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Naomi Slade explains how to squeeze great garden inspiration into much smaller spaces
With winter almost upon us and garden visiting season drawing to a close, we can find ourselves reflecting on our horticultural adventures with a certain amount of longing. Part of the fun of getting out and about, is trying on someone else’s lifestyle for size – even if that size is much larger than our own, and when opportunity presents, it is only natural to indulge in a little up-scale fantasy, drifting across grand lawns, promenading along magnificent avenues or playing hide-and-seek among the looming topiary. But on returning home, the scenery can seem comparatively lacking in ambition and scale.
But with a little planning and knowhow, it is possible to squeeze at least some of that great garden inspiration into a much smaller space. Team statement features such as sculpture and themed borders with thoughtful vistas and surprise views, for a sense of grandeur that is achievable and impactful on a domestic scale.
Fabulous features
Replicating the full panoply of lichen-clad stonework and dramatic expanses of water in a modest suburban plot can feel like a challenge. Yet there are a number of ways to evoke the aesthetic, so start by considering the garden that already exists, as that will help with choosing the most appropriate new features and statement pieces.
In a small garden, less is usually more. Clean, modern art can be striking, and classical stone sculpture can be a handsome addition to a space, but the scale and style of that space have to be acknowledged. The siting and location of the piece matters and so does theme, and in the average plot, a geometric metal sculpture on the lawn or demure marble nymph nestled in evergreens may be a more appropriate strategy, than, say, Neptune rising from the begonias brandishing a trident, or Apollo riding his chariot and four horses across the herbaceous border.
It is also important to keep things simple, bearing in mind not just the feature but the area around it, and giving it space to breathe. A single figure or shape may be more easily chosen, and scaled up or down to fit the site available, but it is equally important to consider the degree of impact that a chosen feature has. A grand and godly tableau is naturally eye-catching, but it can also dominate a garden – and if the size is reduced it can seem a little risible, in a model village sort of way.
Likewise, devoting a large part of a small garden to a lake is arguably less effective than installing a formal water feature, such as a rill or a raised pond, while combining art and water via a fountain or mirror pool is a pared back and elegant approach to adding a little grandeur.
Big borders in small spaces
In a landscape garden the borders can be magnificent, but close observation reveals that their charm lies not necessarily in their size, so much as in their structure and sophistication, and this is something that is easy to emulate.
Start off by looking at the border in terms of its layers, and work out how to connect tall planting with the ground via a range of interesting shrubs and bulky perennials. These can be planted at different heights and staggered depths, to create a sense of unity and fullness.
Repeating themes, colours and shapes will look bold and coherent and a restrained colour scheme will convey a level of precision and graciousness, so use a single key multiple times or deploy a range of foliage and flowers to provide pops of a unifying colour.
The fundamental boldness of a grand planting scheme can be replicated through using statement plants, and strong colours. Unusual specimens and large, dramatic foliage are particularly effective.
Palms such as Trachycarpus fortunei are unexpected and so interesting, while compact and slender Juniperus scopulorum ‘Skyrocket’ brings pencil-thin verticals, and in a sheltered and partially shady spot, the handsome foliage of Fatsia japonica looks very exotic.
Late season colour can be provided by plants such as dahlias, Lobelia tupa, salvias and hylotelephium, while repeated tall grasses will add movement. A largely herbaceous border, meanwhile, can be strengthened and made more confident by adding structural elements, such as well-spaced evergreen topiary or sculpture.
Vistas
Long views are lovely, but in a small garden where they are lacking, there are several ways to maximise the sense of space and depth. Best known is ‘borrowing’ a view; connecting the garden with something beyond the boundary, by framing it or using it as a focal point to draw the eye.
Using similar shapes that seem to retreat as they march down the garden will give the impression of distance, which can be emphasised by playing with scale, and making the far ones smaller than those nearby. Allowing colours to fade into the distance will also evoke the wide blue yonder, so use bold or dark colours close to the house and increasingly paler ones further away.
Finally, deploy the wonderful element of surprise. Cut an unexpected window in a hedge, arrange for the view back up the garden to run along the longest axis or via a serpentine path, or create points where the house can only be seen through layers of contrasting foliage, as if at a great distance.
Making focal points work
An effective focal point draws the eye by standing out from its surroundings, so:
● Plan in a sudden change of colour, texture or shape within the planting scheme.
● Design a symmetrical layout with parallel lines or lines which converge on an interesting feature.
● Frame the focal point with garden structures, trees, or an actual frame through which to view the subject.
● Give the focal point enough space to shine: clutter will detract from its impact.
● Good subjects for a focal point are often simple in shape; obelisks, spheres, specimen trees or a feature of the surrounding landscape, such as a church spire, often work well.
HOW TO MAKE FORMAL PLANT FEATURES
The brilliant thing about a formal planting scheme is that it does not need to be large; the same design principles scale perfectly in almost any space, so it is relatively easy to create a mini-parterre or a compact homage to Versailles using topiary or geometric beds.
Formal gardens usually use tightly clipped evergreens to provide year-round structure. Box is traditional, but where it is unhealthy, consider alternatives such as yew, Ilex crenata, small-leaved ligustrum, or pittosporum. Lavender and rosemary also work well as a low hedge in small spaces and ornamental herb gardens.
The key to formality is geometry, so lay out the space accordingly, using parallel lines, repeating swirls or squares divided up into compartments. The gaps between the evergreens can be planted up for interest in other seasons, with bulbs for spring and dahlias for autumn, while topiary shapes add height and grandeur.
PHOTOGRAPHS; SHUTTERSTOCK/GAP PHOTOS
