Dargan Landscape Architects

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Landscape Design Inspiration – Hidcote Manor & Garden

We encourage homeowners to look at different gardens around the world to draw inspiration for their own landscapes. There are so many gorgeous spaces that offer unique selections of plants, flowers and textures that appeal to the senses. One that we are very fond of is Hidcote Manor & Garden, a National Trust Garden located in Cotswolds, not too far from Stratford-upon-Avon in England.

A garden at Hidcote as seen in Timeless Landscape Design

Hidcote is a product of the very talented American horticulturist Major Lawrence Johnston. He created this masterpiece throughout the first half of the twentieth century around his Tudor-style home. From 1907 to 1914, Johnston concentrated on developing the gardens closest to his home. His most significant works during that period include the Maple, Fuchsia and White Gardens, along with the Bathing Pool. These spaces were designed formally by intention.

Pool, Hidcote Manor gardens by G E Jeal
Source: © Copyright G E Jeal and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Over the next six years, Johnston began creating garden rooms, featuring designs heavily influenced by classic French and Italian styles. He also designed a space called “Mrs. Winthrop’s Garden,” featuring a Mediterranean theme. During this time, Johnston also created the plans for numerous pavilions and the Stilt Garden, which form part of a corridor along the west end of the house.

Mrs Winthrop's Garden by David Stowell
Source: © Copyright David Stowell and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

In the decades that followed, Johnston continued to expand the gardens, adding the Long Walk and the Pillar Garden, before finally presenting the National Trust with Hidcote in 1948. Now, visitors come to Hidcote by the thousands each year to marvel in Johnston’s works, which are “always full of surprises.”

Hidcote Manor garden by Jerry Evans
Source: © Copyright Jerry Evans and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

What inspires us most from Hidcote is its utilization of permanent color all year long, as well as how this garden is set up to create vistas and inward views beyond the enclosed garden rooms. As stated in our book, Timeless Landscape Design, Hidcote’s “level of horticulture is unsurpassed, with borders in theme colors, hidden rooms, the use of form, repetition, and focalization.” In just a few words, Hidcote is simply breathtaking.

Are the elements of Hidcote or another garden inspiring your thoughts for your own garden oasis? Contact Dargan Landscape Architects, and let us know what you’d like to see in your landscape. Either in person or virtually, we can take what you find inspiring and create a master plan or a tune-up for your own personal retreat.

Essential Design Principles of Timeless Landscape Design – Part 2

As we previously shared, there are several design principles that must be taken into consideration in order to develop a timeless landscape. In the first part of this series, we covered axial relationships;  focalization; symmetry and asymmetry; and repetition and rhythm. Today, we’ll continue our discussion on the principles of landscape design by taking a look at light and shadow; proportion and scale; and reflection.

Light and shadow, like color, often establish certain feelings or emotions within a landscape. Oftentimes, these can occur naturally, such as light filtering through the leaves and onto a garden floor in a pattern that is ever changing. Playing with light and shadow is a great way to create a serene and peaceful area one can retreat to at the end of a day.

light and shadow

In residential landscape design, proportion is used to develop “harmonious spatial relationships between the parts of a design and the whole.” More simply put, proportion is what helps create cohesiveness within the landscape. Scale refers to the size of certain elements in the landscape in relation to where it’s been placed. Sometimes we notice that elements of a landscape have been under-scaled – meaning objects are too small for their surroundings – or that they are out of scale, or too big for the area. Choosing appropriately-scaled elements for a landscape is essential in creating a balanced space.

proportion and scale

Reflective qualities add so much to a landscape’s character and can also be used to set the area’s mood, bringing depth, mystery and drama to the space. The reflection of light in a landscape, especially when it’s reflected across water, instantly attracts the eye and adds life not only to the landscape, but the entire property as well.

reflection

The design principles of axial relationships; focalization; symmetry and asymmetry; repetition and rhythm; light and shadow; proportion and scale; and reflection are all necessary to create a timeless landscape design to enjoy for years to come. Contact Dargan Landscape Architects today to learn how we can help you develop a master plan or a tune-up for your property. We work with clients in all locations and can meet with you in person or virtually to discuss your needs and start planning your landscape’s new look.

For more information on creating a timeless landscape and to see further examples of these design principles at work, take a look at Mary Palmer’s book, Timeless Landscape Design.

Essential Design Principles of Timeless Landscape Design – Part 1

As we’ve previously discussed, the four visual tools of landscape design – lines, color, form and texture – are some of the most powerful elements of a landscape because of what they add to the space visually. However, there are still other landscape design principles that are essential for creating the perfect space to call your own. These principles, which include axial relationships; focalization; symmetry vs. asymmetry; repetition and rhythm; light and shadow; proportion and scale; and reflection, play an important role not only in how a landscape looks, but also in “describ[ing] why a garden visually works.”

Let’s take a closer look at each.

Axial relationships have a very profound effect on landscapes. They are generally created when a pathway or a line of trees extends from its starting point to a visual focal point at the other end. Cross-axial designs are created as two lines intersect, and in many cases, create the structural foundation for the space. Axial and cross-axial designs have tremendous power in directing the eyes to certain visual elements of a garden, and are extremely useful in distracting the eyes from an unattractive area of the garden.

axial relationships

Focalization is the technique we use to make “order out of chaos” by giving the eyes a point their line of sight can be funneled to. These focal points can be as simple as a planter filled with colorful blooms or as extravagant as a statue or a one-of-a-kind fountain. Focalization can also be used to frame a view and is almost always included in axial and cross-axial designs.

focalization

In landscape design, symmetry and asymmetry are often associated with order and chaos. Symmetry, or order, is achieved by striking a balance of shape, form and volume on both sides of the centerpiece of the garden or along an axis. Symmetry is a hallmark feature of most formal, traditional gardens, while asymmetrical designs are generally found in those with Asian or contemporary influences.

symmetry

Similar forms repeated at either regular or irregular intervals create rhythmic results in a garden. When these forms repeat in a single direction, the rhythmic movement created grows stronger. This technique creates harmony and unity within the space. One of the most common examples of repetition and rhythm in landscape design is the incorporation of boxwoods. However, clipped cedars are also useful in incorporating this principle of design, as they add authority and sophistication.

repetition

We’ll take a closer look at the design principles of light and shadow; proportion and scale; and reflection in the near future, so stay tuned for more.

And if you’re in need of assistance in incorporating principles like these into your garden oasis, contact Dargan Landscape Architects. Virtually or in person, we can help you create a master plan or a tune-up for your garden. Contact us for more information. Also, for more information on these principles of landscape design, check out Mary Palmer’s book, Timeless Landscape Design. 

Extra Goodies to Share? You Can Grow That!

Yesterday, as I was dividing up my dahlia bulbs for storage, frog peeper in dahlia

I realized that they multiplied far too much!

Maybe they would make great holiday gifts?

No sooner than I’d gotten to computer, I found this interesting post from a friend,

CL Fornari, suggesting a way to share the joy of abundance.

So, this post is a part of a collaborative effort by gardeners around the world.

http://www.youcangrowthat.com

Please click on the link above to read more.

 

By the way, right after reading CL’s abundance-sharing thoughts,

I stumbled upon a real find…two ancient apple trees with wind fall on the ground.

Needless to say, I fetched 6 large bags, filled them to the brim and

now visions of apple juice and jelly are dancing in my head!!

What goes around comes around.

Share thoughts of abundance this fall.

mp signature

xx mp

 

for advice on dividing dahlias…http://www.scdahlias.org/howto/index.cgi?howto=digdivide

 

PS : the little frog peeper above was on my prize dahlia…

when I pulled it from the ground to store it, over HALF the TUBERS WERE GNAWED….

curses, the voles got’ em. 

 

Dargans Visit The Getty Museum

In addition to a lovely visit to The Huntington Botanical Gardens, we also enjoyed some time exploring the gardens of The Getty Center while in Los Angeles. The Getty is quite fascinating, with a variety of art, architecture, and gardens to take in at both The Getty Center and The Getty Villa. The Getty Center features European and American art from medieval times to modern day architecture and gardens, while The Getty Villa draws inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman periods, including 7,000 years of ancient artwork and recreations of old Roman architecture. We could spend days wandering around and admiring the beauty of both!

Of course, our time was quite limited, so on this trip we choose to explore the gardens at The Getty Center. The highlight of this space is Central Garden, which was created by artist Robert Irwin and covers 134,000-square-feet. He began crafting this garden in 1992, and it features a vast assortment of fountains and plants, with new additions regularly being introduced, playing tribute to Irwin’s statement “Always changing, never twice the same.” Its many unique features and over 500 varieties of plant materials make it especially appealing to the senses of sight, sound and smell.

Beyond Central Garden, there are a number of specialty gardens filled with magnificent foliage and plants that have been selected specifically to “accentuate the interplay of light, color, and reflection.” A winding walkway creates the path to oases filled with streams, cascading stone waterfalls, a maze of azaleas and more.

Here’s a look at the Getty gardens from our perspective.

Getty azalea tank

Getty acropolis

Getty basin

Getty loving those vases

Getty succulents

Getty rill

Getty tree place

Have you ever been to the Getty gardens? If so, let us know what your favorite part was in a comment below.

And if you are hoping to create your own space inspired by the Getty gardens, or any other garden, contact Dargan Landscape Architects. In person or virtually, we can help you develop a master plan or a tune up and teach you how to Heal the Earth one Garden at a Time!