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Palm Springs gardens

Palm Springs gardens

Palm Springs Garden Design Style

Alluring, dramatic, and evokes images of mid-century modern aesthetics and desert landscapes, a Palm Springs garden is characterised by clean lines and minimalistic layout. Another important element when trying to capture this design’s essence is the harmonious blend of natural and architectural elements.

If you envision your garden to be the kind of outdoor space that’s both classy and functional, the Palm Springs garden design is the one you want.

Palm Springs Garden

Key Takeaways

The Palm Springs garden style combines the urban landscape of the California desert with minimalist elements and a retro vibe. This particular design aims to achieve an atmosphere that’s laid back and elegant at the same time. 

Going for a mid-century modern look, incorporating clean lines and geometric shapes, minimalist decor, and desert-inspired ornaments are the key to achieving an authentic Palm Springs oasis. 

The Palm Springs style combines glamour and fun, creating an outdoor environment marked with evergreen appeal. It supports an abundance of drought-tolerant plants, resulting in reduced water usage and maintenance. The use of aromatic plants helps support better wellness, too. 

Focal elements that help create a Palm Springs garden are its Californian desert inspiration,  white walls, serving as an eye-catching backdrop for sculptural foliage, drought-tolerant plants,  and curves and circles. 

A Palm Springs garden design uses structural and drought tolerant plants with popular options like agave and cacti being staple plantings. Succulents that are tropical looking such as bromeliad can also work, plus they’re easy to maintain. 

Understanding the Palm Springs aesthetic in garden design

When you think of Palm Springs, the images that first come to mind are poolside lounges, palm trees, cacti, and Hollywood stars. But as a garden design, the Palm Springs aesthetic frequently involves sleek materials, structural plants, and a stylish outdoor space that’s not tough to maintain. This gives your garden a laid back, yet glamorous feel.

Key principles of Palm Springs gardens:

  • Clean lines: Use geometric shapes as highlights and structured layouts for a polished look.
  • Minimalism: Keep plantings and decor simple and orderly to achieve a sleek aesthetic.
  • Desert-inspired elements: Use materials and plants that reflect the desert landscape, such as cacti and succulents, as well as gravel.
palm springs garden design

Why a Palm Springs garden is ideal for any setting

A Palm Springs-themed garden is the answer when you want a garden that’s modern, sleek, and low maintenance with plants that don’t need much watering. You’ll quickly see style and practicality rolled into one when seeing Palm Springs gardens.

Fortunately, Palm Springs gardens can thrive in Australian climates, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. With low water requirements and timeless appeal, it’s no wonder the Palm Springs design continues to be a popular choice here.

Benefits of Palm Springs garden design:

  • Creates a stylish, modern, and visually pleasing environment
  • Supports a wide range of drought-tolerant plant species
  • Enhances outdoor space with a minimalist, contemporary look
  • Use of aromatic plants can be beneficial health-wise
  • This design exudes a sense of playfulness despite its glamour

Essential elements of a Palm Springs garden

Here are important things to consider when designing a Palm Springs-themed garden:

 

white walls

White walls

Palm Springs gardens are easy to notice because of their white exterior walls, which also serve as an amazing backdrop for sculptural plants. In addition to white walls, use geometric shapes in pathways, garden beds, and structures for a sense of cohesion.

drought tolerant plants

Drought-tolerant plants

Palm Springs-themed gardens use sculptural and drought-tolerant plants with cacti a well-known staple. Then, incorporate mixed succulents and plantings of bright colours to bring more life to your outdoor space.

dessert-inspired elements

Desert-inspired elements

Aside from desert plants, materials like gravel, sand, and stone reflect the Palm Springs landscape.

curves and circles

Curves and circles

Spice things up in your Palm Springs-inspired garden design by incorporating a few circular garden features.

Resort pool side

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Selecting the right Palm Springs garden plants

Get the garden design you want with these top plant choices for a Palm Springs-themed style.

Sculptural plants:

  • Agave blue glow: Striking plants that enjoy basking in the sunlight.
  • Cacti: A staple plant in Palm Springs gardens. Top choices are golden cleistocactus, prickly pear, and more.

Succulents:

  • Artichoke agave: Low-maintenance succulent plant for added texture and visual appeal with rosette-shaped leaves and unique yellow flowers.
  • Bromeliad: Easy to care and tropical-looking plant with succulent leaves.

Shady palms:

  • Kentia palm: Elegant-looking with a slender trunk, best for smaller gardens.
  • Cabbage palm: A top choice as a landscaping plant in Australia for its ability to tolerate various weather conditions.

Palm Springs gardens stand out from the rest for their focus on drought-tolerant, sculptural plants, modern and minimalist landscapes, and an overall sleek aesthetic. It brings to mind the contemporary look and mid-century style that came to fame in the Californian city of the same name.

If you envision your Australian garden to be inspired by the key elements of this style, you can begin to bring your ideas to life guided by the features and recommendations discussed above.

You can also use our garden style plant calculator to figure out which plants suit your garden best based on its area size and layout.