Curves
Who
could be upset by a flower bed with a straight edge?
A
long bed that was in the back yard when I bought my house had a
straight edge, bordered in vertically placed granite stepping stones.
When
I needed more space for a few small plants I built a square extension
on it, about 2' x 2'. This was greeted with horror by my wife who
pointed out that the edges of beds had to be curves. OK, I bent to
some more digging, as directed. And beds I built later were curved
to avoid further unpleasantness.
Formal
gardens from the 18th and 19th centuries in the
US and Britain seem to have an abundance of Euclidean Geometry: lots
of straight lines and circles. Views through rectangular gates with
semi-circular tops. Round fountains surrounded by round flower beds,
surrounded by grass, all bordered by rectangular beds.
The
antithesis of formality is “naturalism”. A naturalistic garden
climbs upward with almost no human geometry visible and it looks like
nature “could” have made the garden that way, if it felt like
making it attractive to humans. Of course, an attractive
naturalistic garden takes as much planning as a formal one, but the
design seems casual and almost accidental. I think of a formal
garden with its boxwoods sheared into gumball shapes, a naturalistic
garden almost unpruned but planted in interesting combinations and a
professional landscaper's garden with lots of hardscape patios and
paths.
So,
starting in 1995 with an almost-clean slate, what did I decide to do?
I wanted the high-shade of the large oaks to dictate the plantings,
so azaleas and hostas were the first thoughts (and 20 years later
they still are a backbone). But which of the two themes should I
follow (assuming that I would want the front, side and back yards to
all follow the same plan)? I had enjoyed birding for many years,
hiking through the wilds and my choice was easy.
Strangely,
there were still some ambiguities. I liked bordering some of the
beds with granite stones. I think that they help maintain the
moisture during the hot droughts which are our annual punishment.
And granite looks natural. Except when it doesn't. The smooth curve
of a “natural” looking bed, bordered smoothly with smooth granite
stepping stones of similar size starts to look a little … umm …
smooth. Formal?
Part
of the problem is that I, and maybe others, don't really have a plan
when we start out. At the beginning we haven't read much or seen
many gardens so the idea of a plan hasn't occurred. If I had a plan
then it was to have a lot of large bushes completely covered in
flowers (OK, over 20 years later that's STILL my plan, but maybe with
some nuances …).
After
a couple of years of gardening we have read some articles (maybe
books), visited gardener's gardens (as opposed to neighbor's gardens)
and thought about what was possible with our combination of size,
shade, soil and the view beyond. (View? Whenever I take a picture
of my backyard I have to aim the camera so it doesn't encompass the
toxic waste dump on one side or the oil refinery on the other.)
So,
after seeing some gardens that make you want to create a copy,
there's a powerful urge to create a formal or naturalistic garden.
Would you consider a hybrid? How about formal around the house and
driveway and naturalistic around the edges. Could you have edges
that don't look messy when both sections are viewed? Would that be a
grating juxtaposition or nice contrast?
What
would make you want to drift away from the house and check out the
farther reaches of the yard? Some bright colors or unusual shapes
can be inviting. And some companion plants for variety? Hostas,
heucheras, hellebores, hydrangeas? And maybe some plants that DON'T
begin with an 'H'? All just around the curve in the path …
