Garden Style
Garden Style
Formal Gardens - Everything You Need to Know
In strict terms, a formal garden is one that is entirely symmetrical, with one side mirrored by the other in a highly planned geometric pattern. Although there are many gardens of which this is true, formal gardens have now also come to signify a design that is laid out with a degree of geometry and regularity, and with stylised planting - not necessarily with mirror images.
From the simplicity of a lawn punctuated by a single island bed to the complexity of an intricate knot garden, many types of formal garden may be planned. However simple they may be, formal designs are typically ordered and elegant, well proportioned and balanced, and often strongly symmetrical or patterned.
Features typically include straight paths, closely mown lawns, borders defined by low hedges or edging plants, neatly clipped hedges or topiary, framed vistas and focal points, formal bedding in blocks of strong colour, and, on occasion, knot gardens and parterres.
Formal gardens require very regular and precise maintenance and are usually very labour-intensive. The more regular the design, the more any slight flaws will stand out.
The Principles of the Formal Garden Style
Many historic gardens were formal in design, and geometry has been used in garden styles from the very earliest times. Persian and Egyptian gardens relied on a formal structure of hard landscape, often within a courtyard, in which planting, pergolas and water features would be laid out in a symmetrical pattern. The great Moorish gardens were largely formal, as were the sumptuous gardens of Renaissance Italy.
These gardens echoed the architectural styles of the day, and were designed to supply a strong visual connection between garden and house. In fact, any garden should do just that, but a formal style typically relies more heavily on the adjoining building for its inspiration. If the architecture of the house is classical, then formality in the garden should reflect this with features such as stone or gravel paths, parterres, stone paving, balustrading, formal pools, clipped hedging and framed views.
Of course, a building does not need to be classical to have an adjoining formal garden, but it does need to be a building with some character of its own. In this way, a formal garden could suit a Georgian house or a Victorian villa, but it could also suit a modern architect-designed building, reflecting the regularity of the house and providing a harmonious link between the inside and outside. However, a formal garden is less likely to work well with a pre-war semi or a developer's house on a modern estate. These tend not to have a balanced facade or strong layout, so an asymmetrical design would probably look, and certainly feel, more comfortable in these cases.
A feeling of formality may be achieved by creating classicism and symmetry in simple ways: by planting two or a number of symmetrically placed trees; by placing pots or urns on either side of a gateway; or perhaps by positioning clipped shrubs to flank a front door.
Such a strictly architectural style requires that plants be used to emphasise and embellish rather than dominate. Hedging, which can be close clipped, is the often one of the most important features of the formal garden. Many hedges are made from clipped and severely restricted trees, for example, limes can be 'pleached' to make a narrow hedge on clear trunks or 'stilts'. Fruit trees, carefully pruned for the purpose, can also be used to form linear barriers, and window-like holes can be even be carved into these hedges to create clairvoyees.
Formal gardens rely heavily on surfaces for much of their impact, and the lawn is important for this reason. Colours are often muted in the formal garden, with green predominating, and the lawn acts as a subtle foil to other shades of green, such as the black-green of yew.
Strictly speaking, plants should not be allowed to spill over on to hedges and paths, or otherwise break up the strict architectural lines of the garden. However, some gardeners bend the rules and plant informally within the formal framework. This often involves planting drifts of flowers in the borders, and using a larger range of plant material than would be strictly appropriate for the traditional formal garden. This method of planting undoubtedly softens the impact of the formal lines, but that loss is often compensated by the splendour of the plants.
Classical Gardens
The formal gardens of ancient Rome and Greece were the inspiration for the impressive palatial and villa gardens of France and Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The essential qualities of these classical gardens are their strong symmetrical and architectural designs, which closely follow the scale and proportion of the building that they adjoin.
Italianate gardens are often set on elevated sites, with terraced gardens and flights of steps leading to long, shaded walks, cascades, fountains and canals. The cooling effects of water and avenues or canopies of trees are all part of the pleasures of these gardens, especially in the hot, Mediterranean climate.
The terraces might contain parterre designs with symmetrically positioned topiary pyramids or obelisks and box-lined scrolls of flowerbeds. Other typical features include balustrades, statuary, and well-proportioned vases or urns for ornamental plants.
Colour is generally limited to the dark green of the plants, the pale colours of the stone and gravel, and the white waters.
Many of these classical features may be integrated into contemporary garden designs to create a sense of grace, formality, and ordered tranquillity. Even in a relatively small area, the careful consideration to proportion, scale, balance, and harmony seen in classical gardens may be reproduced to create a simple, effective design.
Knot Gardens
Knot gardens were particularly popular in the 16th century, and took the form of abstract patterns and interlacing bands containing coloured plants, sands or gravels, marked out and framed by low hedges.
They were grown with a variety or aromatic plants and culinary herbs, such as Germander, marjoram, thyme, southernwood, lemon balm, hyssop, costmary, acanthus, mallow, chamomile, rosemary, Calendulas, Violas and Santolina. Most knot gardens had edges made from Box (Buxus sempervirens), whose foliage has a sweet smell when bruised.
The patterns often took their inspiration from the knots and strapwork patterns of English Elizabethan and Tudor plaster ceiling decorations and needlework. So that this intricate detail can be truly appreciated, knot gardens are often best viewed from above, and they should be designed so that can be seen easily from a house window or raised terrace.
Given the right setting and a well-drained, level site, knot gardens are not difficult to create and are straightforward to maintain. The patterns should be kept simple; this will ensure a pleasing design, and ensure that maintenance will not be too time-consuming.
Some suitable plants for the hedges include cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus) and dwarf box (Teucrium chamaedrys). If you decide to use plants rather than coloured sand or gravel to fill in the areas between the hedges, choose those that are in keeping with the character and scale of the design; as a rule, low-growing plants are suitable, although more unusual plantings, for example, succulents such as houseleeks (Sempervivum), may also he considered.
Do bear in mind that any weeds that appear on the gravel surfaces should be removed by hand, as weedkillers could damage the shallow-rooting hedges.
Parterres
A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging and gravel paths, arranged to form a pleasing pattern. Often confused with knot gardens, parterres are larger in scale, and consist of ambitious and complicated designs, with flowering, scroll-like patterns or symbolic themes.
The pattern outlines are typically formed from low hedges of box, with the area in between the hedges filled with dense, colourful bedding plants, gravels of different hues or plants with muted pastel shades. There may also be evergreen shrubs trimmed into precise globes or pyramids, and other clipped, formal shapes in box or yew. A parterre should always be in scale with the size of the house or adjacent terrace.
Parterres became very popular in the Victorian and Edwardian periods, especially in public gardens and parks, where they were transformed into extravagant bedding schemes and complex floral displays.
Topiary
Topiary is the art of creating sculptures in the medium of clipped shrubs and sub-shrubs. The word derives from the Latin word for an ornamental landscape gardener: topiarius. For over 2,000 years, the art and craft of topiary has been practised in gardens; with time, patience, and suitable plants, "living sculptures" can be produced.
Topiary is often used in formal gardens to add shape, height, and sculptural interest; well-clipped pyramids, columns or spirals are used to emphasise the proportion and symmetry of a design. A single piece of topiary can provide a strong focal point, whilst several clipped trees or shrubs can supply the garden with a design cornerstone.
Simple, geometric shapes such as cones or spheres are usually the best forms of topiary for a formal or classical garden, although more whimsical styles such as animals, birds, or objects (such as chess pieces) can add a lively and witty touch. These more elaborate forms may be suitable in both formal and informal gardens, depending on the style, but would be out of place in a wild or naturalistic garden setting.
Slow-growing, dense evergreen plants are the best sources for topiary, such as cultivars of box (Buxus sempervirens), bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), yew (Taxus spp.), myrtle (Eugenia spp., Myrtus spp.), holly (Ilex spp.) and privet (Ligustrum spp.). Ivies (Hedera) may also be clipped and trained over frames to form various shapes.
In our Topiary section, we look at how you can create your own simple or complex topiary pieces, and offer you step-by-step guides to clipping and maintenance.
Sunken Gardens
Changes of level, even relatively small ones, can provide interesting features in a garden. A well-planned sunken garden can add a feeling of adventure and space, as well as bringing another dimension to the design.
Traditional sunken gardens were usually rectangular or square, enclosed by walls, and bordered by paved paths or raised grass so that they could be seen from above. The layout was typically simple and geometrical, with flowerbeds divided by a symmetrical framework of walkways and paths, perhaps with a central sculptural feature, such as a sundial or fountain.
As they are lower than the rest of the garden, sunken gardens are often secluded and sheltered, with a secret, sanctuary-like quality that is particularly restful and appealing. Formal bedding, herbs, and roses lend themselves particularly well for use in sunken gardens.
About the Author
Edward has been writing for the web and offline publications for over 5 years. His latest writings at http://www.nasalhairtrimmer.com cover the popular nasal hair trimmer grooming product and offer informmation and advice about them.
Creating a Japanese style garden with California native plants?
I'd like to create a Japanese style garden in my front yard using all California native plants. The yard is in full sun most of the day. Does anyone have any suggestions on which plants would work the best?
Thanks,
It will be challenging creating a Japanese-style garden with California natives, but not impossible. The difficulty comes from the rambling nature of most California natives, which doesn't mix well with the crisp, tidy order of a Japanese garden.
Manzanita is a good shrub, with deep reddish-brown bark that looks like skin. 'Austin Griffith' grows to about 8-10' over 10 years or so, and has nice grey-Green Leaves and small pendulous pink flowers in spring. There are many smaller varieties as well, just make sure you know which ones form discrete shrubs and which ones act as spreading ground covers. 'Clevelandi' sage can be quite ornamental, and it has a wonderful fragrance. Penstemons and columbines would be nice flowers to add. For grasses, Nodding needle-grass (Nasella cernua) is nice, and the blue fescues would fit with a Japanese landscape. Hope this helps.
One other thing: skip the Nandina. It's not a California native, and it's a cliche landscape plant that gets ratty when untended, and is seen in poorly-landscaped yards everywhere in California.
Garden Style
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Thinking About Garden Design
Many people think about garden design only in terms of plant choices. But picking plants is the last and often easiest part of putting a garden together. Before the plants are put into place the fencing, buildings, paths, paved areas, steps, lawns, archways, etc. should be put into position. The modern concept is to create outdoor rooms, which can be used by all the family for specific purposes. You may have a play area, eating area, areas to sit and take in the beauty and serenity, areas to grow food or to keep livestock. This approach to garden design can break down the plan into manageable portions, otherwise, the design as a whole could appear to be to daunting for most of us to undertake.
Choose a design that fits the architecture of your house your personality, and your needs. Gardens have many different atmospheres or styles. Seeing the things other gardeners have achieved can often spark off new ideas for one's own garden. The haphazard abundance of an English garden or the sparse elegance of a Japanese garden, the influence of the formal, stepped stone terraces of Renaissance Italy, the elegant grandeur of classical French garden are styles that can be created in other locations. Open up your mind to realize how you can achieve a similar atmosphere. Though it would not be possible to reproduce classical French or elegant Italian hillside landscape in a small city garden, a sense of classical formality is within the reach of everyone with the use of just a few stone steps, a small fountain, an architectural evergreen shrub or piece of topiary and some well-positioned urns. But let the site speak for itself. Walk around your garden, notebook in hand for jotting down questions, ideas, thoughts, and inspirations. Sit down here and there and visualize what you'd like to see in various areas.
Study pictures of beautiful gardens in magazines and books. This is a fine way to get ideas and discover your favourite garden style. Build arbours and pergolas to separate spaces, contribute height, add charm, and provide cosy places to sit and admire the view. Remember, trees and shrubs, in addition to hard landscaping, provide structure to a garden and are therefore termed the "bones" of your design. Changes in ground level may already exist and can be accentuated by building steps and walls at these points. Raised beds are invaluable for adding interest to a flat area, and variety can be introduced by arranging plants of different heights.
Certain design styles have evolved in response to a particular climate or geographic conditions. The native plants that thrive in hot and dry climates define a Mediterranean style, but it also reflects certain building materials and architectural styles associated with the Mediterranean area. This style of garden is characterized by warm, earthy tones in the structures and containers, specifically terra cotta, combined with dry-climate plants like erigeron and lavender, drought survivors such as cacti and the agave family. Even in a seemingly random, informal garden, the various elements must work together and appear to be whole, rather than disjointed pieces. One method of achieving unity is through repetition, whether it be shapes, colours or materials. For example, you might have tall containers, filled with bushy plant material, anchoring either end of your long, narrow balcony or deck, thus unifying the entire space, regardless of what's planted inbetween. Another way to achieve unity would be to pick a dramatic shape, for example, the sword-shaped New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax), and repeat it at intervals down your balcony or around your patio. The eye won't be able to resist this rhythm.
One dramatic container, a grouping of similar containers, or some other element such as a garden sculpture, all give you a focal point, which provides a means of organizing. Anything that draws one's eye acts as an anchor.
Try positioning your focal point arrangement 'off-centre' in your garden space, to create more interest and avoid the boredom of the expected. In addition to a handsome grouping of plants, a focal point can be something that contrasts with the surroundings, such as a weathered bench or a vividly coloured birdhouse. A focal point can also draw the gaze away from an unattractive view.
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