Colliding Styles: Getting to Know Fusion Gardens

It may be important to some to view different garden design styles strictly, but there's no reason it has to be that way for everyone. Enter fusion design, a way to mix styles to eclectic, deeply personal effect.

Although fusion gardens are relatively unlimited in their innovative uses of planting and features, they remain subject to the basic truths of their space: geometry, with its rectangles, rounds or a combination of both, still dominates layout. Fusion designers tend to resrict their planting palettes to low-maintenance, architectural plants such as bamboos and grasses, to create focal points or sculptural impact. 

These plants contrast nicely with a wide range of natural and man-made materials, used in dramatic visual elements or sculptural seating areas. Think steel with stone or concrete with wood. Glass walkways and translucent screens can be lit to create exciting night-time effects. The incorporation of such sophisticated lighting adds texture and interest to the design, while expanding the enjoyment of the space, both functionally and visually, into the evening.