Touch Of Formality In My Garden (Garden Elements. Part 2)

There is no doubt that my garden is eclectic.
In this post, I want to look at the signs of formality in my garden.
I love formal gardens. My heart sinks when I see beautiful formal gardens of Europe, for example. However, I should admit that I wouldn't want all my garden to be formal. But, I enjoy having elements of formality which add some pizzaz to my garden's appeal.
Formal gardens generally incorporate such features as symmetry, geometric forms, straight lines, uniform textures and colors, clipped hedges, classical accents as urns, sundials, pillars, etc.
Do I have symmetry? Symmetrical plantings? Some. Palm trees in big planters on both sides of the back patio. Tall topiary Privets on both sides of the central entrance to the house. Big classic planters and round boxwoods on both sides of the path to the central entrance.
Does my garden have geometric forms, straight lines? Yes, some. Clipped hedges of Japanese ilex, for example. I planted 100 small ilexes in 2004, and they grew to a nice hedge in front and behind the house.

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I also have classical urns and sculptures that often are featured in formal gardens. Pillars? No. But, I would love to!

Topiaries fit well in formal designs. Besides privets, I have several simple ball boxwoods in pots and several in the ground.
I don't have symmetrical gardens divided by a path through their center which have the same or similar plantings and other garden elements on each side. I have two beds on both sides of the path leading to the house's entrance. They share only a few perennials and shrubs because the soil conditions are different. One bed has two huge fir trees stealing the water and nutrients from other plants. This limits the variety of plants in that bed.
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A central focal point, such as a sculpture, water fountain, etc. can serve as an ordering element in the garden. I have a pine cone on a pedestal under one of the metal arches. I wish I could have a path leading to it. But, that part of the garden, between our house and a neighboring property, is pretty narrow (upper right picture in the collage below). The path would be a third parallel line. I don't think it would look good. What do you think?
Repetition of garden elements is also recommended as a way to create a sense of order in the garden. Do three identical arbors in my garden create repetition? It looks like it does.
Using boxwoods, privets and ilex, repeatedly throughout my design, also creates some uniformity and, I hope, ties together various parts of my garden.

I don't have stately trees, planted along the driveway. There are lot of evergreen trees and shrubs, but they grow naturally here and there, without any order.
The structure within the formal garden can be created by walls and hedges. Behind the house, a retaining wall and a hedge of japanese ilex create a separate space, kind of a garden room (lower left picture in the last collage). Hardscape garden materials can contribute to a formal look too. They name bluestone, brick and granite as more formal materials than fieldstone or flagstone. Brick or stone patios are considered more appropriate in a formal garden than wood decking. We chose pavers that go along with the bricks used for a house.

Mowed and edged lawns are also the part of formal gardens. Some members of our family love lawns and don't mind to maintain them. But slowly, step by step, I am taking parts of the lawn and turning them into borders and flower beds. My husband does the mowing and edging, while I prune hedges and topiaries.

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Garden Elements. Part 1 is here: Gazebo (Garden Elements. 1.)

P.S. I was not blogging last week while serving as a parent shaperone on my sons colonial history tour on the east coast. I hope to sort through the pictures this week and show some of them to you.

Copyright 2010 TatyanaS