CHAPTER NUMBER2 3CHAPTER TITLE
PRINCIPLE 2:SIZE AND SCALE
CHAPTER NUMBER2 3CHAPTER TITLE
PRINCIPLE 2:SIZE AND SCALE
4 5
PrinciPle 2size and scale
PREVIOUS PAGEA small garden around a circular lawn
LEFTDense planting in an urban garden
For centuries, artists have distorted scale to produce an emotional response, whether in religious paintings or in surrealist art. By making a leap in scale, painters and sculptors have revealed the new. Taking an everyday object and blowing it up in size transforms it into something extraordinary seen with fresh eyes. A reduction in size has a different effect; think of how we marvel at the beauty of a Nicholas Hilliard miniature. In the same way in gardens, unusual or unexpected scale can be an attention grabber and can overturn our expectations about how a space might be filled.
4 5
PrinciPle 2size and scale
PREVIOUS PAGEA small garden around a circular lawn
LEFTDense planting in an urban garden
For centuries, artists have distorted scale to produce an emotional response, whether in religious paintings or in surrealist art. By making a leap in scale, painters and sculptors have revealed the new. Taking an everyday object and blowing it up in size transforms it into something extraordinary seen with fresh eyes. A reduction in size has a different effect; think of how we marvel at the beauty of a Nicholas Hilliard miniature. In the same way in gardens, unusual or unexpected scale can be an attention grabber and can overturn our expectations about how a space might be filled.
Atrickthatdesignersoftenemployistoincreasethefeelingofsizeinagardenbyusingmirrors.Particularlyintowncourtyardgardenswiththeirhighwallsandlimitedspace,amirrorcangivetheillusionofacontinuingpath,ofawindoworadoorintoasecondgarden.Thisaddsdepth,accentuateslight,doublingthenumberofplantsandcreatinganotherworldbeyondthisone.Itissuchasimpletechniquebutveryeffective.Eventhoughweknowitisillusory,itstillproducesasenseofincreasedspace.Amirrorcanevenbeplacedbeyondadoorthatisajar,teasinglyinvitingustoopenthedoorontoafurthergarden.Watertoocanactlikeamirror,increasingtheapparentopennessofanarea,reflectingskyandbuildingsasthistowngardeninBerlin.Likeahorizontalmirroritreplicatesanyplantsonitsmargins.
Altered perspectiveInthisDublingarden,therepetitionoffoliageshapes,thesofteningoftheboundarieswithtallplantsandapathleadingintothegreenery,itsendlostfromsight,allservetoincreasethesenseofscaleaswellasaddingmystery.Arealsenseofdramacanbecreatedbygrowingexoticplantsinanurbangarden,theglossygreensandstrongfoliagepatterns
Playing with sizePlayingwithsizeinproportiontosettingisyetanotherwaythatgardenerscancreatemood.AtHidcoteManorinGloucestershire,England,MajorLawrenceJohnstonmadeahuge,circular,raisedbathingpoolthatalmostcompletelyfillsahedgedenclosure.Walkingintothisgardencompartment,dominatedbyitssheetofstillwater,youareacutelyawareofthewaterandthesidesofthetall,darkhedge.Thescaleofthepooltoitssurroundingsevokesacompletelydifferentfeelingtothemoreusualsizeofapondinagarden‘room’. Fillingasmall,squarebackgardenwithalargecircularlawnhasthesameeffectasthebathingpoolatHidcote.Itpushesbacktheboundariesgivingagreatersenseofwidth.Thepointsofadiamondalsoappeartopushbackthefencelineandbydisguisingtheperimetersandblurringthemwithclimbingplantsthegardenfeelslargerstill.Verticalheightisalsoimportant,withtreesandpergolasliftingtheeyeup.Simplifyingpavingmaterialsandkeepingthemtothesamecoloursasthehousealsoincreasesscale. Intherestrictedspaceofasmallurbanyardanartfullyplacedgroupofafewverylargepotscreatesfarmoreeffectthanlotsoflittleones.Inthegroundplantingofasmallarea,therepetitionofafewkeyvarieties,ratherthandiminishingthescale,makesthegardenfeellarger.Itisalltooeasytobeseducedbyplantsinfloweratthegardencentreandtobuyonimpulsesomethingthatlatergetslostamongstalltheothers.Bymassplantingandlimitingthecolourstoperhapsthreeyoucanusethesimplicityofjustafewvarietiestoincreasethegarden’sapparentsize.
The circular pool at Hidcote Manor
The decking bridge gives a sense of space in the small garden
Atrickthatdesignersoftenemployistoincreasethefeelingofsizeinagardenbyusingmirrors.Particularlyintowncourtyardgardenswiththeirhighwallsandlimitedspace,amirrorcangivetheillusionofacontinuingpath,ofawindoworadoorintoasecondgarden.Thisaddsdepth,accentuateslight,doublingthenumberofplantsandcreatinganotherworldbeyondthisone.Itissuchasimpletechniquebutveryeffective.Eventhoughweknowitisillusory,itstillproducesasenseofincreasedspace.Amirrorcanevenbeplacedbeyondadoorthatisajar,teasinglyinvitingustoopenthedoorontoafurthergarden.Watertoocanactlikeamirror,increasingtheapparentopennessofanarea,reflectingskyandbuildingsasthistowngardeninBerlin.Likeahorizontalmirroritreplicatesanyplantsonitsmargins.
Altered perspectiveInthisDublingarden,therepetitionoffoliageshapes,thesofteningoftheboundarieswithtallplantsandapathleadingintothegreenery,itsendlostfromsight,allservetoincreasethesenseofscaleaswellasaddingmystery.Arealsenseofdramacanbecreatedbygrowingexoticplantsinanurbangarden,theglossygreensandstrongfoliagepatterns
Playing with sizePlayingwithsizeinproportiontosettingisyetanotherwaythatgardenerscancreatemood.AtHidcoteManorinGloucestershire,England,MajorLawrenceJohnstonmadeahuge,circular,raisedbathingpoolthatalmostcompletelyfillsahedgedenclosure.Walkingintothisgardencompartment,dominatedbyitssheetofstillwater,youareacutelyawareofthewaterandthesidesofthetall,darkhedge.Thescaleofthepooltoitssurroundingsevokesacompletelydifferentfeelingtothemoreusualsizeofapondinagarden‘room’. Fillingasmall,squarebackgardenwithalargecircularlawnhasthesameeffectasthebathingpoolatHidcote.Itpushesbacktheboundariesgivingagreatersenseofwidth.Thepointsofadiamondalsoappeartopushbackthefencelineandbydisguisingtheperimetersandblurringthemwithclimbingplantsthegardenfeelslargerstill.Verticalheightisalsoimportant,withtreesandpergolasliftingtheeyeup.Simplifyingpavingmaterialsandkeepingthemtothesamecoloursasthehousealsoincreasesscale. Intherestrictedspaceofasmallurbanyardanartfullyplacedgroupofafewverylargepotscreatesfarmoreeffectthanlotsoflittleones.Inthegroundplantingofasmallarea,therepetitionofafewkeyvarieties,ratherthandiminishingthescale,makesthegardenfeellarger.Itisalltooeasytobeseducedbyplantsinfloweratthegardencentreandtobuyonimpulsesomethingthatlatergetslostamongstalltheothers.Bymassplantingandlimitingthecolourstoperhapsthreeyoucanusethesimplicityofjustafewvarietiestoincreasethegarden’sapparentsize.
The circular pool at Hidcote Manor
The decking bridge gives a sense of space in the small garden
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