How To Create A Landscape Garden

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Features of landscape, or English style

Landscape art is aimed at creating certain images for observers. And if in formal gardens the idea behind the strict geometric shapes and straight lines of the alleys was the conquest of Nature and the glorification of human strength, then the landscape style gave gardens and parks complete freedom, and people - a sense of harmony with the surrounding green world. The symbols behind the garden compositions in such gardens - sadness, melancholy, admiration - are closest to romantics, therefore a landscape garden is often called a romantic garden …

From Renaissance to Romanticism

The landscape style began to take shape in England back in the Rococo era, when, while maintaining the general system of regular gardens dominant at that time, the concept of an open garden merged with the surrounding nature began to prevail in the British Isles. Rococo Gardens can be called the harbingers of romantic landscape parks. However, there were even earlier ideas in the history of the landscape style that gave rise to doubts among the trendsetters of park fashion in England about the infallibility of a formal approach to gardens. These ideas were brought from the East as the British explored Asian countries. In oriental landscape art, the landscape style has been known since the times of Ancient China and Ancient Iran. The Chinese style, like the entire cultural life of the Middle Kingdom, has practically not undergone European influence and has remained in its original form to this day. But back to England,has done so much for the landscape style that it is often called English. So, in the gardens of the Rococo era, breaking the strict regularity, individual landscape elements gradually began to appear: seclusion corners, hidden from prying eyes "wild groves", deep niches with benches in strict green "walls", as if abandoned and overgrown with bindweed labyrinths. Subsequently, it was these deviations from the rules that became the basis of the romantic, or landscape style. Appearance at the end of the XVII - beginning of the XVIII centuryas if abandoned and overgrown with bindweed labyrinths. Subsequently, it was these deviations from the rules that became the basis of the romantic, or landscape style. Appearance at the end of the XVII - beginning of the XVIII centuryas if abandoned and overgrown with bindweed labyrinths. Subsequently, it was these deviations from the rules that became the basis of the romantic, or landscape style. Appearance at the end of the XVII - beginning of the XVIII century

a new type of philosophical and educational thinking, which put human feelings and emotional experiences in the first place, contributed to the reorientation of garden aesthetics from the lush emblems of formal gardens to the natural harmony of a landscape garden. The ideas of independence and social equality led to the ideas of "liberating" gardens, asserting the priority of naturalness over the "violent" construction of a regular garden. The success of the landscape style was overwhelming. Perhaps Europe was tired of some monotony of formal gardens, and the services of gardeners cost the owners a pretty penny. Together with the ideas of a new life, the landscape style penetrates into Russia, where before that Dutch and French formal gardens dominated on the estates of the nobles and at the royal residences. In the distant 1772, Catherine II wrote to her friend Voltaire: "I now passionately love gardens in the English style, curved lines, gentle slopes, ponds in the form of lakes, archipelagos on solid ground and deeply despise straight lines." So, straight lines are not honored. What is the basis of the landscape style?

Elements of naturalness

The landscape style tries to present the observer with the idea of freedom in a philosophical sense and create a continuous change of aesthetic impressions. Rough terrain, in which flat areas are interspersed with hills, slopes and ravines; natural reservoirs - natural ponds and leisurely flowing streams; free layout of space, asymmetry and lack of straight lines; a large number of sculptural and architectural structures that enrich the landscape; a well-thought-out system of paths, moving along which one can observe a "change of scenery" - these are the main features of landscape gardens. It is already clear from this paragraph that the arrangement of a landscape garden requires space. That is why he so easily entered the life of a Russian landowner, who possessed a fair amount of land. Today the landscape style finds its place in estates of all sizes. Our contemporaries prefer it because it is this style that disposes to rest, helps to feel the involvement of the surrounding Nature. Time in the landscape garden seems to stop, pacified by the murmur of a stream and the swaying of lace branches overhead, and after a short stay in such a garden, the problems of everyday life and career seem to be less important, and questions of spirituality and the emotional sphere of our life come to the fore.and the issues of spirituality and the emotional sphere of our life come to the fore.and the issues of spirituality and the emotional sphere of our life come to the fore.

First steps

It is easier to maintain a landscape garden than a regular one. But creating it is a much more difficult task. Everything here should be thought out to the smallest detail, drawn in diagrams for each season, taking into account how quickly or, on the contrary, slowly the bushes and trees grow, and whether they will eventually become an obstacle to the successful development of mixborders (flower beds). Each garden space is individual.

However, a few general tips for introducing a romantic style to your site can still be given. So, for example, one of the rules of such a garden: architectural structures never come to the fore in it. The house, even the most beautiful one, is masked by greenery. One of the options is to close the building with a picturesque curtain of decorative deciduous trees, lilac bushes or chubushnik. If this is not possible for some reason, vertical gardening will be useful to you. Climbing plants - maiden grapes, so picturesquely colored in scarlet color with the onset of the first frosts, exotic actinidia in our gardens, aggressive hops or petiolate hydrangea - will cover the facade of the building, creating a cozy atmosphere of an old-fashioned country garden. Both the house and the entire surrounding area should appear as part of the surrounding landscape. In each of the sections, it is necessary to emphasize its natural relief, and if there is none, to create it artificially. Geoplastics (changing the relief) in general should be the first technique of a person constructing a landscape garden. There is nothing more boring than an absolutely flat area, and in a landscape garden, relief changes are an indispensable condition for harmony. Therefore, landscape architects strive to create hills, "cliffs" and hollows in such gardens very tactfully and accurately. There is no easier way to create a lyrical mood than building a small pond with a stream flowing from it or creating a small cascade. Under the murmur of water, it is so nice to stretch out on the grass or sit on a bench and forget about everything for a while while reading your favorite book. The purpose of a reservoir in a landscape garden is to create a sense of natural and smooth age-old existence. Therefore, the stones, on which water will playfully run, should be positioned as if they had lain here for several centuries; in any case, do not fight with mosses crawling onto the shore; try to add a touch of deep antiquity, for example, "forgetting" on the shore a clay jug in a retro style or complementing the landscape with a small stone statue in the spirit of the Enlightenment. Water can be let through the site with a whimsically curving stream, and if the space of the garden allows, throw a nice wooden or stone bridge over it. No matter how much the stream winds through the garden, in the end it flows intoon the shore a clay jug in a retro style or complementing the landscape with a small stone statue in the spirit of the Enlightenment. Water can be let through the site with a whimsically curving stream, and if the space of the garden allows, throw a nice wooden or stone bridge over it. No matter how much the stream winds through the garden, in the end it flows intoon the shore a clay jug in a retro style or complementing the landscape with a small stone statue in the spirit of the Enlightenment. Water can be let through the site with a whimsically curving stream, and if the space of the garden allows, throw a nice wooden or stone bridge over it. No matter how much the stream winds through the garden, in the end it flows into

pond. The ponds in the landscaped gardens are very romantic. Aquatic plants - nymphs, lotuses, egg-pods, which look in the dark mirror of the reservoir day and night, give them a special touching effect. The assortment of vegetation for the pond is extremely large, garden centers now offer varietal lilies of almost any shade - from boiling white to reddish brown. True, one should not get carried away here either, but, on the contrary, one must observe a sense of proportion so as not to visually overload the reservoir. Stagnant ponds require careful maintenance, as excess light and rain runoff can cause blooming. It is preferable to place the ponds in the shade of trees, and some of the plants living in the water will help to remove excess nutrients from the reservoir and "pacify" unicellular algae that have roamed. These helper plants include, first of all, hornwort, telorez, duckweed, reeds and pondweed. On the shores of reservoirs, planting of ferns, host and other plants that love moist soils look good.

Small architectural forms

Small architectural forms feel at home in the landscape garden. Located in the depths of the site, a stone grotto can fully take on the task of embodying the romantic spirit of the garden. The fantasies of grotto builders are practically endless today: the high specific density of the stone no longer hangs as a heavy burden on the necks of landscape architects - decorative or, as it is called, artificial stone, due to its lightness, allows to embody very daring ideas. The grottoes often coexist with waterfalls, in the spray of which saxifrage, liverwort, lily of the valley and the ferns mentioned above feel best. Of the most popular structures of the landscape garden, two more small architectural forms should be named - a gazebo and a bench.

For some time, gazebos were literally a symbol of romanticism. They were placed in the most comfortable and secluded corners of the garden. It was assumed that this is where lovers would climb or come to share their best friends. Today, gazebos have another purpose - they are often placed in a recreation area, next to a garden grill, where the owners of the estate and their guests in the fresh air can have dinner or drink tea (with raspberry jam, as expected). Whether a secular function is performed by a gazebo or, as before, a purely romantic one, do not be too lazy to plant greenery from top to bottom with weaving plants. Climbing roses are especially good, but clematis will do a good job, and annual vines, planted in time and alternating from year to year, will add variety to the gardening of the garden. Garden benches are striking in their diversity. They can be made of stonefrom metal, from plastic, from concrete, from wood, from bamboo, from branches, from straw and from the soil itself; they can be a continuation of the retaining wall, or, on the contrary, stand apart. The style of the romantic garden prescribes them to be, as it were, covered with the patina of antiquity - overgrown with moss, decorated with cracks and densely surrounded by plants on three sides. Another requirement for the bench is that a good view must certainly open from it. It is believed that it is the bench that contributes to the harmonization of two people sitting on it, since their gazes are directed in the same direction and thoughts gradually begin to flow in the same channel …The style of the romantic garden prescribes them to be, as it were, covered with the patina of antiquity - overgrown with moss, decorated with cracks and densely surrounded by plants on three sides. Another requirement for the bench is that a good view must certainly open from it. It is believed that it is the bench that contributes to the harmonization of two people sitting on it, since their gazes are directed in the same direction and thoughts gradually begin to flow in the same channel …The style of the romantic garden prescribes them to be, as it were, covered with the patina of antiquity - overgrown with moss, decorated with cracks and densely surrounded by plants on three sides. Another requirement for the bench is that a good view must certainly open from it. It is believed that it is the bench that contributes to the harmonization of two people sitting on it, since their gazes are directed in the same direction and thoughts gradually begin to flow in the same channel …because their gazes are directed in one direction and thoughts gradually begin to flow in the same direction …because their gazes are directed in one direction and thoughts gradually begin to flow in the same direction …

Flora's world in a romantic garden

Plants in a landscape garden should look as natural as possible. If century-old pines have survived on your site, in no case get rid of them. On the contrary, an old tree cannot be replaced with anything, and growing it is very difficult. From the same point of view, one should not rush to uproot the old orchard, since it is much more appropriate to create a romantic mood than a remake, even of the highest quality. Careful care and feeding can bring back to life even the most seemingly hopelessly aged plantations, and their hasty replacement with new items can upset the ecological balance established in the garden. The rose garden is a must for any style of garden. In a romantic garden, old park roses are most appropriate. Older varieties require a large feeding area. But they are thin,amazingly pleasant aroma is nothing to compare with. The enthusiasm for old varieties of roses has literally swept Europe. In a romantic garden, bright colors are not entirely appropriate, and no matter how seductive the scarlet rose petals are, preference should be given to white, pink and pale yellow roses. The delicate color scheme is projected onto other flowering plants as well. Although preference is given to herbaceous perennials grown for the sake of clumps of greenery and, as a rule, rarely having large and bright flowers, there are also plants planted for the pleasure of watching their flowering. These include, first of all, bells, varietal yarrow, foxglove, gypsophila, astilba, Chinese carnation. When creating flower beds, you should avoid anyIn a romantic garden, bright colors are not entirely appropriate, and no matter how seductive the scarlet rose petals are, preference should be given to white, pink and pale yellow roses. The delicate color scheme is projected onto other flowering plants as well. Although preference is given to herbaceous perennials grown for the sake of clumps of greenery and, as a rule, rarely having large and bright flowers, there are also plants planted for the pleasure of watching their flowering. These include, first of all, bells, varietal yarrow, foxglove, gypsophila, astilba, Chinese carnation. When creating flower beds, you should avoid anyIn a romantic garden, bright colors are not entirely appropriate, and no matter how seductive the scarlet rose petals are, preference should be given to white, pink and pale yellow roses. The delicate color scheme is projected onto other flowering plants. Although preference is given to herbaceous perennials grown for the sake of clumps of greenery and, as a rule, rarely having large and bright flowers, there are also plants planted for the pleasure of watching their flowering. These include, first of all, bells, varietal yarrows, foxglove, gypsophila, astilba, Chinese carnation. When creating flower beds, you should avoid anyAlthough preference is given to herbaceous perennials grown for the sake of clumps of greenery and, as a rule, rarely having large and bright flowers, there are also plants planted for the pleasure of watching their flowering. These include, first of all, bells, varietal yarrow, foxglove, gypsophila, astilba, Chinese carnation. When creating flower beds, you should avoid anyAlthough preference is given to herbaceous perennials grown for the sake of clumps of greenery and, as a rule, rarely having large and bright flowers, there are also plants planted for the pleasure of watching their flowering. These include, first of all, bells, varietal yarrow, foxglove, gypsophila, astilba, Chinese carnation. When creating flower beds, you should avoid any

a hint of regularity: no even flower beds with a geometric pattern, even edges of the lawn and symmetrically placed accents. When planting plants, they do not create clear tiers, placing large specimens scattered throughout the flower garden. Frequent guests in landscape-style gardens - birch, mountain ash, plants with a light and delicate crown. Cultural plantings - varietal lilacs, honeysuckle, wild rose, dissected elderberry, various varieties of Japanese spirea and luxurious rhododendrons during the flowering period - will help to naturally separate the garden from the adjacent forest. If the territory of the garden is not too large, the most advantageous location for a decorative group of plants is in the depths of the site, against the background of a hedge. In general, groups of plants in a landscape garden are placed so that they can be admired from a distance. Bouquet plantings look good (three to five plants planted in one hole at a slight angle). The best plants for such "bouquets" are lilac, hawthorn, Ginnal maple. Most often they are "knocked out" by a low shrub of any one species, for example, golden barberry or Mahonia. The classic option for group planting is conifers (spruce, pines, thuja) and flowering shrubs. The landscape style is a good way to return the natural course of events to suburban ownership, without becoming a slave to your garden all summer long, caring for lush flower beds in which they try to grow "everything at once". The main thing is not to lose sight of the leitmotif common to such gardens - the feeling of ease and boundless freedom - and not to overload the space during the creation of the composition. Then your site will look like a talented theatrical decoration - there is a reason to play on this "stage" a good, joyful performance with a happy ending!