Exploring great garden design

Artists whether they are painters, photographers, sculptors, architects or garden designers all create within a framework which allows them to take the guess work out of great design, tap into their creativity and influence the beauty and dimensions of the design, all of which helps designers to create gardens that fill us with delight. Let’s follow in their footsteps and explore how to create beautiful outdoor spaces.

The questions in the exercise below will guide you on how to evaluate a garden design and introduce some basic elements of good design.

Let’s explore what design elements and principles have been used to create this gorgeous garden at Hollister House, a romantic country garden created by George Schoelkopf.

Evaluate the garden

Take a look at the picture of a garden room at Hollister House and evaluate this garden against the following design principles, listing both the positives and the negatives.

What would you say is the focal point in this garden.
Is your eye naturally drawn to the accent or focal point? Or do you have to look around to find the accent or focal point?
Do the elements in this area feel balanced to you? What would you change?
What contrasts have been used in this area? What would you change?
Where in the design has rhythm, repetition and unity been used? What would you change?
Has scale and proportions been correctly used in the design? What would you change?
Overall what do you like about this area of the garden?
What don’t you like or what would you like to change in this area of the garden?

Response from our design team

Read below our thoughts on the garden and our feedback. Learning how to evaluate a garden and put your own personality into the garden is part of our Garden Design Roots course. Click here for more information about our Garden Design online course and begin your journey to creating beautiful outdoor spaces!

A focal point demands your attention, attracts your eye and sets the mood of the garden. In this garden the focal point appears to be the entrance, the hedging and the ornamental pot placed at the end of the pool. Here your eye is being drawn to exit the garden. Remove the pot and suddenly your eye will settle on the natural focal point in this garden which falls naturally in the bed on the left hand side of the picture. This calls to me for a well placed bench in which the viewer can rest and enjoy the garden.
As beautiful as this garden area is my eye had to search for the focal point and the ornamental pot serves no purpose in this design. Remember in design all elements add or distract from the design and in my opinion the ornamental pot distracts from the design and should be removed.
Achieving a sense of visual balance is the essence of a successful garden and balance in a garden is achieved by ensuring that what is seen on one side is balanced by what is seen on the other side. In this garden balance has been achieved by the combination of formal hedging that encloses the garden room and by ensuring that the informal planting has equal visual weight.
Our brains are wired to notice differences. We are not conscious of it, but we are constantly scanning and looking for similarities and differences all the time. Contrast is what we notice, it’s what attracts our attention, gives a design its energy and creates interest in the garden. Contrasting elements in this garden include the hard stone paving juxtaposed against the texture of the water; contrasting of the formal hedging and the informal planting; the contrasting of different coloured foliage and flowers all of which combine to give this garden its visual strength and beauty.
In this garden the repetition of planting material and repetition of colour have been used to achieve the design principle of unity, rhythm and repletion which have combined here to create a harmonious garden.
When people, plants and other elements in the design are in proportion and to scale the design feels comfortable and harmonious. The height of the ornamental pot used in this design is not in proportion to the height of the hedges which simply overpower the ornamental pot. The ornamental pot also feels as if it is blocking the entrance. As previously discussed removal of the ornamental pot would greatly enhance this design or if the designer really wants to include the ornamental pot in the design, the pot would need to be taller in order to be in proportion to the hedging.
Overall the beauty of this garden comes from the wonderful use of contrast, unity, rhythm and repetition. This design also makes wonderful use of borrowed scenery drawing the eye to the area beyond the garden room.
I would like to see the ornamental pot removed from this design as it serves no purpose, is out of scale and detracts from the design. The space calls for a seating area on the left in which to rest, relax and enjoy the space.