Below are some common design elements and objects found in many gardens.  Can you find any of these things in the garden images?  How many of them can you find?  What would you add to the list?

  • Allée:  A French word that refers to a straight walk in a garden, lined by trees or hedges.  The path is usually gravel, sand, or grass.
  • Bench: a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the garden!
  • Birdbath: a bowl-shaped sculpture with shallow water intended to attract birds.
  • Courtyard garden: a garden with surrounding walls or buildings.
  • Fence: a barrier designed to enclose or divide an area, often to keep animals out.
  • Fountain: a water feature using jets or streams, often with sculptural elements.
  • Gate: a piece of fence on hinges used to enter and exit a garden.
  • Gazebo: a small garden pavilion used as a place for people to gather and look at the garden.
  • Hedge: a line of tightly growing shrubs or trees, usually grown and trimmed to create a border between spaces.
  • Mural: a two-dimensional artwork, often painted on the side of a building.
  • Parterre: a French word meaning “on the ground,” it refers to symmetrical arrangements of flower beds in different shapes and sizes. For this reason, a parterre is often meant to be viewed from above.
  • Patio: a space, usually paved, within a garden used for sitting, dining, relaxing, etc.
  • Planter: a raised space for growing plants above ground level.
  • Pond: a body of water, smaller than a lake, often human-created.
  • Rock garden: a garden where plants are grown amongst rocks.
  • Roof garden: a garden grown on top of a building.
  • Sculpture: a three-dimensional artwork.
  • Topiary: the cutting and shaping of trees or hedges into various forms, often in geometrical shapes or to represent animals or other objects.
  • Urn: a large, decorative vase or pot, often used to display plants.
  • Window Box: a type of planter or mini-garden hung outside of windows to provide added decoration to a house or other building.