PLAY BY the rules
BY FOLLOWING A FEW LANDSCAPING GUIDELINES, YOU CAN CREATE A BEAUTIFUL SPACE
It seems like something of a contradiction that gardening, so often the passion of the free-spirited, should have rules, but it does. And while they are able to be stretched, trimmed, pruned, pared or re-shaped, maintaining the essence of a rule often makes a major contribution to the creation of a beautiful garden.
ENCLOSURE
The root meaning of the word garden is ‘enclosure’. It is from Middle English gardin, from Anglo-French gardin, jardin, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German gard, gart, an enclosure or compound, as in Stuttgart. Bet you didn’t know that! Neither did I, but I’ve always tried to create garden areas that offer a sense of enclosure, and that’s probably why.
There’s apparently a law of significant enclosure that says we feel enclosed when the vertical edge of a space is at least one-third the length of the horizontal space we’re inhabiting.
REGULATING LINE
Then there’s the concept of the ‘regulating line.’ The idea is that an element of architecture – a doorway, say – can generate an imaginary line that helps connect and organise the design. I don’t think this includes the line from the shed to the terrace, which is generally demarcated by a line of tools The Partner is using for whatever job he’s doing, but it certainly applies elsewhere in the garden.
“A regulating line,” wrote the famous architect Le Corbusier, “is an assurance against capriciousness.” Being somewhat capricious myself, I need that.
RECTANGLES
I also need rules about ratios and rectangles, and there’s one about the latter that’s simple and seems to work. There’s some very complicated (to me) mathematics around it, but basically, if you use a ratio of 1 to 1.6 when you’re creating a raised bed or a terrace or a lawn, it’ll look good. Yes, I promise.
LINES
I read an excellent piece of advice from Duncan Heather, principal at the Oxford College of Garden Design, who said that if a design is to be successful, then it must combine symmetry with biology, for example architecture with landscape. Great care is needed to join these two opposing forms together, he said, or the result can be “a meaningless amorphous squiggle where the house looks like it’s just landed from space”. The area around the building should copy its geometric, mathematical shapes to help link house and garden. The terraces, paths, pond and planting beds should be designed using straight lines.
THE RULE OF THREE
This ‘rule of three’ comes up all the time in landscaping, particularly in reference to planting things in threes (or fives if you’re flush). But it’s also a useful rule of thumb for types of surfacing materials, like, say, grass, pavers and stone chip. Sticking to a limited palette lends coherence and consistency to the garden. I think it also works well with the colours you use in hard landscaping elements such as fences, floors and furniture.
THE RULE OF ONE
Although there’s nothing quite as cheery as the myriad colours of a cottage garden, there’s real power and drama in seeing a quantity of one plant. British garden designer and landscape architect Russell Page encapsulated the principle when he said, “The most striking and satisfying visual pleasure comes from the repetition or the massing of one simple element. Imagine the Parthenon with each column a different kind of marble!”
THE LAST WORD
And finally, on the website of someone purporting to be thesensiblegardener.com, there was this landscaping rule.
“Try to make things look natural. In nature, you will never see plants lined up in parallel lines or circles. Your flower beds may be perfectly round or square, but your plants should follow a more natural pattern.” No more hedges, then.