Re: formal vs. natural

Hi Ben -

Interesting to read your comments.  This sort of thing is certainly quite
subjective, and there are many factors that have an influence.

While touring around some beautiful countryside in the South of France, I
found coming across a formal garden (not usually my taste) quite refreshing in
contrast to the more 'natural' hectares surrounding.  The inverse can be true
in my own urban area - miles of cookie-cutter, neat & tidy, 'kindergarten
formal' gardens (similar to how young children draw a garden on paper!) in
suburbia makes you crave a garden based upon a natural or native aesthetic. 
Each of us also has our own interest, philosophy, political stance, etc.,
which can influence our choices.  This is what makes gardens unique and
interesting.

When I consult with clients, one of my routine questions is what, exactly,
they consider gardening to be and what of these activities do they enjoy. 
I've had clients who actually PREFER to have something to trim, cut, shear,
and the power tools that can be employed in such activities they really enjoy
owning and using.  More often (unless they have a contract with some local
'mow & blow' landscape maintenance company) this is seen as a waste of time
and energy.

Personally, I enjoy an enclosed garden, and in my urban setting, this is
usually defined by a neighbor's wall, garage, etc.  I actually have a very
short bit of hedge I must keep in check.  While I try to 'get into it', I find
it burdensome (and it shows on the hedge!).

Nothing about my garden's setting can be considered 'natural' - it is a
hodge-podge of old concrete forms, paths, stairs, fences.  To contrast this
jumble, my usual sort careful interpretation of a 'natural' planting seems to
work well as providing unity.  Being overly formal here would only underscore
that various problems with the site, many of which are not on the table for
improvement at the moment.  A well-placed, 'self-sown' specimen in an old
concrete crack, where is enhances its surroundings by its form and not being
in an inconvenient place, helps brings the focus on the plantings rather than
the inadequate hardscaping.  I always strive to give a plant what it needs to
thrive - soil, exposure, space - while at the same time choosing carefully to
create the aesthetic appeal I seek.

Formal concepts should come into play in most gardens - balance, symmetry,
repetition - but I like it when they take a back seat to the more informal
arrangement of the whole.  A successful garden will usually look like someone
had a hand in its creation, but it should also seem like the plant (and other
elements) themselves had a voice in the decisions (which, if we allow them to
inform us, they do!).

Seán O.

Seán A. O'Hara
sean(at)gimcw.org
www.hortulusaptus.com

> Hi Barry,
> I don't think the issue with formality is because it's labor-intensive. In my
> experience, a boxwood or myrtle parterre needs to be clipped 3, maybe 4 times
> a year: I have to mow the lawn every week.
> California is the birthplace of laid-back and natural, so a garden of straight
> lines and clipped shrubs is probably seen as uptight and un-natural.  This
> could be true, although I remember years ago on a trip to the gardens of
> Versailles (a symmetrical forest with symmetrical lakes, and parterres the
> size of football fields), a Frenchman remarked that the most artificial
> gardens at Versailles were the naturalistic ones around Marie Antoinette's
> "farm".  He considered these to be the most artificial because they pretended
> to be natural.
> I think what surprised me about that trip was that the symmetrical forest of
> Versailles was still a forest; it wasn't sterile, and it wasn't uptight.
> As for my own developing garden aesthetic, I find the hard glossy shrubs of
> mediterranean climates often lend themselves to trimming into rounded,
> mounding forms.  Plus, the pleasant climate makes for expensive real estate
> and small gardens, where the privacy afforded by a clipped hedge is valuable.
> Since small gardens can't have large trees, a patio shaded by a vine -covered
> pergola is also very useful.
> Thanks for your input; tell me more!
> -Ben Wiswall
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