Chris Young. Garden Design
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curvilinear geometry
as you move through
the garden.
Planting is also
generally formal
around the house,
terraces, and main
lawns, but becomes
more naturalistic towards the boundaries.
Natural stone or brick are typical paving
materials, although concrete may be appropriate
for the modern country house. Further from
the house, gravel is often used, with grass paths
taking over in the wider landscape.
Views and vistas are enhanced and exploited,
while features, such as stone seats, pergolas,
ornamental pools, and sculpture,
are important as destinations
and help to define the garden
landscape. Hedges contain
garden spaces or define views,
and tree-lined avenues are also
effective if space allows.
With inspiration from the past
and innovative contemporary
ideas, country garden style
continues to evolve.
Golden spikes of Kniphofia
provide color and structure.
Stone steps and a narrow waterfall
lead to a tranquil pool with Pontederia.
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FOR CENTURIES, people living in cities have
been tantalized by a romantic vision of a garden
in the country. Today, improved transport links
have made it possible to work in town but
return to the country on a daily or weekly
basis, and the dream of a country garden has
become a reality for many.
In the 18th century, the Landscape Movement
turned from classical formality to more natural
designs, and the country garden idyll was born.
The style was later developed by the Arts and
Crafts designers during the Edwardian period,
and it now refers generally to large, heavily
planted gardens, often split into a range of
smaller spaces. Areas for pleasure may include
swimming pools, tennis courts, lawns, and
terraces for entertaining.
Orchards, woodland, meadows,
or lakes provide habitats for
wildlife, as well as vantage points
to view the landscape beyond.
For designers, it is the scale
of these gardens that presents a
challenge. The most effective
layouts tend to favor rectilinear
formality close to the house,
with increasing informality and
Country gardens
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What is country style?
CHOOSING A STYLE
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The main advantage of a country garden is the ample space,
which can accommodate a wide range of gardens and planting
designs. The designer’s challenge is to bring together the
various elements in a coherent composition. The formal
symmetry that usually dominates the styling around the house,
and wilder, more informal spaces in the outlying garden, create
an evolution from man-made features to natural landscapes.
These spaces are linked with paths, and visitors are led by
focal points, viewing areas, and resting places.
COUNTRY STYLE IN DETAIL
Many large country gardens are exposed to wind, which can seriously
limit or damage plant growth, sometimes even preventing the plants’
establishment altogether. Consequently, windbreak planting is frequently
the first element to be introduced, but this can obscure surrounding
views. Compromises have to be made, often producing limited or
narrow vistas, yet this restriction forces designers to evaluate views
and different perspectives carefully, which can increase the drama.
Hedges provide soft structure within the garden, creating rooms in
traditional-style gardens or independent screens in more contemporary
designs. Hard paving materials are generally used near the main
property, with routes through the garden in more economical gravel.
Planting designs have to be appropriate for the large scale.
Lawns often cover the greatest area, but meadows with mown
paths or prairie planting provide more texture and seasonal color.
Woodland and lakes also offer a variety of experiences and habitats.
Curved concrete wall
Boulders for structure
Lawn links
planting and paths
Bound gravel path meanders
through the garden
Decked walkway
adds texture
COUNTRY CONTRAST
Here, Andy Sturgeon uses
concrete, decking, and
bound gravel paths to
create a fluid transition
between level changes in
this contemporary country
garden in Kent, UK (right ).
Large boulders stand out
against the soft sweeps of
planting beyond. Grasses
provide movement and
light in the deep planting
beds, and wide boundary
hedges screen views of
neighboring properties.
DESIGN INFLUENCES
In the 1870s, the English designer
William Robinson revolutionized
attitudes to gardening with
softer, more naturalistic planting
that combined exotics and native
species. Through his writing and
the gardens he developed at
Gravetye Manor, he influenced
prominent designers such as
Gertrude Jekyll, Vita Sackville-
West, and Beatrix Farrand.
Later gardens by Thomas
Church and Dan Kiley relied on
the manipulation of space and
links to the landscape. They used
existing or native planting to
create harmonious designs and
a much simpler palette.
William Robinson’s natural style.
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WHAT IS COUNTRY STYLE?
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KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS
LUXURIANT
PLANTING
Extensive borders provide
the opportunity for
dynamic planting, using
color and texture in drifts
or en masse.Recent styles
include wide expanses
in a meadow format.
LARGE POOLS AND
STREAMS
Natural springs may
provide the basis for ponds
and streams, but they can
be introduced artificially to
create reflective surfaces
and wildlife habitats, or for
new planting opportunities.
HEDGING AND
SCREENS
Hedges define space and
control views. Yew produces
a dark, dense backdrop
that is perfect for colorful
borders. Low box hedges
are ideal for parterres, and
mixed hedges work well
on a larger scale.
SWEEPING LAWNS
Lawns are used both
as a functional surface and
as a decorative foil to more
textured or colourful
planting. Lawns and grass
pathways should be as
wide and open as possible,
as the surface can wear
with heavy use.
VIEWS INTO THE
LANDSCAPE
The garden experience can
be dramatically enriched by
linking it to the landscape.
Long, narrow views, which
open up to a wide natural
panorama beyond, produce
spectacular effects.
NATURAL
MATERIALS
Local stone that weathers
to produce varied surface
textures, such as York-
stone, is often seen in
traditional country gardens.
A more contemporary
quality is produced with
concrete and decking.
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Interpreting the style
There has recently been a move away from complex mixed border
designs to a more limited planting palette, such as the
architectural hedges and monocultures typical of Jacques Wirtz’s
designs, or the large drifts of color evident in the work of Piet
Oudolf. Both designers rely on the movement and light-capturing
qualities of grasses, which provide a long season of interest.
l
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Rows of clipped hedges and billowing
grasses are interspersed with the white
trunks of closely planted birches, creating
strong shadow patterns, rhythm, and
movement. The simple palette of green
foliage plants emphasizes line and texture.
a
PAINTING WITH FLOWERS
Christopher Lloyd experimented with vivid
color in his garden at Great Dixter, shown
above. He combined clashing pinks and
reds, flouting conventional colour theory.
p
AUTUMN GLORY
The mahogany seedheads of Phlomis
stand out against the green, silver, and
bronze mounds of grasses and perennials
in these stunning deep borders.
CHOOSING A STYLE
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EXUBERANT BORDER
Splashes of color illuminate this haze
of planting and emerge skywards adding
vertical interest. Transparent veils of grasses
and perennials create the romance.
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MIRROR IMAGE
The glassy surface of the pond is the main
feature in this garden. Marginal planting
is restrained to maximize the reflections,
and the terrace provides easy access to
the water’s edge for outdoor entertaining.
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CATCHING THE LIGHT
These graceful borders, planted with a
mix of golden feathery grasses and eye-
catching red Sedum, encircle this sunny
seating area with movement and light.
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VIRTUOSO PLANTING
In his own garden, Piet Oudolf mixes
broad masses of color with drifts of
grasses to create a soft meadow effect.
The wave-clipped yew hedges provide
a contrast in architectural form.
“The luxury of space
creates the magic
”
GARDENS TO VISIT
GREAT DIXTER, East Sussex, UK
Inspiring garden that uses color creatively.
www.greatdixter.co.uk
HESTERCOMBE, Somerset, UK
A garden by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude
Jekyll, plus an 18th-century landscape
garden. www.hestercombe.com
KIFTSGATE COURT, Gloucestershire, UK
An outstanding 20th-century garden.
www.kiftsgate.co.uk
ROUSHAM PARK HOUSE, Oxfordshire, UK
William Kent’s early 18th-century masterpiece.
www.rousham.org
SCAMPSTON HALL, Yorkshire, UK
Includes Piet Oudolf’s dazzling walled garden.
www.scampston.co.uk
SHUTE HOUSE, Dorset, UK
Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe’s magical 20th-century
water garden. Tours by appointment only.
www.gardens-guide.com
INTERPRETING COUNTRY STYLE
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Country garden plans
The expansive nature of country gardens gives designers room to luxuriate in planting.
The first of these two examples is open to the public and was designed by Piet
Oudolf—the influential Dutch designer, nurseryman, and author, who is also a leading
figure of the “New Perennial” movement. The second, by Fiona Lawrenson, is a private
space where the plants, although just as abundant, feel a little more contained.
GARDEN MEADOWS
Piet Oudolf’s garden for Sir Charles and Lady Legard at Scampston
Hall in Yorkshire, UK is one of his most arresting. It mixes formal
elements with drifts of grasses and perennial flowers—Piet’s
signature planting, which injects dramatic seasonal impact.
KEY INGREDIENTS
1 Achillea ‘Summerwine’
2 Rudbeckia occidentalis
3 Monarda ‘Scorpion’
4 Phlomis russeliana
5 Echinacea pallida
6 Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’
7 Panicum virgatum ‘Rehbraun’
8 Salvia x sylvestris ‘Mainacht’
PIET SAYS:
“The garden at Scampston covers about
four acres and sits within protective walls.
It used to be a working garden, but my
clients wanted to create a contemporary
space rather than a reconstruction.”
“I worked with the large scale of the
garden to create something of interest to the
visiting public, so not all of the planting is
typical of what I do. I aimed to link the past
with the present by using formal elements,
such as hedges and clipped specimens,
between more relaxed perennials.“
“I am influenced by contemporary
architecture, art, and nature; and I think
that, at Scampston, there is interest in
both the planting and the strong design.”
Original
stone edging
surrounds the
old dipping
pond
Hand-made
brick edging
Paths lead into
center of planting
Golden gravel
pathways
CHOOSING A STYLE
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STEPPING OUT
In this large garden designed by Fiona Lawrenson, stepped, circular
lawns provide an elegant transition from the terrace outside the
house to the main garden. Planting surrounds these circles, softening
their geometry—a key quality in the country garden.
KEY INGREDIENTS
1 Rosa ‘Rambling Rector’
2 Salvia nemorosa
EAST FRIESLAND
3 Sambucus racemosa ‘Plumosa Aurea’
4 Campanula poscharskyana
5 Centranthus ruber
6 Acanthus spinosus
FIONA SAYS:
“This Hampshire, UK property has an
old-fashioned country pedigree—Jane
Austen used to live nearby and visited
regularly to collect milk. Its garden stands
on a south-facing hillside with views
across a valley, and I wanted to create a
gentle descent into it from the house, with
the wide circular steps gradually turning
to take advantage of the view. Originally
there was a narrow path and a vertical
drop down into the main garden, so the
new terrace and steps created space and
a link into the main garden.“
“The owners were a young family who
needed usable space and wanted a spot
from which they could enjoy views of the
setting sun, hence the “gin” terrace.”
“I like to link a house with its surrounding
landscape through its garden, and I am
strongly influenced by the architecture I
work with. But plants are my first love, so
they take center stage. This garden’s
bedrock is chalk with heavy clay soil on
top, and its planting suits these conditions.”
Flint panels
clad the brick
retaining
walls, and
echo details
on the house
Gravel
viewing
terrace
The bricks
used for
the steps
match the
color of
those on
the house
Two large,
circular lawns
provide a
soft, lush link
between the
house and
main garden
COUNTRY GARDEN PLANS
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BASED ON IDEAS central to the garden—
materials, planting, atmosphere, and
experience—yet influenced by art rather than
horticulture, conceptualist gardens emerged at
the end of the 20th century. Garden festivals,
such as Chaumont in France, Westonbirt in the
UK, and Métis in Canada, have championed
conceptualism, influencing designers and
introducing garden owners to the philosophy.
Many concept gardens celebrate new
technologies and rely heavily on man-made
materials (concrete, steel, rubber, fabric, glass,
and plastic) for their character and impact.
In this sense, planting may be irrelevant to the
success of a conceptualist garden, and may be
excluded altogether—fuelling the debate about
the exact meaning of gardens.
When it is used, conceptualist planting can
produce spectacular
results, and often
emphasizes color,
texture, and movement.
Alternatively, individual
specimens may be selected
for their architectural
merit and repeated
throughout a design. For some designers, ideas
are inspired by ecology or the environment,
with plants that provide wildlife habitats.
Concepts can be applied on a whim, but the
best results are achieved where there is a
relationship between the garden, its location,
and the personality of its owner, or its history
and cultural development.
Key figures in concept design include the
landscape architects Martha Schwartz and
Kathryn Gustafson, who have both created
ground-breaking gardens. Land art has also
been influential. Richard Long and Andy
Goldsworthy are renowned for their natural
sculptures, which form part of the landscape
and intensify your experience of a place, while
Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty installation—
a great coil built in the Great Salt Lake in
Utah—is another milestone in this art form.
Structure and simplicity
in a unique daisy garden.
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Concept gardens
Natural materials link this garden to its surroundings.
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