Different Shaped Gardens

Gardens come in all shapes and sizes, long, narrow, square, wide, dog-leg and so on. All the things that you want will need to be fitted in somewhere but the shape of the plot can make a big difference as to the final pattern.   

SQUARE GARDENS

Where long gardens have visual movement in a given direction, square plots are absolutely static. If you have a view out of the garden it will be a great help to lead the eye towards this by the alignment of planting or the direction of a path. By doing this your vision jumps beyond the boundaries and this helps to break down the shape. 

If, however, there is nothing but fences or walls then the pattern may well have to turn in on itself, a circular shape perhaps, focusing on a centrally placed feature. Alternatively you might think of emphasizing the garden's shape by building up a composition of overlapping squares and rectangles, part with paving, part with grass or gravel, with planting to fill in the gaps in between and soften the outline. 

SLOPING GARDENS  

Sloping gardens are neither easy to handle or cheap. The creation of steps, retaining walls and intermediate level areas can involve both considerable hard work and a large budget. 

The garden opposite (shown in the television series) rises just over 2m from the back of the house to the rear boundary and presented a considerable challenge to the designer, Julie Toll. Immediately adjacent to the house is a sitting and dining area of ample size, floored with neat precast concrete paving slabs. A built-in seat and raised pool provide a delightful focal point and the small fountain adds background sound and movement to the composition. 

Steps climb from one side of the terrace and a diagonal path leads across the garden helping to open the space up along its longest dimension and increasing its visual size. 

Lawn occupies the highest level, while a small shed provides storage for garden tools. Planting softens the entire garden, clothing fences and disguising the line of retaining walls to provide color and interest throughout the year. 

LONG NARROW GARDENS  

This is the classic shape of a garden built between the Wars. Unfortunately it is all too often seen with a path running slap down the middle, flanked by a washing line on one side, a border on the other and more borders running parallel to the fences. The result is not unlike papering a tall narrow hall with bold vertical stripes; visually rather uncomfortable. 

In fact, long narrow gardens are the easiest to handle as they can be broken down into a whole series of 'living rooms', each one in a more manageable shape and each given over to a different theme. In this way the area nearest to the house could be occupied by the patio, divided from the next by a wall of about 1 m high. The second room could be lawn surrounded by planting, the third perhaps a play area, while the bottom of the garden could be given over to the shed, compost and general utility. Instead of running a path down the middle, start it to one side, turning across the space as you enter the next 'room' and then off down the plot again, in a side to side pattern. This will have the effect of visually widening the garden. I have designed my own back garden along these lines.  

DOG-LEG

Dog-leg gardens are the kind that disappears off around a corner. All too often the action is concentrated in the first part, with the bit out of sight forgotten altogether. In fact, that feeling of mystery, and wondering just what is around the corner, is one of the vital elements of good garden design - you need to lead both feet and eye into the second space. This can easily be done with an inviting path and the positioning of planting. Once the first room is left behind, the second should hold a promise; a secluded sitting area and arbors, a summerhouse or simply an area of rougher naturalized grass with bulbs and wild flowers and an old seat just waiting to be used.