Plant Gardens 101

You can use the rectilinear system to create a really charming garden if you pay attention to three main factors in a garden, one of which is the beds and borders. In the evolution of a garden design, the beds should receive first consideration.

They may as well occupy more space than usual. The narrow strips of border that often avoid the fences of gardens are, for the most part, useless for a flower society. A width of six feet is not too much for a principal border and it should be in full sun.

If the main path defines its boundary, another border parallel to it may be made on the other side of the path but somewhere around four feet wide. This difference in width is designed to secure variety and to eliminate inequality.

Two such borders, the wide one planted with shrubs and herbaceous plants, the narrow one with surface growing flowers, become complementary, and offer opportunity for many charming effects such as the creation of a fine view. There are ways in which you make the view even more spectacular by adding something such as a garden statue, wall water fountain, or even a resin wall fountain.   

The narrow border would be on one side on the grass plot, and short transverse extensions of it might be carried into the grass area. This would break its inner line and extend the flower space laterally. Such branches from a long border become partial screens, helping to secure that quality is known discretely.

It is by no means necessary that every border should be served by a path. On the contrary, a variety of effect is assisted by introducing a border between the grass and the boundary fence, such as on the side of the garden opposite to the walkway. The main point at this stage is that the borders should be in full sun, and served by the principal path.

These borders must be the dominant factor in the design, because they should represent the garden in the truest sense of the word. Objects such as garden fountains, patio statuary, and large water features can coexist with the dominance of the borders because both add a very powerful effect to the environment.

The path is for utility, the grass for repose, and both must be secondary to the beds and borders. Hence you cannot give too careful thought to the latter. Once the positions of the principal borders have been determined, it will depend upon the circumstances and desire of the garden maker.

If the garden is of considerable length it may be advisable to divert the path before it has crossed the full extent of the plot. It is possible to do this without sacrificing the welfare of the flowers and have the best results in the overall picture of the garden.

The introduction of detached beds is a matter in which the taste of the designer must be his most trustworthy guide. If you have some any large statues or large fountains, you may want to take wall fountains into consideration so there isn’t anything that may obstruct the path.

One way of accomplishing this is to allow the path to expand into a square at some point of its length, and to install a square bed in its center. This is a very convenient device when you need to create a slight deviation in the path without altering its direction, as the path may enter the square at one corner, and leave it by the diagonally opposite corner.

When beds of grass are set near its boundary, they should be allowed a verge of at least eighteen inches, to prevent difficulties in mowing. The use of circles and parts of circles, as well as that of figures in which the angles are equal and not less than a right angle, such as the hexagon, for example is not opposed to the rectilinear system of treatment. They become mere details, in no special way related to the leading lines of the garden plan.

Though the principal borders should assume the best position in the garden, there is no reason why you shouldn’t make a border in the shade, where you may grow such plants that thrive best under that condition.

Make sure your gardens beauty such as a garden fountain, wall fountain, or any other garden statuary is not hidden by the shade. The foot of a southern boundary fence is well suited for a shady border, because it is warm as well as shady. Ferns, Lily-Of-The-Valley, and Solomon’s Seal would thrive in such a border, as well as a multitude of other plants.
Allison Ryan is a freelance marketing writer from San Diego, CA. She specializes in landscape architecture and home improvement. For a gorgeous selection of large fountains for your patio or garden, or for the ideal wall fountain for your living room, stop by http://www.garden-fountains.com/.

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