There are so many types of gardens, each designed with a different purpose to achieve a different result. While traditional gardens may typically focus on sight or smell, sensory gardens have been designed to stimulate all five senses -- sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound.  Sensory gardens are characterized by including plants of different shapes and colorful foliage, aromatic flowers, and other features like sculptures, paths, and water features to provide a multi-sensory experience.  Other gardens take a different approach and focus on one sense, like vision, or aim to create a particular emotion in visitors. There are just too many types of gardens to list, so I’ve highlighted a few below:  Formal gardens, like the gardens of Versailles in France, are very visual, combining geometric patterns with meticulously manicured plant material. Walking barefoot in the grass or any manicured areas would be frowned upon because the property owners want this garden to remain unblemished and pristine.  The grounds of formal gardens are probably chemically treated to prevent weeds.  “Look but don’t touch”: Unlike sensory gardens, formal gardens are not for “audience participation.” Zen gardens are renowned for being a place for meditative reflection with thought-provoking patterns raked out in the sand to evoke one's sense of mindfulness. Unlike sensory gardens, they differ in their approach to experiencing the tactile sense.  It would be frowned upon if you impulsively threw your shoes in the air, ran, jumped, and wiggled your toes in those beautifully raked-out patterns in the sand -- meaning the best way to enjoy Zen gardens (like formal gardens) is to look but not touch. Butterfly gardens appeal to butterflies’ senses to draw them near. Plant material is selected carefully with this purpose in mind. To appeal to the other senses, showcase plants with attractive colors, habits, textures, and smells.  It’s a lovely and memorable experience to have a butterfly just land on you. I’ll never forget and always treasure that special moment when a butterfly landed on my finger.  Container gardening is when plants are grown in containers because space is limited. Patios and balconies with sun exposure most of the day are great for container gardening. You can choose pots of varying size, color, texture, and shape to create visual interest and configure them according to the plants you’d like to install.   Plant material can be chosen to appeal to all five senses with the caveat that certain plants will do well in containers while others will not thrive. Water gardens can also be container gardens.  Demonstration gardens are designed to be educational and help gardeners learn more about local plants and sustainable gardening techniques.  Water gardens, also known as aquatic gardens, utilize water plants and other water elements as the main components in their creation. Water gardens combine beautiful water plants such as waterlilies and water iris with waterfowl and ornamental fish. Water lilies attract frogs, and koi fish can be used to create an ecosystem within the water garden.