Common features
The appearance of a traditional English-style garden continues to be an example of landscape art for many. The described direction was formed to create an alternative to the regular French park. At the end of the eighteenth century, many were already tired of the geometrically correct layout, which had pronounced symmetry with straight alleys, parterres and ponds. It was impossible to be too distracted from the theme of classicism at that time; his ideal paintings were in fashion. But society was tired of the effect of man’s absolute control over nature, so the idea of creating a park appeared, which outwardly looked like a man-made natural extension of the surrounding landscape.
The beauty of nature within the framework of man-made processing Source standard.co.uk
The creators of such creations sought a balance between interference with natural nature and its unbridled temperament. Therefore, the new trend was based on the principle of the element of unpredictability. Walking through such a park, a person did not know what awaited him around the bend of the alley. To realize such aspirations, a variety of picturesque elements were used (small bridges, pavilions, fountains, flowerpots, pyramids, decorative structures stylized as ruins).
Gardens in the style described have an amazing sense of proportion; they look noble and picturesque. Their aesthetics are highly functional. The principles of its construction are considered unshakable. They can be used by anyone who dreams of creating a small green corner in the style of old England in their dacha. To do this, you must adhere to the following rules.
Lush noble beauty Source pinterest.com
Basic structure
An English garden in landscape design is an object with a clearly planned structure. Its basis is walking areas, the routes of which allow you to observe the change of decorative objects. Their selection is strictly limited. The generally accepted ones are:
- large green lawn ;
- front garden;
- open light gazebo in the form of a pavilion;
- a garden created from fruit or ornamental trees;
- picturesque pond .
All these zones are separated from each other by walls made of stone, reminiscent of ancient ruins, or by impeccably trimmed green fences. When placing the listed objects, it is necessary to adhere to strictly defined boundaries.
Stone walls in a classic garden Source yandex.ru
The space between the decorative inserts is united by routes intended for walking. They are formed using paved paths or soft paths sprinkled with gravel. Along them you can plant flower beds and make ridges. You can complicate the task and place them inside green boxwood labyrinths. The business card of landscape design in the style of an English park is one-sided or two-sided mixborders.
Design and decor
Little man-made decor is used in English parks and gardens. However, those decorations that are still present in the landscape automatically become accent zones, precisely because they are in the minority and are greatly outnumbered by green spaces. The location of important decorative details should be thought out in advance. The designer arms himself with a sheet of sketch paper and a pencil, sketches out a site plan, then applies existing buildings to the drawing. Now that it’s easier to navigate the area, you can draw an approximate layout of the decor. From the wide range of landscape decorations, you should choose only typical English or antique details. The latter are used to decorate individual secluded corners of the property.
Decorative structures
In the design of English plots, two types of materials prevail: wood and stone. The first is used for making benches, fences, and gates. The lower part of the facades of buildings is finished with stone, monumental fences are erected from it, and paths are paved. The fence can also be made of brown brick, but it must be supplemented with forged elements so that the structure does not look faceless. Decorative structures include pergolas, gazebos, benches, sculptural compositions, platforms up to half a meter high. The relief of the site is emphasized by stone stairs. Their steps are decorated with moss, and lushly growing mixed borders are planted on the sides. As a rule, each garden has its own corner for privacy. It is installed near a pond or on the border of a site away from a noisy courtyard.
In the center of such a site, surrounded by benches, a gazebo or statue depicting a person or animal is placed. Decorate the area with greenery or a low fence. By the way, benches are located under trees, along garden paths or near ponds. Pergolas are usually placed directly on the road, that is, support pillars are dug into its sides. In the summer heat, this zone will give those walking around the site much-desired shade. Garden furniture is made of wood with forged elements. It is desirable that the items belong to the Baroque, Art Nouveau or Empire style. The peculiarities of the English landscape include such an unusual decoration as the “wooded theater”. It is formed in the most remote part of the site. A small area is set up in the center of wild trees. It is decorated with statues, columns, a fountain, trimmed bushes, and benches. Thanks to these elements of the ancient style, it seems as if a full-fledged structure once stood here, of which only beautiful ruins remain. The lighting fixtures chosen are classic: black lanterns on thin, high legs, decorated with openwork shades that emit soft, diffused light.
Cottage garden areas are often decorated with pavilions or greenhouses. These are compact structures, most of which are occupied by windows. Tender exotic plants are grown inside and furniture (chairs, sofa, table) is placed. People relax in the pavilions, hold tea ceremonies, greet guests, read books and do handicrafts.
Paths
Paths, as a rule, are made of two types of materials. Those closer to the house are paved with stone, since people walk in the yard more often, which means the load on the pavement increases. The “veins” of moss that fill the voids between the fragments of the paved surface will look beautiful. Then the path will take on a careless and slightly “abandoned” look. The stone goes well with picturesque, dilapidated brick walls, the gaps of which are entwined with hops or ivy. Paths hidden in the depths of the site are sprinkled with gravel, crushed stone, sand or crushed bark. If coniferous trees grow in the garden, then the passage under them can be filled with cones. This option looks very original.
Reservoirs
English-style ponds have an irregular shape that imitates natural contours. The gently sloping bank is decorated with plants. A small fountain or sculpture is placed in the center of the reservoir. The water surface is decorated with water lilies, lilies, and duckweed. If the dimensions of the reservoir allow, then a bridge with forged railings is thrown across its middle. Be sure to place one or two benches near the water. I partially decorate the shore with stone steps, which smoothly turn into a rock garden, and large cobblestones.
Style elements
Despite the fact that the natural beauty of nature is at the forefront, the garden described can only be called as close to natural forms as possible only conditionally. In its implementation one can always feel the experienced hand of a gardener with a capital G. Therefore, the overall picture includes trimmed fences and well-mowed lawns. Free landscape plantings fill the empty areas that remain after identifying the main accents (promenade alleys, architectural elements, green labyrinths).
Romantic corner in the garden Source roomester.ru
The garden in England imitates not pristine nature, but a pastoral picture in which a fairy-tale atmosphere dominates. Branched thickets and overgrown bushes are not for the object being described. There is only room for perfectly trimmed corners. All accents used should emphasize aristocratic luxury and resemble the appearance of a colorful postcard prepared for an art exhibition.
Classics within classics – that’s what landscape design is in English. If shrubs are needed, then boxwoods should act as them. If you need to plant trees, it is better to use maples, catalpas or wild apple trees. Their favorite partners are catnip, heuchera and delphinium. The lower tier is most often decorated with lavender and veronica. Bulb plants (tulips, muscari and daffodils) look good in such splendor. For several centuries in a row, this combination has not gone out of fashion. All together, they don't look boring.
The principle of multi-tiered design Source pinterest.es
Each designated plant has its own distinct personality. If you can choose them taking into account shapes, sizes and colors, you will be able to accurately recreate the style of an English aristocrat.
Greens in a plane
The color of lush greenery always dominates the gardens of England. You can’t do without a lush lawn. It unifies the overall composition, serves as its main background, fills the resulting bald spots and balances the flower beds. Without the use of such a technique, it is impossible to achieve natural harmony and create the splendor of charm.
Emerald-colored base for framing perennials Source pinterest.com
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in landscape design of sites.
If you want to organize something similar on your personal plot, you need to make strict lawns, create a border of greenery around ponds, connect or ridges and create walking routes. The lawn should become a backdrop for admiring everything that is in landscape gardening.
A scientific approach to plant selection
Despite the fact that the English style in landscape design implies the creation of zones of equal importance, the basis for the success of the general idea is that the choice of plants should be carried out on a strictly individual basis. The owner is obliged to know everything about each of them: the nuances of planting, care, reproduction.
There is no way to save time in this matter. Therefore, it is advisable to start a separate journal and compile catalogs in it, describe the stages of work for each specific species, build schedules for watering and fertilizing, tillage, weeding and resettlement. The garden will have to dedicate itself to itself and constantly look after it, like a small child. It is important to do this thoroughly, using a scientific approach, constantly studying the experiences of other gardeners and communicating with them on forums. This approach will make it easy to adjust existing ensembles.
A well laid out flowering garden Source pinterest.com
Color balance
Harmony in color is another basic principle. The ability to achieve it and then maintain the garden in the required form at any time of the year is a task for professionals. There is nothing complicated about this if you know how to build a color scheme. Here you need to act like a skilled artist: take a basic foundation and, starting from it, skillfully use different shades.
The described garden does not have faded colors, contrasts or boring undertones. Aristocratic landscapes are those in which a calm green palette dominates; every colorful and rich element has its own counterbalance, and every light color is adjacent to a dark, rich, deep tone. When compiling a range, you need to use a combination of shades that are adjacent to each other. For example, it is good to mix purple with lilac, yellow with orange, blue with cyan.
Features of landscape style in landscape design
The gardens of English landscape designers, as a rule, were recreated over a large area.
Paintings with elements of English garden design (wikipedia.org)
What decorative elements were used by garden designers in landscape style:
Lawn
The lawn should be neatly and naturally trimmed. Flower beds, trees, shrubs, and clearings are concentrated around it. The edges of the lawn can be decorated with mixborders - these are oblong beds, decorated with coniferous crops with artistic chaos. Walls of flowers and hedges will help create zoning and create coziness.
Pond
A pond is an integral attribute in an English garden. The British often place compact ponds throughout the entire garden area or one large lake, but with a bridge across it. Willow (there are dwarf varieties), water lilies, reeds are planted near the water, and the landscaping of the lake is supplemented with duckweed.
Paths in the English garden style
In the Landscape Park (English garden), paths often wind and connect different areas. They can be paved using natural materials - sandstone or cobblestones.
Flower beds
In landscape style, flower beds are formed from unpretentious flowers. In mixborders they are grouped by species and planted densely to create a beautiful combination of tall and low stems. But stick to the mono concept and choose 2-3 types. But you can play with shades and contrasts in an English garden.
Plants
Garden crops should look lush, since it is necessary to maintain the atmosphere of rich royal decoration. Based on the climatic conditions of your region, so that the flower beds look aesthetically pleasing throughout the year: they stand out against the background of snow, bloom with the rays of the summer sun, and delight with colors in autumn and spring.
Based on this, the following are suitable: Coniferous crops that retain an attractive appearance in any season. The porch can be decorated with baskets of dwarf plants. Geranium, lavender, iris are traditional flowers for England. In spring, the British put boxes and pots of tulips and daffodils on the streets. In summer, outdoor decorative vases can be decorated with garden balsams, “Pansies” violets, and marigolds. Flowers can be used to decorate not only flower beds, but also window sills and steps. Liana or ivy is planted directly against the wall. At a favorable air temperature, such a hedge remains presentable for a long time. The landscape park is the optimal place for wisteria, grapes, honeysuckle and garden roses.
Video description
The video shows how the English Garden Museum was created in London, where purely English landscape design is presented:
Water sources
In English parks you can find small springs, small fountains, and well-groomed ponds. All of them have high decorative functions, and they can be used for watering plants.
A pond with a stepped waterfall in a luxurious green frame Source yexplore.travel
Solving such elements requires serious material investments. The size of the reservoirs should be impressive, the banks should be high, and the plants should be planted in large groups.
Careful care
A garden in the spirit of good old England should be surrounded by great love. This style is best suited for those who like to tinker with plants: pruning roses, mowing green lawns. Everything needs careful care, you have to put your soul into everything. Therefore, such a creation will not suit lazy people. Even one neglected bush, a withered bud, a dry shoot will immediately destroy the splendor created by your hands. And there can be no talk of weeds. So careful care is another principle of creating English design.
How to create an English-style garden with your own hands
To bring the English style to your site, you need to follow a few simple steps.
- No more than 3 types of plants should be planted. It was noted above that it is not worth planting all the flowers in a row. It is better to choose some varieties and add volume to the perimeter due to their quantity, rather than the variety of species.
- Combine contrasting shades. For English landscape design, it is important to correctly combine and use color schemes. Combine red peonies with pink foxgloves. Daylilies in yellow and lemon shades go well with purple and violet alliums.
- Set boundaries. To install a green fence and build paths, it is worth adding bird feeders placed around the perimeter and houses for pigeons. They will make the composition holistic and fit perfectly into the overall design of the site. To divide it into separate parts, use forged gratings that will not block the entire view, but will still cope with the task.
- Select furniture. To create an English style on the site, it is proposed to abandon the use of the usual green and gray shades. It is better to repaint all the furniture in bright colors. This will give the garden a positive and joyful look even when the plants are not blooming. It is important that the furniture on the site is decorated in an antique style. The older it looks, the better.
- Particular attention is paid to the internal appearance. If there are pillars and columns on the site, climbing plants must be entwined around them. This way you can achieve the effect that the structures are floating above the ground. Landscaping in this image involves the use of statues and stylized ruins. It is required to place them throughout the site.
- A combination of sun and shade. A plot stylized in this way can combine hydrangea, which is thermophilic, which is why it should be planted near the northern wall, and succulents that adore sunlight. This way you can create a cozy area on the site for snacks and relaxing rest.
See alsoDesign of a plot of 12 acres with a house and a bathhouse
Generalization on the topic
An English-style garden is an artistic creation. This direction is very popular. But in order for its splendor to please the eye throughout all four seasons, special careful care and a scientific approach to the formation of plant groups are needed. Inside such an object, everything is lined up in the correct geometry, but it is visible only from a great height. Inside, everything is mysterious and laconic. Around every turn there is a new surprise in the form of an antique sculpture near a waterfall or a wicker bench hidden in a well-groomed flower garden. All these objects are connected by paved paths.
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The history of the landscape style
England is considered the most “garden” European country. She made a great contribution to world culture. The first park areas in the vicinity of London were typical, as in other parts of the planet at that time. The Romans settled them in their villas. And in the Middle Ages, apothecary gardens were made in monastery courtyards, and small flower beds in the form of a family coat of arms were made in castles.
In the 17th Art. Among the English, the fashion for Dutch and French gardens, which were distinguished by their straightforwardness and geometric shapes, spread. Some bushes were even decorated to resemble an ancient god or animal.
