Scandinavian garden design is calm, practical, and closely connected to the surrounding landscape. Instead of filling every corner with plants and decorations, it relies on a few well-chosen materials, a restrained color palette, and strong seasonal structure.
The Swedish word lagom is often translated as “just enough” or “just right.” That idea captures the spirit of this style: nothing feels excessive, but the garden is never empty or cold. Wood, stone, evergreens, ornamental grasses, and simple flowering plants work together to create a space that feels natural and comfortable.
Landscape designer Evgeny Rai, head of the company Land&Shaft, explains how to adapt this approach to different sites and climates.
What defines Scandinavian garden design?
A Scandinavian-style garden usually has simple lines, limited ornament, and a strong preference for natural materials. It does not try to disguise the character of the property. Instead, it works with the existing trees, rocks, slopes, light, and views.
The planting palette often includes conifers, deciduous shrubs, ornamental grasses, and hardy perennials. White, gray, pale pink, blue, and muted purple are common flower colors, while foliage supplies many shades of green, silver, gold, and bronze. A brighter plant can still be used as a focal point, but it should have room to stand out.
This style is especially easy to create on a wooded property with dappled light, yet it is not limited to forest gardens. The same principles can guide the design of a sunny, open yard: use fewer plant varieties, repeat them in groups, choose materials that suit the local landscape, and leave some visual breathing room.
Start with the landscape you already have
Healthy mature trees are valuable assets. On a wooded lot, established pines, spruces, birches, or other locally adapted trees can form the framework of the garden. New beds can then be placed in the open areas between them rather than imposed on the site as a separate decorative layer.
Before adding plants, observe the property through the seasons. Note where the soil stays dry beneath tree canopies, where snow or rainwater collects, which areas receive afternoon sun, and which views are worth preserving. These conditions matter more than the name of any particular style.
If a tree must be removed because it is unsafe, dead, or seriously diseased, its replacement should match the available light, soil, moisture, and mature space. It does not automatically have to be another conifer. A native or regionally adapted tree will usually integrate more naturally and require fewer corrections later.
Low, spreading junipers can create evergreen islands in sunny, well-drained areas. Their foliage ranges from deep green to blue-gray and golden tones, making it possible to build a subtle composition without relying on flowers. Beneath existing trees, however, remember that shade and root competition can make the soil surprisingly dry.
Build structure with conifers and ornamental grasses
Conifers give the garden year-round structure, while ornamental grasses add movement. Even a light breeze animates their leaves and seed heads, softening the heavier forms of stone and evergreen shrubs.
Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis × acutiflora) is a useful vertical accent. ‘Karl Foerster’ is known for its narrow, upright habit and persistent flower stems; ‘Overdam’ adds variegated foliage. Other possibilities include purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea), tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa), and blue fescue (Festuca glauca). Choose grasses for your local hardiness zone, soil moisture, and light levels rather than selecting them by appearance alone.
Avoid collecting too many different conifers. A small number of repeated forms usually looks more convincing than a row of unrelated specimens. Combine an upright evergreen, a rounded shrub, and a low spreading plant, then repeat one or two of those shapes elsewhere in the garden.
Add flowers and seasonal color with restraint
A calm palette does not mean that a Scandinavian garden must be monochrome. Sage, veronica, creeping phlox, thyme, stonecrops, saxifrages, and other low perennials can add color without overwhelming the composition. Barberries offer foliage in green, gold, orange, or burgundy, although gardeners should check local guidance because some barberry species are invasive in parts of North America.
Rhododendrons can be beautiful companions for conifers where the conditions are suitable. They generally prefer acidic, organic, moist but well-drained soil and protection from harsh afternoon sun and winter wind. Hardiness varies greatly, so choose a cultivar recommended for your climate rather than assuming that one selection will thrive everywhere.
For a stronger seasonal accent, add one carefully placed deciduous tree. Rowan trees are particularly effective because they can provide spring flowers, colorful fruit, and vivid autumn foliage. Sorbus ulleungensis ‘Dodong’, for example, develops brilliant fall color and works well as a specimen where its crown can be seen clearly.
Use stone and wood that belong to the site
Stone has a special role in Scandinavian garden design, but more is not necessarily better. A single well-placed boulder surrounded by grass or groundcover can be more effective than a crowded rock garden.
Whenever possible, take cues from the local geology. Angular stones may feel at home on a rocky slope, while rounded boulders can suit a landscape shaped by water or glacial movement. Different stones can be combined successfully, but repeating a limited palette of color and texture helps the result feel intentional.
On an uneven property, large stones can reinforce slopes, define changes in level, and create planting pockets. This work must be structurally sound: retaining walls and major grade changes should be designed with drainage and local construction requirements in mind.
Stone paths visually connect rock features throughout the garden. Wood can provide a warmer alternative for decks, steps, boardwalks, screens, and raised paths. Choose durable material appropriate for outdoor use, and expect every wood surface to weather over time.
Create a more polished area around the house
The planting can become slightly more formal as it approaches the house. Compact conifers, clipped forms, flowering shrubs, and clearly defined paths help connect the garden to the architecture.
Western arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) cultivars offer several useful shapes. ‘Smaragd’ has a narrow upright form, while ‘Danica’, ‘Tiny Tim’, ‘Globosa’, and ‘Mr. Bowling Ball’ are rounded selections. Use them as accents or repeated structural plants rather than turning the entire boundary into an unbroken evergreen wall.
Hydrangeas can also work near the house, especially in a sheltered position with suitable soil and moisture. Their larger flowers provide a deliberate contrast to fine-textured grasses and conifer foliage. As with rhododendrons, the right species and cultivar depend on winter temperatures, summer heat, light, and soil conditions.
When arranging a bed, layer plants by mature height but consider the view from every important direction. Low groundcovers can soften the front edge; small shrubs and perennials create the middle layer; and one taller grass, shrub, or conifer can serve as the focal point. Leave enough space for each plant to reach its natural form.
Design for all four seasons
A good Scandinavian-style garden remains interesting after the flowers fade. Evergreen structure, attractive bark, berries, dried seed heads, and the silhouettes of grasses all contribute during fall and winter.
Before buying a plant, check its mature size, hardiness, flowering period, autumn color, winter appearance, and maintenance needs. Then imagine the entire composition in February as well as in June. This prevents a bed from looking crowded in summer and empty for the rest of the year.
Sunny sites can still use Scandinavian principles. Pines, birches, drought-tolerant grasses, pale flowers, gravel, and large stones can create an open northern character without copying a woodland garden. The goal is not to reproduce a particular country plant by plant, but to achieve clarity, restraint, and a strong relationship with the setting.
Is a Scandinavian garden low-maintenance?
It can be easier to care for than a densely planted ornamental garden, but it is not maintenance-free. Conifers can suffer from drought, winter burn, root problems, insects, and disease. Ornamental grasses usually need seasonal cutting, and spreading groundcovers must be kept within their intended area.
Maintenance becomes more manageable when the design uses plants suited to the site, groups them according to similar needs, and allows enough space for mature growth. A few well-planned beds integrated with the architecture and natural landscape are usually easier to maintain than a property filled with scattered specimens or a long, tightly packed conifer hedge.
The final test: does it feel lagom?
The best Scandinavian gardens do not call attention to every individual object. They feel balanced as a whole. Materials repeat, plants have room to breathe, and the design reveals the natural character of the property instead of competing with it.
Start with the existing landscape, add only what improves it, and stop before the composition becomes crowded. If the garden feels calm, useful, and complete—not too much and not too little—it is probably lagom.
