How to Build a Classical Garden
In all art forms the classical style is one in which a logical, well-considered form is used as the structure upon which to hang the individual expression of the artist – and so it is with gardens. A classical garden is one which has a structure designed to be pleasing in itself, rather than the largely functional layout of the traditional cottage garden. Within that structure, the planting may be as unrestrained and romantic as you wish, but it will always be seen in relation to the structure of the garden as a whole.
It is no surprise to find that most of the formal period styles of gardening have come under the heading of classical gardens, and there is no denying that symmetry and formality lend a garden the strongest of structures. However, the planting can be vibrantly colourful and extravagant or contained, minimal and quiet. This is the great advantage of a classical garden: its good bones will support all manner of fleshing out.
Throughout history it has been the classical gardens which have survived, from the green simplicity of an eighteenth-century landscape park with its lakes and temples to the geometric razzmatazz of Baroque gardens. But the twentieth century has seen the development of classical gardens on a much smaller scale, where the blend of domestic architecture and plantsman’s gardening have complemented each other perfectly. English gardens like Sissinghurst (designed by Vita Sackville-West and Sir Harold Nicolson) and Great Dixter (by Sir Edwin Lutyens) and Dumbarton Oaks (by Beatrix Farrand) in the United States have proved that gardens rich in architectural and structural detail will happily support the most exuberant of planting and win the affections of all serious gardeners. In gardens like these, form and content reach a most satisfactory balance, which surely is the essence of a classical garden.
A well-designed garden deserves to be well planted, and when making a classical garden it is worth planting carefully with an eye for shape, colour and texture. The plants may form part of the structure itself, in hedges or recurring patterns of specimen plants. Water, either standing, running or as a fountain may form part of the design. Even within a small garden it is possible to make use of vistas and focal points, while ensuring that the open spaces intended to be part of the design do not fall prey to a clutter of specimen plants. It is too easy to let the planting obscure rather than enhance the design.
Well-built walls, doorways, arches, steps, paths and pergolas will all enhance the quality of the garden structure, and occasionally a good-sized urn or vase will add distinction. So will an attractive garden bench carefully placed. Good quality hard landscaping can be expensive, but it is undoubtedly the key to success when making a classical garden. Few great gardens, however, were made in a season, but were built up gradually over the years. This is the best way to approach your own plans for a classical garden.
