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Form in the Garden - Page 2

© Marge Talt

Instead of spacing random shapes at regular intervals along the house, combining those two and a half simple shapes selected from the title graphic into a group immediately anchors one side of the house to the ground. Why does the composition work? The vertical element does anchor the corner of the house because the eye reads the vertical line of the house and the vertical line of the shape as one. But, the vertical shape isn't isolated, it forms the apex of the magic triangle that causes the eye to flow down and out - or, conversely, in and up to a focal point. Every design needs a focal point, to which all other elements relate and are subordinated. This is true for just about any medium you care to work with - including plantings. Something needs to be dominate, but closely related to the rest of the picture so that the eye reads it as a whole until it comes to a logical stopping point.

If you imagine this to be the front of the house, with the front door centered on the facade, repeating the identical grouping on the other side gives you a symmetrical design that draws the eye to the front door, increasing its importance and visibility from the approach. Symmetry is a basic design concept; one that works well with traditional buildings and more formal gardens. Each group has a focal point. Together they form a triangle with the apex at the center of the house so that any element in the center becomes the major focal point of the composition.

If your house and personality don't lend themselves to the formality of symmetry, an asymmetrical approach is in order. Simply carrying a large enough shape from the group on the left to the right carries the eye across the house (still assuming the front door is somewhere in that wall). The focal point is still on the left, the shape of the triangle has merely become more flat and extended. If this isn't the side with a door, continuing the smaller shapes across the void will tie the entire side together.

There's nothing wrong with introducing a different shape; it can add a dramatic touch. But, as you can see here, not only has the height taken the focus away from the vertical on the left, the abrupt change of shape has lost the integration of the design.

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