accommodating bay trees or miniature olive or lemon trees.

To provide a contrast to the formality, you may often find a “secret garden” tucked away in a corner. This may be as simple as a bench in a shady corner, a seating area accessed through a rose-covered pergola or even a grotto – a natural or manmade cave complete with waterfalls and statuary.

You’ll find two types of gardens in France – formal and informal, though both have their roots in the Italian formal garden, and both follow the same structural ideas. The garden at Versailles is perhaps the best example of a French formal garden, and you can create something similar on a smaller scale. Symmetry and order are the rules here, and the garden is designed to complement the main feature – your house.

As with the Italian formal garden, French-inspired gardens are based around a central stone or gravel path, leading to one or several focal points, usually large stone fountains or sculptures. Clipped geometric hedges and topiary line the path, along with neat, clearly defined flower beds in shades of green, blue, purple and white.

A formal French garden incorporates straight lines and hard edges; it requires a lot of maintenance as anything encroaching outside the neat beds can ruin the illusion. On the other hand, a more informal garden will allow for plants to overgrow onto the path, and generally has more colour.

Common plants in a French garden include acanthus, agapanthus, bougainvillea, allium, sweet peas, roses and lavender – lots of lavender!