Chris Young. Garden Design

Подождите немного. Документ загружается.

128-131_GardenStylesIntro.indd 130 24/10/08 15:28:48

CHOOSING A STYLE130

Functional space

The idea of the working garden has long been a recurrent feature of garden

history, where the focus has involved growing food for the table. While the

current trend for healthy eating has put home produce at the heart of many

gardens once more, the functional requirements of gardens today are far

broader, and reﬂect individual lifestyles more closely. Hence, families commonly

require space for leisure, play, and socializing, while other gardeners seek refuge

from daily pressures, demanding a calm space for rest and relaxation.

The way ahead

As population densities increase, the urban garden is coming under increasing

pressure, diminishing in size but increasing in value as the decades slip by.

A century ago, a one-acre plot would have been considered small, but now

designers ﬁll balconies, roof terraces, and postage stamp-sized gardens with

vibrant ideas, creating a new idiom in direct contrast to much larger and

expansive country gardens in which abundant space is the key characteristic.

COTTAGE DREAM

Generously ﬁlled borders

and a haphazard approach

to planting are typical of

the cottage garden style.

WILDLIFE HABITATS

Even small garden ponds

and boggy areas provide an

excellent habitat for a wide

range of wildlife.

URBAN LIVING

Ever-decreasing outdoor

space is forcing gardeners

and designers to develop

creative new solutions.

US_128-131_GardenStylesIntro.indd 130 1/12/08 11:59:27

128-131_GardenStylesIntro.indd 131 24/10/08 15:29:17

GARDEN STYLES EXPLAINED

131

Just as the form and function of gardens are changing, new styles are also

being developed. The conceptualist garden style celebrates the man-made,

creating dramatic and often thought-provoking gardens that can be humorous

or whimsical, philosophical and profound, short-lived or permanent.

Conceptualist designers have thrown out the rule book to make cutting-edge

gardens for a future generation. The cultural connection here is strong,

with designs often seen as social commentary or a reﬂection of society.

Alternatively, there is fusionism, which embraces a wide range of stylistic

inﬂuences and combines them in exciting new compositions. Designers may

make use of cottage-style planting in Modernist designs, or employ modern

materials, sculptures, and technology in a formal, symmetrical layout.

As styles and references merge, so innovative ideas, fresh possibilities,

and new idioms arise. Where once garden style was seen as conservative and

predictable, it has now been rejuvenated and celebrates change. In addition,

new links with architecture and art are being forged, and garden design is

now considered a dynamic and socially relevant discipline.

FORMAL RULES

A parterre planted with

box hedging illustrates the

symmetry and geometry of

the formal garden style.

BLUE SKY THINKING

Modern garden designers

are constantly pushing the

boundaries to create and

develop new styles.

PRODUCTIVE PATCH

Attractive vegetables and

herbs integrate easily into

most garden styles, even

where space is limited.

US_128-131_GardenStylesIntro.indd 131 1/12/08 11:59:27

132-133 Formal gardens.indd 132 15/10/08 11:05:50US_132-133_Formal_gardens.indd 132 1/12/08 12:00:05

132-133 Formal gardens.indd 133 15/10/08 11:06:23

133

DESIGNED AS EXPRESSIONS of man’s

dominance over nature, the features and natural

elements in formal gardens are contained in an

imposed geometry and structure. This idea is

rooted in classical architecture and design,

and many of the best examples of this type

of garden can be seen in France and Italy.

A successful formal garden has a balanced

design, achieved through symmetry and a

clearly recognizable ground plan or pattern.

Organized around a central axis or pathway,

formal plans often focus on a key view through

the garden from the house. In larger gardens

there may be space for

several axial routes that

cross the central path,

and sometimes reach

out into the wider

landscape. Sculpture,

water, or decorative

paving are also used

to punctuate the areas

where these routes intersect.

The geometry of the formal garden is clear

and easily identiﬁable, but generous scale and

balanced proportions are key considerations.

Rectilinear shapes and forms feature most

commonly in this type of

garden, but any regular

symmetrical shape can

be used, as long as it

sits on at least one axis.

Circles, ovals, ellipses,

and equilateral triangles

are all options. The

materials palette tends to

be kept to a minimum, with gravel and regular

paving stones most frequently seen. However,

decorative elements, such as cobble mosaics

or brick designs, are also popular. Water is

employed either as a

reﬂective surface or

in jets and fountains.

Lawns and hedges

are key planting

features, the latter

helping to deﬁne space

or views, while dwarf

hedging can be used

to edge borders, create parterres, or form

knot gardens. Pleached trees help to add height,

and where space allows, avenues of trees line

paths to accentuate vistas and draw the eye

to a focal point in the distance.

Formal gardens

Dynamic water features

provide movement.

Symmetry about a central axis attracts attention to focal

points—such as a water feature—in a formal garden.

US_132-133_Formal_gardens.indd 133 1/12/08 12:00:06

134-135_FormalStyleHist.indd 134 7/11/08 12:08:04

What is formal style?

CHOOSING A STYLE

134

Formal garden design relates directly to the classical

architecture of Greece and Italy. Ordered gardens originally

provided a setting for the villas of the wealthy or powerful

across Europe, echoing the symmetry of their grand houses.

Known as “power gardening”, it was seen as the ultimate in

garden-making, embodying a sense of control. Although famous

formal gardens, such as Versailles, are vast, the basic principles

of the style can be applied to gardens of any size, even tiny

urban spaces, where ordered, balanced designs work very well.

Symmetry about a central axis is crucial to emphasize the

focus of the garden. Planting and construction are geometric

and simple, with lawn, clipped hedges, and avenues forcing

planting into order, and balustrades, steps, terraces, and wide

gravel pathways all conspiring to unify the garden space.

FORMAL GARDENS IN DETAIL

Formality demands an axis, or central line, which is the basis of

the garden plan. This could be a pathway or lawn, or even a central

planting bed. Generally, the axis focuses on a dominant feature,

such as a sculpture, statue, or ornament.

If space allows, cross-axes can be created; some larger gardens

have multiple axial routes that create views along and across the

garden. A dramatic sense of scale and proportion is essential as

planting and paving are often kept simple—one reason why many

modernists and minimalists appreciate this style.

The space should initially be divided into halves or quarters. Larger

gardens can be partitioned further, but divisions should be as sizeable

as possible to maximize the impact of long vistas, or the repetition of

topiary or trees. Parterres, water pools, and expanses of lawn are

typical of classical formality; examples by contemporary designers

may also feature decorative borders that soften the garden’s structure.

Prominent

focal point

Sculpture

draws

the eye

Olive trees

on island

beds flank

the space

Central axis

Central lawn

Planting softens

overall design

MODERN TWIST

Arabella Lennox-Boyd uses

a central axis that focuses

on the steel frame and

water cube at the end of

this symmetrical garden

(right ). Olive trees create

an avenue to enclose the

central lawn, which is

framed by reﬂective water

and decorative border

planting. Highly-polished

granite paving provides

an edging detail.

US_134-135_FormalStyleHist.indd 134 1/12/08 12:02:58

134-135_FormalStyleHist.indd 135 15/10/08 18:17:52

WHAT IS FORMAL STYLE?

135

DESIGN INFLUENCES

Although some of the earliest Islamic gardens

were formal in layout, often divided by rills into

quarters, classical and Renaissance inﬂuences

have come to deﬁne this style. The doyen of the

formal garden is André Le Nôtre, one of a long line

of gardeners turned designers who found fame in

France under the reign of Louis XIV. The gardens

he designed at Versailles and Vaux le Vicomte are

his most famous legacies. The false perspectives,

level changes, and reﬂective pools of both

gardens are typical of Le Nôtre’s approach to

design, which won him the affection of the King.

Hedges, vast lawns, water features, and

parterres of box and cut turf, often decorated

with colored gravel, as seen in Le Nôtre’s work,

set the tone for all formal gardens that followed,

with views and perspectives manipulated for the

best theatrical effect.

Vaux le Vicomte by André Le Nôtre.

SYMMETRY

The symmetrical

balance of a formal design

can be achieved at any

scale. Here, an olive

tree and a parterre form

a focal point in a circle that

intersects the pebbled

and paved central path.

STATUARY

Gods and mythological

creatures were the original

subjects of statuary in

formal gardens. In modern

designs, broader ﬁgurative

subjects and abstract

works function well as

focal points.

TOPIARY

Clipped hedging,

typically box or yew for

evergreen structure, is used

to deﬁne space. Topiary

provides architectural

effect, and dwarf box

hedges are used to form

patterns in parterres.

ORNAMENT

Large, ornate urns,

often on plinths or

balustrades, provide focal

points or punctuation.

Modern formal gardens

use the same technique,

although elaborate

decoration is reduced.

NATURAL STONE

Paving provides an

architectural element for

pathways and terraces.

Sawn and honed natural

stone slabs can create

regular patterns, or they

can be used to edge lawns

and gravel paths.

KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS

US_134-135_FormalStyleHist.indd 135 1/12/08 12:02:59

136-137_FormalGardeninsp.indd 136 3/11/08 15:17:27

Interpreting the style

Although the rules of formality are simple and clear, it is still a remarkably

versatile style. The overall layout can be completely symmetrical and axial,

or you can select just a few formal elements. One axis can be more

dominant than another, for example, or a series of balanced, rectangular

beds can be veiled by soft, romantic planting. You can also experiment with

the style and opt for a traditional look or bring formality right up to date.

CONTRASTING ELEMENTS

An overﬂowing bowl creates a focus at the center of

this parterre in an enclosed corner of the Alhambra in

Spain, bringing a dynamic quality to the formal planting.

CONTEMPORARY ORDER

A simple rectangular lawn, elegant pleached hornbeams,

and a pale paved surface create restrained formality.

The three plinths and subtle lighting lend focus.

URBAN FORMALITY

Limestone paving creates a crisp, formal edge to this

lawn, offering clear deﬁnition. Pleached lime trees

provide increased privacy in this urban space.

ORNAMENTAL HEDGING

A parterre-style panel of box cartouches makes a

decorative statement of light, shade, and texture. The

pattern will read particularly well from the ﬁrst ﬂoor.

CHOOSING A STYLE

136

US_136-137_FormalGardeninsp.indd 136 1/12/08 12:01:58

136-137_FormalGardeninsp.indd 137 3/11/08 15:17:01

AQUATIC SYMMETRY

Pools and a connecting rill form the focus of this formal

arrangement, with the sculpture and fountain on the

central axis. The planting is then arranged symmetrically.

SCULPTED GREENERY

Here, the tightly clipped topiary supports the axial layout.

The mossy path itself breaks the rigid formality, with

lawn softening the edges of the rustic paving slabs.

SOFTER PLANTING

Steel edging evokes a sense of formality in this grid-

pattern garden, and is in stark contrast to the soft, light-

catching grasses and perennials that ﬁll the borders.

INTERPRETING FORMAL STYLE

137

“Set the geometric

rules of formality,

then decide which

ones to break

”

GARDENS TO VISIT

VAUX LE VICOMTE, Seine-et-Marne, France

and axial layout.

www.vaux-le-vicomte.com

VERSAILLES, Yvelines, France

André Le Nôtre’s best-known garden.

www.chateauversailles.fr

VILLA GAMBERAIA, Settignano, Italy

Garden of allées and formal compartments

that radiate around the house.

www.villagamberaia.com

ALHAMBRA & GENERALIFE, Granada, Spain

Evidence of the Islamic inﬂuence on formal

design in Europe, with water as a central theme.

www.alhambra.org

DUMBARTON OAKS, Washington DC, US

Originally designed as a series of formal spaces

and vistas, but with some naturalistic planting.

www.doaks.org

US_136-137_FormalGardeninsp.indd 137 1/12/08 12:01:59

138_139_formal_plans 13-55-54.indd 138 7/11/08 11:49:00

Formal garden plans

CHOOSING A STYLE

138

Although formal design follows speciﬁc rules, there is, as these three gardens show,

plenty of scope for interpretation. Here, the designers Charlotte Rowe, who usually

produces more contemporary works, and George Carter have both merged formal lines

with classical details, yet two very different gardens have emerged. At Port Lympne,

the early 20th century layout proves that formal designs can be timeless.

KEY INGREDIENTS

1 Ligustrum jonandrum

2 Hydrangea macrophylla

3 Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’

4 Geranium sanguineum

CHARLOTTE SAYS:

“My design for this front garden in London

had to ﬁt in with the regulations of the

local conservation area. I used Yorkstone

Terra-cotta urn

Box-edged

beds

Yorkstone

paving, edged

with brick

and bricks to match similar detailing on

the house façade and evergreen screening

for privacy, but kept the overall design

simple and understated.”

“I’m usually inﬂuenced by Luis Barragán

and Dan Kiley, so it was interesting to

retain a sense of precision in such a

classical format. I think of hard materials

as the bone structure of the garden, which

the planting can soften and enhance.”

CLASSIC LINES

In this small space, designed by Charlotte Rowe, the simplicity of

design works well: the beds retain a mix of just a few species. The

urn and Ligustrum topiary add height and a sense of scale to the design,

while the Hydrangea provides an elegant focus to the central axis.

US_138_139_formal_plans.indd 138 1/12/08 12:01:47

12345

123

138_139_formal_plans 13-55-54.indd 139 7/11/08 11:50:08

FORMAL GARDEN PLANS

139

STATEMENT PIECE

This eye-catching chessboard at

Port Lympne in south-east

England, UK is one of a sequence

of formal “rooms” created in the

1920s by Philip Tilden for Sir

Philip Sassoon, MP. As head of

gardens, Jeremy Edmond has

managed the site since 2003.

KEY INGREDIENTS

1 Taxus baccata

2 Verbena venosa

3 Begonia semperflorens

JEREMY SAYS:

“This garden is one of a pair—the other,

the Striped Garden, is on the other side of

the main walkway. This one was designed

to be looked at from the terrace above,

and the pattern of lawn and bedding reads

well from this position. We use annual

bedding to add color; usually pansies and

polyanthus in winter, and Begonia and

Verbena in summer. The changing view

within the garden is its most majestic

feature. Maintenance is difﬁcult, but the

graphic impact makes it worthwhile.”

BELOW GROUND

The basement garden of this

London mews house, designed

by George Carter, is meant to be

viewed from above. The minimal

planting is architectural, to

complement the property’s

classical focal points, such as the

door frame at the end of the plot.

KEY INGREDIENTS

1 Cupressus arizonica var. arizonica

2 Portland stone paving

3 Cyclamen coum subsp. coum

f. albissimum

4 Hebe ‘Pewter Dome’

5 Festuca glauca

GEORGE SAYS:

“This is typical of my work—especially

in smaller London spaces, where I think

simplicity and order help give a sense of

spaciousness. The garden was quite

shaded, which led to the use of water to

add sparkle and movement. The design

was inﬂuenced by the work of the

18th-century architect James Gibbs—

this is reﬂected in the door frame on the

boundary wall. After dark, lighting creates

the effect of an additional room.“

Grid of single bricks, laid to

divide the planting, dates

from the garden’s inception

Garden enclosed

within yew hedge

Summer chessboard of

Begonia and Verbena

Adjustable-height

bubble jets

½ in (12 mm)

Cotswold

chippings

James Gibbs-influenced

Classical door frame

Portland

paving

Custom

cast-iron

stairs with

wrought-

iron

detailing

US_138_139_formal_plans.indd 139 1/12/08 12:01:47