Linking Areas in Italian Gardens

Connecting Areas of the Italian Garden

By now a rough idea of the final garden design should be emerging; you have hopefully decided on which style the garden will adopt, where your formal area will be, where you would like to create your garden rooms, informal areas etc and all based around one uniting theme or feel.

Intelligent planting schemes can enhance formality or informality by adopting the use of topiary or vases to enhance or detract from the symmetry. A very useful yet simple natural logic to follow when designing a formal planting scheme is to always plant plants in even numbers, as this will ensure a stable and mathematically rational structure to the planting scheme. Instead informal plantings should display a far less rational planting structure and the planting of plants in groups of odd numbers will ensure a less rigid, natural 'informal' effect.

The paths that connect these different areas together should have a walking surface that picks up on the feel and colours of the gardens it unites, with careful consideration being given to the material used and its message within the garden. Paths can also be enhanced with arbors, pergolas, on which you can then grow climbing roses and other climbing plants. These can be constructed from wood, wrought iron or even simple, inexpensive taught metal wires pulled between wooden posts or walls. Do not underestimate the potential of occupying the vertical space, as it will increase the amount of color and foliage effect, without robbing you of valuable floor space. Climbing plants with fragrant flowers such as classic roses, honeysuckle and wisteria, when grown at head-height are clearly more effective scent providers than scented plants grown at ground level!

People can be enticed and then rewarded by placing an object such as garden benches, amphora or even a simple, inexpensive old mirror hung on a wall at the end of a vista or path. Mirrors placed intelligently can add depth and improve light-levels, making a pathway seem even longer, or illuminate a dark corner.

Entrances and other prominent garden features should be given special attention and their importance and inevitable symmetry should be addressed by planting elegant topiary or placing vases either side of a door, gate, or at the beginning of a path or a flight steps etc. Planting of this kind addresses and underlines important features perfectly and automatically draws the eye to the feature you wish to emphasize, giving it the importance it deserves.

Here 'Space and form' come into play yet again and any object, vase or shrub should be designed and chosen to suit the overall scale and unifying theme- maintaining a clear yet intriguingly subtle message throughout the entire garden design.

By Jonathan Radford