The modernist garden

Plants, hardscaping and accessories should be carefully considered, so all elements have room to shine in this pared-back, designcentric look. Clear design, a gentle colour palette and repetition of plants create continuity and a strong, structural backbone to the modernist garden. Plants will often appear massed in lines, swaths or drifts and limited to one or two species – or as a stand-alone feature, such as a sculptural tree, single pot or art piece, which is allowed ample space and viewing from all sides. Whilst modernist gardens rely less on colour and more on texture and form, they do need plants that are visually interesting and foliagefocused. Think dramatic, spikey foliage plants such as the Madagascar dragon tree (Dracaena draco), century plant (Agave americana) or the Eastern Cape cycad (Encephalartos altensteinii). Ornamental grasses such as Carex and Miscanthus soften hard surfaces and add rhythm, movement – and often soothing sound of grasses blowing in the breeze. The geometry of the garden is characterised by bold shapes and clean lines and this aesthetic is consistent from the choice of hard surfacing through to decor and planting. Features that display the elements are important, such as fire pits, pools and water features, which add layers of sensory experience with light, sound and movement integral to a modernist-style garden.