Traditional Garden Creations

The garden has been a tradition dating back to the very dawn of time. From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the classic gardens of the great English estates, the garden has been a symbol of elegance and beauty. Today, modern materials have opened up new vistas in the creation of gardens. Concrete brick pavers and vinyl fencing are two examples of materials that were not available to the ancients, but can be used to recreate the beauty of the gardens that they enjoyed.

Gardens are often lumped into two basic groups. These are the formal and the informal garden. It is often hard to distinguish between the two groups. The Woodland garden is an example of an informal garden. This style of garden is usually built within an existing canopy of trees. The use of interlocking pavers can create paths through this artificial woodland. The open spaces can be filled with shade loving plants or ferns. A small pond or running stream is an excellent touch to complete the forest look of this garden.

There are many other garden styles that fall within the informal classification. The container garden is a name given to a garden where the beds are replaced by containers such as large concrete vases. This garden is used where space is limited or to make a garden out of a paved over area such as a patio. The wildflower garden is another informal garden. As its name implies it consist of wildflowers. They are usually growing in mixed disarray. A vinyl fence can separate the garden from the surrounding lawn. This creates the effect of islands of color in a sea of grass.

The Oriental garden appears informal at first glance. In truth it is actually a very formal and purposeful spatial arrangement of elements. The Oriental garden is the epitome of elegance and style. Everything is full of meaning and symbolism. The careful use of a mixture of plants, stones, and water is the key to a successful garden of this type. The idea is to seek understatement in the themes of the garden. Nothing should be excessive, but everything should be in natural proportion.

The Paradise garden comes from old Islamic tradition. It is designed to stimulate all five senses. There would be the sweet smell of flowers to delight the nose. Flowing streams or small waterfalls would be for the ears. The bright colors thrill the eyes. It would include some edible berries or fruits for the tongue. Lastly, the texture of certain plants or stones is for the touch of the hands. There is one last garden style. It is the perfect garden. That is the one that you design and create with your own hands and your own imagination.

Natalie Aranda writes about gardening. The garden has been a tradition dating back to the very dawn of time. From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the classic gardens of the great English estates, the garden has been a symbol of elegance and beauty. Today, modern materials have opened up new vistas in the creation of gardens.

French Styles In Garden Designs

When one speaks of the French style in garden design, one is normally talking about the formal gardens that were so popular in European society in previous centuries. Formally arranged gardens began in 16th century Italy but it was French gardeners who developed the style and popularized it across the continent. Some of the best examples of symmetrical and geometrically laid out trees, hedges, lawns and shrubs can be found at grand houses with a French garden.

The garden designer, Claude Mollet promoted the concept of parterre, a formal garden with flowerbeds. This type of French garden remained common throughout the 18th century. An influential book on garden design was published in 1709. Written by Dezallier d'Argenville, it translated as The Theory of the Practical Garden. English and German editions came out and it became the blueprint of the French garden style of formal garden for some time to come.

Most people agree that the crowning glory of the formally arranged garden is to be found at the Palace of Versailles in France. It is a series of gardens, planned by Andre Le Notre and is one of the most ambitious landscaped gardens ever commissioned. It incorporates greenery, sculpture, several water fountains, gravel, stone and parterres. The jewel in this crown is the central Grand Canal.

The grand opulence of such gardens is of course, prohibitively expensive for most establishments and they went out of fashion anyway as other ideas gained favor. However, there was a resurgence of interest at the start of the 20th century. The landscape architect Beatrice Farrand designed formal terrace gardens for the grounds at Dunbarton Oaks, an historically important 19th century mansion in Washington DC. The work was done between 1922-1947 and the ten acres of garden, which are open to the public, has been universally praised.

Another example is the Conservatory Garden within Central Park in New York City. The six acres of landscaping is the only formal garden in the park. It attracts a lot of visitors and wedding ceremonies have been performed there. This part of the park opened to the public in 1937 and it was designed in three different sections, each one in a distinct style. The divide is between French, Italian and English style layout. The French garden part has a focal point at the center of a sculpture and fountain called Three Dancing Maidens. A parterre bed surrounds the fountain where tulips bloom in the spring and chrysanthemums come out in the fall.