Ornamental Gardening

Top 10 garden features to beautify your residential society

Last Update :October 14, 2022

Browse Other Topics:

For a landscape to be called as garden, it must be made up of lots of conventional and some unconventional garden features. The plantation part of a landscape gardening is called softscaping. In your own residential complex you can develop a complete garden by using right softscaping material.

Let's have a look at top garden features that can beautify your residential society:

1. Hedges

These are outermost boundary/ fencing plantations of garden that will separate your society garden from outside world. Along with a hard civil fencing, a live fence can be made.
The plants selected for hedges should be perennial with Bushy/shrub habit.
Hardy plants with uniform, multiple branching, and dense, evergreen foliage are selected for creating a screen effect. Plants also should be capable of withstanding regular pruning & trimming. Eg. Ficus benjamina, Clerodendron, Mehndi, Murraya etc.
You may want to read more about top 10 hedge plants in India for live fencing.
hedge plant to separate your garden from outside world

hedge plant to separate your garden from outside world

2. Edges

These are internal borders of garden that will delineate different garden features from one another. Eg. Border plantations along the internal pathways of garden. Edges are much shorter than hedges.
Edge plants are perennial dwarf shrubs or bushes with dense, ornamental foliage. The foliage should be suitable for pruning & trimming. Buy pruning tools online in India.
Read more about Edging plants for garden
Pruning edge plants

3. Ground covers

This is ornamental plantation done on the ground to cover the unused, empty open areas of society garden. One is not supposed to step on the ground cover plantations.
Perennial dwarf plants like trailers, creepers, grasses with rosette, or spreading habit are selected. The plants may have ornamental foliage or flowering. Plants that require least maintenance are selected for ground covers. Eg. Weddelia, Ipomoea batatas, Ribbon grass. Know about 7 beautiful ground cover plants for garden walkways.

4. Flower beds

The most exciting feature in your garden, these are beautiful mats of variously and vividly colored flowers in open sunny location of your garden.
To make perfect flower beds, seasonal (annual) flowering plants are grown. These are all herbaceous sun loving plants grown by planting seeds or bulbs.
Further reading:
10 tips to develop beautiful flower beds.
How to develop color scheme in flower beds!
colourful flowerbed

5. Lawn

A lush green lawn completes your garden. In your society, a nice lawn can be an activity area for playing, relaxing, conducting events, cultural programs and so on. Preferably a lawn should be made in a big open spot.
Read more about How to create a perfect lawn!
lawn

6. Arches

Arches are the ornamental entry points of your garden or any internal garden feature of your society. Arches can be made up of wood or metal. Arches look wonderful when climbers are allowed to grow on them.
Perennial flowering climbers, twiners Creepers like Bougainvillea, Ipomoea, Rangoon creeper etc. are grown on Arches.

7. Pergola

This is another exciting feature where series of arches are placed together to develop a tunnel like structure on one of the garden pathways. Pergola becomes an outdoor shed when climbers are allowed to grow on it & eventually completely cover the roof.
Plants used for pergolas are the same that are used for arches.
Read more about top 10 flowering climbers for an Indian garden.

8. Shrubbery

These are the spots of your garden where you can plant plenty of flowering shrubs, foliage shrubs and bushes. Flowers required for pooja rituals can be grown here. Even small trees can be grown in shrubberies. Shrubberies are also useful in hiding ugly outdoor structures like toilets, storerooms, pumping house etc.
Plants for shrubberies: Roses, Hibiscus, Acalypha, Nerium, Tecoma etc.
You may want to read more on how to take care of flowering shrubs.

9. Pathway trees

Small trees can be repeated in a line along the internal pathways of your society garden. These trees give that pathway a legitimate look; as the interconnected internal pathways of your society garden are used to reach various garden features. Small trees are also planted along a jogging paths.
Ideal pathway trees: Pisonia, Areca palms, Golden bamboo, Plumeria. Etc.
Further reading: 10 beautiful small flowering trees for your garden.

10. Avenue trees

Avenue is a broad road in your society that starts from main gate to the parking area. Avenues typically have trees at regular intervals along its sides. These trees are big sized with spreading canopy, either evergreen or blooming types. Avenue trees will give your society a grand look and real greenery that can transform the environment of your residential complex.
Further reading:
Top 10 shade giving trees in India
Top 10 beautiful flowering trees of India
Bio Aesthetic planning
avenue trees to create green ambience