The Formal or Informal Garden
Formal or informal?
When it comes to planning and planting the garden I am afraid I fall into the informal group. If you look at the surrounding landscape or areas untouched by hand of man you will not see trees and bushes planted in straight lines or clipped into nice round shapes. So why do we go to so much trouble to imitate something that does not exist?
When I was at school the art of landscaping was for the soul purpose of creating something that blended into the surrounding area. We were even taught to use trees and shrubs from the immediate vicinity to complement the plants we were using, and to use them as background material where possible. Squares and rectangles were avoided at all costs, and the little round beds in the middle of the lawn were anathema to any decent garden designer.
The art of designing was to create nice flowing lines on shrub beds and borders, that would produce a natural edging effect on the lawn and make life a lot easier for the person who had the task of cutting the grass. Trees or shrubs were never planted in the grass except for areas of an acre or more where such planting was necessary to create the vistas that give such a garden character.
Shrub beds and borders were kept to the outside area and created a two-fold effect. First they eliminated the awkward spots round the perimeter where it would be impossible to mow grass, and they also served the purpose or giving a much more natural shape to both the lawn and the beds. Dark corners and unsightly buildings were easily dealt with by using the right plants in the right place. The shrubs were let grow in their natural shape and were pruned accordingly, when and where desired. They were planted in groups, of one, three, or five, to produce a natural effect. The flowering times, colour, and habit of growth were all taken into account in an effort to give as long and natural effect as possible. Nothing was planted that would look out of place or unnatural for the area, or would produce a habit of growth that would not blend into the surrounding landscape.
Paths were never laid in straight lines and patios were always given irregular corners, with some of the paving left out, or cut to shape, until the desired effect was achieved.
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