13 Garden Investments Designers Say Are Worth Every Penny

Creating a garden starts with intention: good planning, smart investments, and loads of patience. Whether it’s plantings, garden furnishings, accents, or hardscape, attention to detail and quality is essential for creating an outdoor space you’ll love in every season.

Most designers say a garden should be treated as an outdoor room, which means it benefits from the same design standards as any other space. “We invest in quality sofas, lighting, and finishes inside our homes because we want them to perform beautifully over time. The same philosophy applies outdoors,” says Kerrie Kelly, NKBA, FASID, CEO and creative director of Kerrie Kelly Studio, and NKBA 2026 National Board Chair. “Good investments create comfort, longevity, and a sense of place, while often reducing maintenance and replacement costs down the road.”

Choosing pieces that last allows a garden’s appeal to reveal itself slowly. “A garden is one of the few spaces that actually improves with age, so it makes sense to invest in elements that grow more beautiful over time, rather than deteriorate,” says Lauren Lee, senior associate in exterior/interior design at Hoerr Schaudt. “Unlike interior furnishings that can be refreshed relatively easily, many garden features become integrated into the landscape itself. High-quality materials develop character, mature gracefully, and often become more valuable as the garden evolves around them.”

Ahead, here’s what designers say are their favorite investments for any garden, including their own.

A Long-Term Plan

Hire a landscape designer to craft a plan, rather than haphazardly adding elements to your garden over time. “Think about the long game, both the plants and the pieces throughout,” says Katherine Aul Cervoni, founder and principal of Staghorn NYC and The Cultivation by Kat. “A thoughtful plan helps avoid costly mistakes and ensures that every dollar spent on installation works harder. Just like kitchens and bathrooms, even modest gardens benefit from having a clear vision before work begins.”

Caroline Sharpnack, styling by Frances Bailey, architecture by Brooks & Falotico

Architectural Elements

Adding something permanent to your garden provides a sense of history. “Architectural elements that become lasting features of the landscape, such as a greenhouse, a vintage limestone trough fountain, or antique planters that have already stood the test of time, are worthwhile investments,” says Lauren Sullivan, founder and curator of Well x Design and Well Found. Her own favorite backyard addition? “Without question, the greenhouse. It allows us to garden year-round and enjoy the landscape in every season,” says Sullivan.

A Sense of Escape

A garden should have a space that welcomes and embraces you so that you feel as if you’ve traveled somewhere special, without ever leaving home. “Our pergola completely transformed how we use the outdoor space by creating a sense of destination and enclosure while still feeling open to nature,” says Burcu Ercetin, founder and principal designer of Design & Curations. “As our jasmine continues to grow and climb across it, the space becomes even more beautiful and inviting each season. It’s one of those investments that improves both the function and the experience of being outdoors.”

Nicholas Calcott for Harrison Green

A Living Focal Point

Carefully chosen plantings offer beauty and support for pollinators and wildlife. “My personal favorite feature of our garden is a now decade-old swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor), which we planted when we first moved to Brooklyn,” says Jacqueline Harrison, principal of landscape design studio Harrison Green.

“Today, it stands as the quiet centerpiece of the garden—alive in every season and at every hour, offering movement, habitat, and a sense of continuity. Over the years, it has given back immeasurably. It is just one tree, but it is the right tree, in the right place—proof that thoughtful decisions, made early, resonate for years to come in the garden,” she adds.

Dulyanut Swdp – Getty Images

Shade

A garden is meant to be enjoyed, and providing shade is a critical yet sometimes overlooked part of design. “Whether it’s a mature tree, umbrella, pergola, or shade sail, creating comfortable places to spend time outside dramatically increases how much you’ll actually use the space,” says Kelly.

Ethan Herrington for AREA Interior Design

Antique or Vintage Décor

Antique and vintage garden pieces help showcase your personality. “I have always loved vintage cast iron urns. When I came across these two large urns with sculptural plantings (pictured above), I bought them for my birthday and could not be happier,” says Janine Carendi MacMurray of AREA Interior Design. “One of my favorite things in a garden is when everything does not feel new. The spaces I am most drawn to feel layered, collected, and as though they have evolved over time. Mixing old cast iron urns with more modern pottery instantly creates that feeling. It is a small detail, but one that adds so much character and depth to a garden.”

Kris Tamburello for Collarte Interiors

Larger Specimen Plants

When budget allows, opt for some larger plant materials. While not every plant needs to be larger, it does contribute to your overall design by creating a feeling that the garden has been there forever. “A beautifully layered landscape has an immediate impact, and investing in substantial trees and shrubs gives a garden a sense of permanence,” says Constanza Collarte of Collarte Interiors.

onurdongel – Getty Images

Quality Furnishings

You don’t want to replace outdoor furniture every year, so select products that weather well. “Look for materials that hold up in the environment. We are in the Lowcountry on the coast and have salt air spray, intense afternoon sun, and high humidity, which leads to rust, corrosion, bugs, mold and mildew,” says Kristian Thiem, landscape and outdoor living designer with Tidal Creek Designs.

She adds, “Make sure the stainless hardware used is marine grade, fabrics are performance and outdoor-rated. Cushions and fabric should be mold and mildew resistant but also washable. Powder-coated aluminum or resins are also long-lasting. You can get longevity out of hardwoods, too, such as teak or ipe, but they require maintenance and sealing.”

Laszlo Podor – Getty Images

Deer-Resistant Plantings

As deer become increasingly common in neighborhood settings, you’ll save yourself frustration (and money!) if you select deer-resistant plantings. “We’ve spent a lot of time and energy in the past planting shrubs and flowers around the property that become like candy to the deer in our neighborhood,” says Steph Schlegelmilch, founder and creative director of Studio Seva. “Being smarter about what we incorporate in our garden allows us to enjoy the blooms without the stress that they’ll be gone the next day.”

Jordan Lye – Getty Images

Sentimental Accents

Pieces that are connected to your family history add another layer of personalization and provenance to your garden. “My husband gave me a bench for an anniversary gift over a decade ago,” says Maggie Griffin, founder and principal designer of Maggie Griffin Design. “I recently had the metal powder coated to give it a fresh look, and I am thrilled that it will last for years to come.”

Dustin Peck for Debbie Mathews Antiques & Designs

A Conversation Piece

Just as you choose pieces to reflect your design aesthetic indoors, select something unique for your garden. “Several years ago when I was working on completing my North Carolina mountain house, I came across a set of vintage French faux-bois concrete furniture. It serves as a functional place to sit but also blends seamlessly into the mountain landscape,” says Debbie Mathews LeRoy, owner and principal designer of Debbie Mathews Antiques & Designs. “It looks like a sculpture, which has made it a real conversation starter with guests who have never visited my home before.”

DEA / ALBERT CEOLAN – Getty Images

A Secondary Gathering Space

While one main entertaining area is common, it’s nice to have a bit of a “secret garden” space set away from the rest of the garden. Lauren Stern of Lauren Stern Design says her favorite investment is the secondary patio tucked behind a cluster of Yoshino cherry trees in her backyard. “We anchored the seating area with natural cleft bluestone pavers that pop against the lush greenery, then added a steel fire bowl, some potted plants, and a few Adirondack chairs,” says Stern. “It’s become our favorite spot to slow down in the evenings, and we end up using it through every season.”

Irrigation and Infrastructure

While pretty furniture, ornaments, and plants are what make a garden aesthetically pleasing, don’t ignore the foundation of a good garden, which includes practical items such as irrigation systems and infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff or drainage issues.

“It’s not glamorous, but incredibly important,” says Kelly. “Healthy gardens are easier to maintain when the systems behind them are working properly.”