In formal garden design, the right side of the garden is an exact image of the left side. The design of the garden consists of hedges that are precisely clipped and consists of various geometric shapes. This design is at its best if the house itself is also of the formal style, where the door is centered and has windows that match and are positioned at the same distance from the door at each side. In this way the garden is built by planting the same plants and shrubs on each side and in the same pattern.

Because of the hedging and the pruning that must be done to main the symmetry of the garden, its upkeep can be quite labor intensive. The most common type of garden design is informal since most houses built today are informal in structure, and although the right and the left sides are different from one another, yet still an attempt is always made to maintain them in a way that they will look balanced. By placing the same quantity on each side of the front or back doors, this task can be easily achieved. Maintenance can easily be achieved by annually pruning and trimming.

In the formal design, the pattern of the design lines can be emphasized by utilizing gravel and paving to help fill up negative spaces, to help define the walkways, and creating interplay of the color scheme in the garden. A major characteristic of the formal garden is the lack of organic shapes and the presence of clean lines that are created by tightly growing plants, especially hedges that make those lines possible.

If you are considering creating such a garden the best way to start is to surround a flowerbed by hedgerow . This will enclose the plants and the hedge will create a border. The addition of topiaries is a regular feature in a formal garden and they are made from the sculptures of hedges and tight evergreen bushes.