Garden Design – Inspirational Styles

A good garden designer, more often than not, works from a well-tried and tested set of rules that he or she knows will work under most circumstances. Most designers have a distinctive style and their work can be recognized in exactly the same way as an artist's or sculptor's can. The amateur designer obviously lacks the training of a professional but there is still absolutely no reason why anyone at all cannot produce a sensible and attractive scheme that fits their own requirements exactly.   

When it comes to inspiration, however, the amateur designer must remember that this is something that can never be learnt or copied exactly. Inspiration is unique - to try to duplicate another designer's garden will only lead to disaster, no matter how beautiful or well-designed it may be. The reason for this is, of course, that the original was prepared with a particular brief in mind, a specific set of circumstances and requirements which inevitably won't be precisely the same as yours.  

A Japanese garden can never be reproduced exactly in this country, although certain features of the style, whether in planting or design, can be. For example, you may be able to look at the positioning and textures of rocks in a Japanese garden and reproduce that relationship using different materials. In other words, it is the design principle that is important. The principle can be repeated but not the exact subject. 

Having said all this there are many styles and designers whose work is emulated, and rightly so. One has only to look at the superb gardens of Sir Edwin Lutyens built during the first part of this century: these are, on the whole, enormous, but his clarity of line, choice of materials and juxtaposition of features, represent design of the highest order. Lutyens also worked successfully with another designer, the great plants-lady, Gertrude Jekyll, and it was her subtle use of form, flower and foliage that breathed life into his stunningly controlled patterns. 

Once you start to understand just how such designs work you are well on the way to being a good designer yourself. It doesn't matter that your garden is only a fraction of the size of those that the great designers like Lutyens worked on. 

The gardens at Sissinghurst in Kent represent another school of design. Here, hedges and walls separate areas into rooms with the joy of a different type of planting in each. Hidcote Manor in Gloucestershire also echoes these principles. 

Other great sources of inspiration are the National Garden Festivals and the Chelsea Flower Show which have a wealth of different gardens and styles, some of which are brilliant and some frankly awful. 

Wherever you visit, whether just a friend's garden or a garden belonging to The National Gardens Scheme, the trick is to identify the features that you like and then adapt them to suit your own garden. 

'Equinox' is a garden that is designed so that it appears to be lit simultaneously by both the light of the setting sun and of the rising moon. 

At one end of the garden is the moon pool patio; encircled by conifers creating a cool blue light, the area is one of stillness and calm. Just a few steps away, and in vivid contrast, is the sunset patio with its radiating 'woodhenge' pergola and fiery array of planting. 

'Equinox' is a garden design that creates atmosphere and mystery yet allows enough space for entertainment, play and relaxation. 

'LA SOURCE' BY PAUL COOPER   

An ideal design for a very small garden, the starting point is a trellis feature which creates a two-dimensional 'reverse topiary' of 'La Source'. The idea is taken from a painting by Ingres of a woman pouring water from a pitcher. The water in the garden, however, is suggested rather than actual. The 'splash' as it falls is represented by planting which tumbles over pebbles. The 'water' then re-emerges as a 'stream', an effect which is created by using slate turned on its edge which curls across and divides the garden. There are stepping-stones across and a handrail for balance. 

A pergola can also be fixed to the house and thus helps to extend the dining room space into the garden. The pergola is not visible in the elevation of the garden but can be seen in the planting plan. 

One of the major problems for any art form is in overcoming our preconceived ideas so we forget our often limited terms of reference. It is vital to be able to do this and to open your mind to other possibilities which just might be a whole lot more exciting. 

Remember that ultimately, to use modern jargon, a well-designed garden should 'turn you on' and that, at the end of the day, is what it is all about. If you can adapt an inspirational design in a way that suits you then we have achieved what we set out to do and you are on your way to being a good designer.