I actually design mostly with plants and occasionally with some small boulders that were already lying somewhere in the garden before. I think if you pay attention to a few basic things, you can get pretty far with that. Personally, I also find natural materials like stones (e.g., for bed edging) or wood (e.g., for rose arches at the entrance or for the pavilion) very beautiful. I basically only make sure that large plants go to the back in the design and smaller ones to the front, that we have decent trees for shade and birds, that we have something blooming from March to October, and I also like to pay attention to the plants being native (although I sometimes like to deviate here, for example with perennials). In our case, having enough space for bigger celebrations on the lawn and for the children was also important to me. I also think fence/facade/pergola design, etc., with climbing plants is great, and last but not least, I personally think it’s wonderful if you can harvest something in the garden sometimes, e.g., via fruit trees, shrubs, or things like strawberries.
It is also important to think about water and to use available roof areas to collect rainwater. I now have almost 1200 liters of storage volume and need it because there are increasingly long periods without rain. If cleverly planned, you don’t see the barrels, and there are also nice rain barrels, although they are relatively expensive.