English gardens have long been renowned as some of the most beautiful gardens in the world. Monasteries during the middle Ages boasted beautiful herb gardens that grew along with vegetables. Other early English gardens gave way to symmetry with the knot garden made of boxwood hedges and herbs designed to be appreciated from a balcony above in order to see all the intricacies of the motif. Gravel and stone paths entwined amongst the plants to make beautiful former borders and designs. All among the English gardens are whimsical statues, urns and stone garden seats and ornate arbors. Other English gardens may have a wall with ivy and ferns complete with a pool or fountain. .
In the 18th century the new style of English gardens moved away from formality and began to have a natural look. Garden lines were no longer straight and paths began to curve and wander. Trees were planted in clusters instead of in rows and the garden became an open, park-like setting attached to the house.
Victorian English Gardens were a combination of formal and wild gardens, sometimes being combined in to one garden. Gertrude Jekyll was the most influential gardener of the 20th century in England. She recommended herbaceous borders and color schemed gardens. The Cottage Garden became popular with its profusion of colors and flowers wherever a little space permitted. Climbers crawled up trellises, walls, and over rooftops. Ms. Jekyll saw the garden and house as being a whole rather than two separate spaces.
To this day English Gardens are both large and small, neat and profuse, formal and informal but all have a distinct English personality.
How does one build an English Garden? That depends on the type desired, the lay of the land being used, and the personality of the gardener. One sure thing is that a border and some paths would be proper things to put in the garden. A wall or a fence would be something else to consider along with a pond, fountain, and/or whimsical garden ornaments.
An existing wall to the house, garage, a tall fence can be used to create a garden room. Place trellises against the wall to have climbing flora scramble to the top. Plant shrubs below to create a sense of intimacy and privacy. Even large hedges can become a fence when smaller plantings are displayed in front.
When planning your beds, remember that low shrub borders are usually very dense so you will need to make your beds a little bigger than you think to accommodate these borders. Give yourself plenty of room. Decide if you want a formal or informal look. For a formal appearance make your lines straight using squares, triangles, or rectangles. To make things look a little less structured, plant flowers and shrubs that will spill over some of the lines so that it doesn’t appear so severe. For an informal look make the lines of your beds curved or circular. Lawn should accentuate the plantings, not overpower them, so it is safe to say that in an English Garden there is often less grass than there are flower beds. Make your lawn tie the garden on one side of the yard to the garden on the other side.
Paths are a must in an English Garden but they must have purpose and appeal. A path must take you to a point of interest so make sure there is one in your garden. This could be a pond, a fountain, or even an unusual piece of garden art. Paths can be made of stone, brick, bark mulch, gravel, or just about anything else one can think up. Just be sure that it reflects the personality of the garden and of the home it is meant to accentuate.
Good border plants for your garden are: holly, boxwood, yews, and cypress. Other plants that will give you a good profusion of color and shape are: iris, foxglove, rose, canna, tulip, ornamental grass, peony, poppy, daisy, black eyed Susan, salvia, larkspur, hydrangea, aster, lavender, daylily, and dianthus. Don’t forget to include herbs like savory, oregano, marjoram, parsley (curly makes a good border), rosemary, and thyme.
An English Garden, be it formal or informal, can definitely bring a look of nostalgia to your home and yard.
Deborah Harding - Deborah Harding has developed recipes, worked with herbs and written home school curriculum for over 20 years.
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