Linking House and Garden to Reflect Lifestyle
An important task for gardeners is to consider the special needs and what they want from the garden as a space and as a reflection of their lifestyle.
Garden designers are now very fond of pointing out that the garden is an extension of the house. The term “extra room” keeps cropping up. But which room? One in which to rest and relax, enjoy a barbecue, grow vegetables, play games, or build up a specialist collection of plants? In a large garden the problem does not exist – the only concern is how much space to assign to each room, and how to divide the one from the other. But with a smaller area you simply have to be ruthless, limiting yourself to one or two rooms, and be particularly crafty, accepting the need for compromise. The less space there is to play with, the more ingenious the design must be.
The potager is a brilliant example of a dual-purpose room. The word means a decorative or ornamental kitchen garden, and features different colour vegetables (for example the reddish leaves of ‘Lollo Rosso’ lettuces as well as the traditional green), herbs (basil ‘Ruffles Green’ and ‘Ruffles Purple’), and flowers. Herbaceous penstemons come in a wide range of colours from white (Penstemon ‘Snowflake’) to dark purple (P. ‘Blackbird’) and bloom from mid-summer until late autumn, even early winter in mild seasons. They mix well with vegetables, are usually contained in separate beds, and can be set off with topiary; for example, balls of clipped box in Versailles tubs. The Renaissance garden at Villandry in France has a particularly good, formal potager, and, although it is enormous, it is worth visiting to see how many ideas can be incorporated in a far smaller garden.
The second kind of compromise means beginning with one kind of garden, say predominantly lawn where children and animals can play, later converting it into another when there is no longer risk of damage to plants. Lawn can easily be replaced with paving and flower beds. The one advantage of making such changes is that at least you have time to visit scores of different gardens and work out exactly what kind of look you finally want, and the most appropriate combination of plants that will achieve these ends.
The third compromise involves children. Beware of ponds since a person can drown in even a few inches of water. Instead use a water feature which has no depth: a fountain dribbling into a dish in the wall for instance, or a cascade which disappears into stones.
Planting
In small gardens the most important rule is that each and every plant must earn its keep. Only the best forms should be planted and your choice should be tempered by such questions as: Will this plant give more than one display? Does it repeat flower? What is it like in winter? Are there good seed heads, or fruits as well as spring or summer blossom? What is its autumn foliage like? Does it have good scent?
Good planting and clever design should allure, keeping the visitor’s curiosity alive. What goes on behind that screen? Where does this path lead? What is that flash of pink in the shrubbery? As you move around the garden you want to create changing moods and styles. Part of the key is sensitive, imaginative planting, but having learnt the basic rules do not be afraid to play with and even break them. Try introducing a few surprises. For instance, an ivy-leaved pelargonium can easily be turned into topiary. Grow a single stem up a 4ft (1.2m) high cane and then around a circular piece of bamboo attached to the top. Or create a yellow area and finish it off in high style with pots of Lilium ‘Citronella’ which twirl butterfly-like flowers to a height of 4ft (1.2m).
Linking house and garden
From indoors, the view through the windows into the garden is at least as important as the view from any vantage point outside. The garden design must therefore include vistas or scenes which look tempting from inside, from the room where you spend most time. If you are lucky enough to look out over open countryside or a fine cityscape, make sure the garden design blends with the background: for example, in a wild valley a cottage garden is most appropriate.
Looking back to the house from the garden, it should be an integral part of the design and not an alien presence. A conservatory, for instance, can be designed to open on to a terrace or patio so that in summer, when the doors are open, the garden feels as though it is extending into the house and vice versa. Climbers and wall plants can soften the harsh outline of a building and, where pergolas lead to and echo the style and fabric of the house, the link between indoors and outdoors is sealed.
