A green garden design is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The green garden design can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has traditionally been a more general one.

Green garden is never finished. It is a creation that evolves from season-to-season and year-to-year. Experienced gardeners are well aware of this reality and have even come to enjoy the ephemeral nature of their landscapes. If a plant outgrows its previous home, or performs less than adequately, they enjoy selecting its replacement. When the seasons change, they enjoy seeing different plants take center stage and when  other climatic conditions strike, they enjoy meeting the challenge.

A green garden design include the layout of hard landscape, such as paths, rockeries, walls, water features, sitting areas and decking, as well as the plants themselves, with consideration for their horticultural requirements.

A garden design is the creation of plans for the layout and planting of gardens and landscapes. Gardens may be designed by garden owners themselves and by professionals. Professional green garden designers tend to be trained in principles of design and horticulture and have a knowledge and experience of using plants. Some professional garden designers are also landscape architects, a more formal level of training that usually requires an advanced degree and often a state license.

Garden design can be roughly divided into two groups. one formal and two naturalistic gardens.

The most important consideration in any green garden design is how the garden will be used, followed closely by the desired stylistic genres and the way the garden space will connect to the home . All of these considerations are subject to the limitations of the budget.