10 Principles of Garden Design

CHAPTER NUMBER2 3CHAPTER TITLE

PRINCIPLE 2:SIZE AND SCALE

CHAPTER NUMBER2 3CHAPTER TITLE

PRINCIPLE 2:SIZE AND SCALE

4 5

PrinciPle 2size and scale

PREVIOUS PAGEA small garden around a circular lawn

LEFTDense planting in an urban garden

For centuries, artists have distorted scale to produce an emotional response, whether in religious paintings or in surrealist art. By making a leap in scale, painters and sculptors have revealed the new. Taking an everyday object and blowing it up in size transforms it into something extraordinary seen with fresh eyes. A reduction in size has a different effect; think of how we marvel at the beauty of a Nicholas Hilliard miniature. In the same way in gardens, unusual or unexpected scale can be an attention grabber and can overturn our expectations about how a space might be filled.

4 5

PrinciPle 2size and scale

PREVIOUS PAGEA small garden around a circular lawn

LEFTDense planting in an urban garden

For centuries, artists have distorted scale to produce an emotional response, whether in religious paintings or in surrealist art. By making a leap in scale, painters and sculptors have revealed the new. Taking an everyday object and blowing it up in size transforms it into something extraordinary seen with fresh eyes. A reduction in size has a different effect; think of how we marvel at the beauty of a Nicholas Hilliard miniature. In the same way in gardens, unusual or unexpected scale can be an attention grabber and can overturn our expectations about how a space might be filled.

Atrickthatdesignersoftenemployistoincreasethefeelingofsizeinagardenbyusingmirrors.Particularlyintowncourtyardgardenswiththeirhighwallsandlimitedspace,amirrorcangivetheillusionofacontinuingpath,ofawindoworadoorintoasecondgarden.Thisaddsdepth,accentuateslight,doublingthenumberofplantsandcreatinganotherworldbeyondthisone.Itissuchasimpletechniquebutveryeffective.Eventhoughweknowitisillusory,itstillproducesasenseofincreasedspace.Amirrorcanevenbeplacedbeyondadoorthatisajar,teasinglyinvitingustoopenthedoorontoafurthergarden.Watertoocanactlikeamirror,increasingtheapparentopennessofanarea,reflectingskyandbuildingsasthistowngardeninBerlin.Likeahorizontalmirroritreplicatesanyplantsonitsmargins.

Altered perspectiveInthisDublingarden,therepetitionoffoliageshapes,thesofteningoftheboundarieswithtallplantsandapathleadingintothegreenery,itsendlostfromsight,allservetoincreasethesenseofscaleaswellasaddingmystery.Arealsenseofdramacanbecreatedbygrowingexoticplantsinanurbangarden,theglossygreensandstrongfoliagepatterns

Playing with sizePlayingwithsizeinproportiontosettingisyetanotherwaythatgardenerscancreatemood.AtHidcoteManorinGloucestershire,England,MajorLawrenceJohnstonmadeahuge,circular,raisedbathingpoolthatalmostcompletelyfillsahedgedenclosure.Walkingintothisgardencompartment,dominatedbyitssheetofstillwater,youareacutelyawareofthewaterandthesidesofthetall,darkhedge.Thescaleofthepooltoitssurroundingsevokesacompletelydifferentfeelingtothemoreusualsizeofapondinagarden‘room’. Fillingasmall,squarebackgardenwithalargecircularlawnhasthesameeffectasthebathingpoolatHidcote.Itpushesbacktheboundariesgivingagreatersenseofwidth.Thepointsofadiamondalsoappeartopushbackthefencelineandbydisguisingtheperimetersandblurringthemwithclimbingplantsthegardenfeelslargerstill.Verticalheightisalsoimportant,withtreesandpergolasliftingtheeyeup.Simplifyingpavingmaterialsandkeepingthemtothesamecoloursasthehousealsoincreasesscale. Intherestrictedspaceofasmallurbanyardanartfullyplacedgroupofafewverylargepotscreatesfarmoreeffectthanlotsoflittleones.Inthegroundplantingofasmallarea,therepetitionofafewkeyvarieties,ratherthandiminishingthescale,makesthegardenfeellarger.Itisalltooeasytobeseducedbyplantsinfloweratthegardencentreandtobuyonimpulsesomethingthatlatergetslostamongstalltheothers.Bymassplantingandlimitingthecolourstoperhapsthreeyoucanusethesimplicityofjustafewvarietiestoincreasethegarden’sapparentsize.

The circular pool at Hidcote Manor

The decking bridge gives a sense of space in the small garden

Atrickthatdesignersoftenemployistoincreasethefeelingofsizeinagardenbyusingmirrors.Particularlyintowncourtyardgardenswiththeirhighwallsandlimitedspace,amirrorcangivetheillusionofacontinuingpath,ofawindoworadoorintoasecondgarden.Thisaddsdepth,accentuateslight,doublingthenumberofplantsandcreatinganotherworldbeyondthisone.Itissuchasimpletechniquebutveryeffective.Eventhoughweknowitisillusory,itstillproducesasenseofincreasedspace.Amirrorcanevenbeplacedbeyondadoorthatisajar,teasinglyinvitingustoopenthedoorontoafurthergarden.Watertoocanactlikeamirror,increasingtheapparentopennessofanarea,reflectingskyandbuildingsasthistowngardeninBerlin.Likeahorizontalmirroritreplicatesanyplantsonitsmargins.

Altered perspectiveInthisDublingarden,therepetitionoffoliageshapes,thesofteningoftheboundarieswithtallplantsandapathleadingintothegreenery,itsendlostfromsight,allservetoincreasethesenseofscaleaswellasaddingmystery.Arealsenseofdramacanbecreatedbygrowingexoticplantsinanurbangarden,theglossygreensandstrongfoliagepatterns

Playing with sizePlayingwithsizeinproportiontosettingisyetanotherwaythatgardenerscancreatemood.AtHidcoteManorinGloucestershire,England,MajorLawrenceJohnstonmadeahuge,circular,raisedbathingpoolthatalmostcompletelyfillsahedgedenclosure.Walkingintothisgardencompartment,dominatedbyitssheetofstillwater,youareacutelyawareofthewaterandthesidesofthetall,darkhedge.Thescaleofthepooltoitssurroundingsevokesacompletelydifferentfeelingtothemoreusualsizeofapondinagarden‘room’. Fillingasmall,squarebackgardenwithalargecircularlawnhasthesameeffectasthebathingpoolatHidcote.Itpushesbacktheboundariesgivingagreatersenseofwidth.Thepointsofadiamondalsoappeartopushbackthefencelineandbydisguisingtheperimetersandblurringthemwithclimbingplantsthegardenfeelslargerstill.Verticalheightisalsoimportant,withtreesandpergolasliftingtheeyeup.Simplifyingpavingmaterialsandkeepingthemtothesamecoloursasthehousealsoincreasesscale. Intherestrictedspaceofasmallurbanyardanartfullyplacedgroupofafewverylargepotscreatesfarmoreeffectthanlotsoflittleones.Inthegroundplantingofasmallarea,therepetitionofafewkeyvarieties,ratherthandiminishingthescale,makesthegardenfeellarger.Itisalltooeasytobeseducedbyplantsinfloweratthegardencentreandtobuyonimpulsesomethingthatlatergetslostamongstalltheothers.Bymassplantingandlimitingthecolourstoperhapsthreeyoucanusethesimplicityofjustafewvarietiestoincreasethegarden’sapparentsize.

The circular pool at Hidcote Manor

The decking bridge gives a sense of space in the small garden