Bring peace to your plot with some clever garden planning.
TURN THAT HODGE-PODGE OF ODD PLANTS INTO A GARDEN
The question people ask me about our garden that terrifies me beyond all else is: “What style is it?” To avoid telling the truth – it doesn’t have one – I usually respond, “Do you mean, what style is it today?” What’s your vision? Lee Ann Bramwell GARDEN EDITOR
Because I’m a style bunny, I’ve never been able to stay with any particular trend for long, so our garden has had many incarnations. It started out as a commercial orchard and moved through “subtropical mess” to “faux Greek ruin” to “slightly formal Mediterranean” to “eclectic”, which is where it remains today. Although possibly not tomorrow. But hey – do as I say, not as I do.
If you’re starting out with a new garden or renovating an existing one, it’s probably a plan to pick one style to begin with and once you have the basics established, draw in the other elements you really like. Here are a few ideas to get you started ...
JAPANESE
If you’re the eclectic type, move to the next suggestion right now. The design principles of a Japanese garden include asymmetry, enclosure, borrowed scenery, balance and symbolism.
I like enclosure and balance, but asymmetry would, for me, destroy the peaceful contemplation for which Japanese gardens are renowned. The more natural and harmonious a garden is, the more conducive it is to contemplation, so the primary focus of an Oriental garden is nature.
You probably won’t see geometric shapes or artificial materials in Asian landscape design, but you will see the four essential elements of rocks, water, plants and ornaments. If you want to learn more, japanesegardens.jp is a site worth checking out. MEDITERRANEAN
Casual elegance – that speaks to me and it’s what Mediterranean gardens are known for. Inspired by the coastal areas of Spain, Italy and southern France, this type of design combines relaxed materials and plants with formal accents and designs.
The plant palette emphasises texture, colour and structure, and would include lavender, cypress and ornamental grasses. Dotted in amongst those would be terraccotta pots, tiered fountains, statuary, Roman columns and bocce ball courts (bocce is similar to petanque) – all hallmarks of Mediterranean garden design. Oh, and herb gardens. MODERN
Being a child of the ‘60s, I am attracted to modern garden design, which was born in a period that was all about bold geometry and linear designs. Look at the clothes and you’ll get the idea. It was sleek and sophisticated, with an overlay of control and organisation. Hard-scaping and structure
took precedence over plants.
The commonly used materials were concrete, metal and timber. Metal has become a frequent accent in modern gardens in planters, screens and fences, and is having a resurgence of popularity today.
As with ‘60s fashion in clothes, the aim is to create impact with contrasts – for example, putting massed plantings against a grey concrete wall or brightly coloured cushions on neutral garden seats.
TROPICAL
Lush, tropical plants and bold colours are so easy when you live in the Far North, which is why our garden is possibly more subtropical than any other style. Palm trees, plants with big leaves, strelitzia, shell paths and shady sitting spots are important elements, along with a natural-style swimming pool that looks as if it occurs naturally amidst the
greenery. Add a bure or two for real Pacific style. XERISCAPING
If it sounds austere, it’s because in some ways, it is. Simply, xeriscaping is about gardening with plants that require very little supplemental water.
As climate change throws us regular droughts, it’s practical to select native plants and other well-adapted species that cope more easily with dry conditions. However, though xeriscaping is about low-water landscaping, people who are interested in
this style often look at other ways of keeping their footprint on the planet as small as they can. That’s probably not something you can achieve in a couple of weeks, but if you’re committed, it could be a worthwhile life-long endeavour. Find out more at eartheasy.com/grow_xeriscape.htm.