10 principles of garden design
DESCRIPTION
New title in Vivays' 10 Principles series providing the novice gardener with the basic principles of garden design, and suitable for all with an interest in the subject.TRANSCRIPT
4 5
PrinciPle 2size and scale
PREVIOUS PAGEA small garden around a circular lawn
LEFTDense planting in an urban garden
For centuries, artists have distorted scale to produce an emotional response, whether in religious paintings or in surrealist art. By making a leap in scale, painters and sculptors have revealed the new. Taking an everyday object and blowing it up in size transforms it into something extraordinary seen with fresh eyes. A reduction in size has a different effect; think of how we marvel at the beauty of a Nicholas Hilliard miniature. In the same way in gardens, unusual or unexpected scale can be an attention grabber and can overturn our expectations about how a space might be filled.
4 5
PrinciPle 2size and scale
PREVIOUS PAGEA small garden around a circular lawn
LEFTDense planting in an urban garden
For centuries, artists have distorted scale to produce an emotional response, whether in religious paintings or in surrealist art. By making a leap in scale, painters and sculptors have revealed the new. Taking an everyday object and blowing it up in size transforms it into something extraordinary seen with fresh eyes. A reduction in size has a different effect; think of how we marvel at the beauty of a Nicholas Hilliard miniature. In the same way in gardens, unusual or unexpected scale can be an attention grabber and can overturn our expectations about how a space might be filled.
Atrickthatdesignersoftenemployistoincreasethefeelingofsizeinagardenbyusingmirrors.Particularlyintowncourtyardgardenswiththeirhighwallsandlimitedspace,amirrorcangivetheillusionofacontinuingpath,ofawindoworadoorintoasecondgarden.Thisaddsdepth,accentuateslight,doublingthenumberofplantsandcreatinganotherworldbeyondthisone.Itissuchasimpletechniquebutveryeffective.Eventhoughweknowitisillusory,itstillproducesasenseofincreasedspace.Amirrorcanevenbeplacedbeyondadoorthatisajar,teasinglyinvitingustoopenthedoorontoafurthergarden.Watertoocanactlikeamirror,increasingtheapparentopennessofanarea,reflectingskyandbuildingsasthistowngardeninBerlin.Likeahorizontalmirroritreplicatesanyplantsonitsmargins.
Altered perspectiveInthisDublingarden,therepetitionoffoliageshapes,thesofteningoftheboundarieswithtallplantsandapathleadingintothegreenery,itsendlostfromsight,allservetoincreasethesenseofscaleaswellasaddingmystery.Arealsenseofdramacanbecreatedbygrowingexoticplantsinanurbangarden,theglossygreensandstrongfoliagepatterns
Playing with sizePlayingwithsizeinproportiontosettingisyetanotherwaythatgardenerscancreatemood.AtHidcoteManorinGloucestershire,England,MajorLawrenceJohnstonmadeahuge,circular,raisedbathingpoolthatalmostcompletelyfillsahedgedenclosure.Walkingintothisgardencompartment,dominatedbyitssheetofstillwater,youareacutelyawareofthewaterandthesidesofthetall,darkhedge.Thescaleofthepooltoitssurroundingsevokesacompletelydifferentfeelingtothemoreusualsizeofapondinagarden‘room’. Fillingasmall,squarebackgardenwithalargecircularlawnhasthesameeffectasthebathingpoolatHidcote.Itpushesbacktheboundariesgivingagreatersenseofwidth.Thepointsofadiamondalsoappeartopushbackthefencelineandbydisguisingtheperimetersandblurringthemwithclimbingplantsthegardenfeelslargerstill.Verticalheightisalsoimportant,withtreesandpergolasliftingtheeyeup.Simplifyingpavingmaterialsandkeepingthemtothesamecoloursasthehousealsoincreasesscale. Intherestrictedspaceofasmallurbanyardanartfullyplacedgroupofafewverylargepotscreatesfarmoreeffectthanlotsoflittleones.Inthegroundplantingofasmallarea,therepetitionofafewkeyvarieties,ratherthandiminishingthescale,makesthegardenfeellarger.Itisalltooeasytobeseducedbyplantsinfloweratthegardencentreandtobuyonimpulsesomethingthatlatergetslostamongstalltheothers.Bymassplantingandlimitingthecolourstoperhapsthreeyoucanusethesimplicityofjustafewvarietiestoincreasethegarden’sapparentsize.
The circular pool at Hidcote Manor
The decking bridge gives a sense of space in the small garden
Atrickthatdesignersoftenemployistoincreasethefeelingofsizeinagardenbyusingmirrors.Particularlyintowncourtyardgardenswiththeirhighwallsandlimitedspace,amirrorcangivetheillusionofacontinuingpath,ofawindoworadoorintoasecondgarden.Thisaddsdepth,accentuateslight,doublingthenumberofplantsandcreatinganotherworldbeyondthisone.Itissuchasimpletechniquebutveryeffective.Eventhoughweknowitisillusory,itstillproducesasenseofincreasedspace.Amirrorcanevenbeplacedbeyondadoorthatisajar,teasinglyinvitingustoopenthedoorontoafurthergarden.Watertoocanactlikeamirror,increasingtheapparentopennessofanarea,reflectingskyandbuildingsasthistowngardeninBerlin.Likeahorizontalmirroritreplicatesanyplantsonitsmargins.
Altered perspectiveInthisDublingarden,therepetitionoffoliageshapes,thesofteningoftheboundarieswithtallplantsandapathleadingintothegreenery,itsendlostfromsight,allservetoincreasethesenseofscaleaswellasaddingmystery.Arealsenseofdramacanbecreatedbygrowingexoticplantsinanurbangarden,theglossygreensandstrongfoliagepatterns
Playing with sizePlayingwithsizeinproportiontosettingisyetanotherwaythatgardenerscancreatemood.AtHidcoteManorinGloucestershire,England,MajorLawrenceJohnstonmadeahuge,circular,raisedbathingpoolthatalmostcompletelyfillsahedgedenclosure.Walkingintothisgardencompartment,dominatedbyitssheetofstillwater,youareacutelyawareofthewaterandthesidesofthetall,darkhedge.Thescaleofthepooltoitssurroundingsevokesacompletelydifferentfeelingtothemoreusualsizeofapondinagarden‘room’. Fillingasmall,squarebackgardenwithalargecircularlawnhasthesameeffectasthebathingpoolatHidcote.Itpushesbacktheboundariesgivingagreatersenseofwidth.Thepointsofadiamondalsoappeartopushbackthefencelineandbydisguisingtheperimetersandblurringthemwithclimbingplantsthegardenfeelslargerstill.Verticalheightisalsoimportant,withtreesandpergolasliftingtheeyeup.Simplifyingpavingmaterialsandkeepingthemtothesamecoloursasthehousealsoincreasesscale. Intherestrictedspaceofasmallurbanyardanartfullyplacedgroupofafewverylargepotscreatesfarmoreeffectthanlotsoflittleones.Inthegroundplantingofasmallarea,therepetitionofafewkeyvarieties,ratherthandiminishingthescale,makesthegardenfeellarger.Itisalltooeasytobeseducedbyplantsinfloweratthegardencentreandtobuyonimpulsesomethingthatlatergetslostamongstalltheothers.Bymassplantingandlimitingthecolourstoperhapsthreeyoucanusethesimplicityofjustafewvarietiestoincreasethegarden’sapparentsize.
The circular pool at Hidcote Manor
The decking bridge gives a sense of space in the small garden