Does your garden design mirror your environs?

14 years ago

I think we have all looked at a picture of a garden before and thought that it exemplifies the perfect Southern Garden, New England Garden, Southwest Garden, Pacific Northwest Garden, etc. Or even more general like city, country, farmland, meadow, mountainous, desert, tropical, etc.

If you were to write an article for a garden magazine about what design elements are typical of your location/region, what would you say? And do you think that your garden contains any of those characteristics?

I would say that region has inspired my style of gardening. I live in Eastern Washington, but have always loved the 'typical' gardens you would find on the western side (Seattle and the coast). I love the rich plantings that seem to focus as much (if not more) on greenery and texture as they do colorful flowers. And I think Pacific Northwest gardens are themselves influenced by surroundings, particularly the woodland areas and forests. I often notice how PNW gardens imitate the naturalistic wonders of the region and blend in natives and woodlandy plants into the design, as well as lots of evergreen trees/shrubs.

My garden, at least in spring, reminds me very much of some of the gardens I have always seen (since childhood really) in western WA. I tend to focus a lot on texture and put things based not only on where they will be happy, but where they will look 'natural' too. As if Mother Nature had put them there herself. I adore understated plants that are not very showy (such as woodland plants).

So, do you think your location has influenced your style of gardening at all?

Look forward to hearing from you!

CMK

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Comments (9)

lisa33
14 years ago
I think my garden is appropriate for my location, but very unlike the "gardens" of my youth. I grew up in suburbia in a development where I don't really remember anything that I'd really qualify as a garden--it was more obligatory, cookie-cutter landscaping. Everyone had evergreen foundation plantings, maple trees in the front yard with little circles of mulch around them into which everyone planted petunias and impatiens around Mother's Day. Also, azaleas, rhododendrons and pachysandra were ubiquitous. As a result, I tend to avoid most of those plants because they bore me.

Most of my appreciation for gardens was gained as I traveled around the world. I was especially drawn to the gardens I saw in Europe. Now, I think my garden is appropriate for the historic town in which I live. I shy away from tropical plants in my front garden because they don't seem to fit with the aesthetic of the area.

Lisa
ianna
14 years ago
Gardens reflect local tastes - primarily. Environs do influence how we redo our landscapes but it's taste that dictate it's eventual look.
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woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
14 years ago
If the question is what is the vernacular garden style in your area and does your garden conform to it?, then that is a very interesting question. Here in a circa 1960+ suburbia that is in the process of gradually being updated as houses change ownership, there seems to be neither a vernacular architectural style or garden style. In fact I'd say there is no particular style - architectural or garden - associated with southern Ontario post WW2 other than a generic one that you can find anywhere in a good part of the continent! (i.e. 1960s and 70's bungalows and ranch style and 1980s-now two story 'welcome to my garage' style!) So our house and garden neither fits in or sticks out. When we bought and renovated this house, we had to go through the 'committee or adjustments' to get a building permit because a small corner of the garage is outside the front yard set-back limits. The town planning staff recommended approving the permit by saying 'the house will not be detrimental to the neighbourhood' and that about sums up how the house and garden fits into our particular environs!
neverenoughflowers
14 years ago
Lisa, I don't think I could have said it any better. I grew up in a neighborhood of row houses in Philadelphia, luckily we were on the end along side a cul de sac street and had a nice yard. My mom planted a Bradford pear and some beautiful lilac bushes and azaleas and we had the maple tree with the circle of impatiens around it.
I live in a more rural area in Chester County and my style is more shade gardens with a woodland theme, I think very reflective of the area. I don't care for tropicals in my gardens either. Although, I do have rhodies, azaleas and lots of evergreen trees and woods full of maples, oaks, tulip poplars and black walnut trees. I think my garden beds a appropriate for the area I live in.
I live very close to Longwood Gardens and get inspiration from there as well as the many gardening publications I read.

Carol
lavender_lass
14 years ago
I think my gardens compliment their surrounding, but do not mirror them. I live out in the country, with a creek behind the house, and a hill behind the creek. It's a steep hill, but not a cliff and there are pine trees growing on the hill, but in groups, with sections of grass in between. The creek has aspens, poplars and large shrubs.

My gardens are mainly around the house, so I use lots of roses with lavender and other herbs, to keep the deer away. I love old-fashioned varieties or flowers, roses, perennials, and other heirlooms. I joke that it's a fairy tale type of garden, but I really think it's more of an old-world style...maybe the relaxed but traditional style that we probably see in old fairy tales. Within the gardens, I like to have small seating areas, for drinking tea, enjoying the flowers or just taking advantage of a shady spot in mid-summer :)
ianna
14 years ago
gardens do not mirror it's environs. At least not the gardens we presently have. Many plants in our yards were collected from other places over a century ago by explorers who brought back samples to England and to Europe. Most of our favorite plants are really aliens in our environs. Roses came from Europe and China, tulips from Turkey, and so on. they originated in very different environs.
christinmk z5b eastern WA
Original Author
14 years ago
-woodyoak, that is it. You just stated my whole post in one neat sentence ;-D Your post was very intersting- really enjoyed reading it!

I am afriad there has never been a definite style of gardening around here, which is likely the reason the western WA style of gardens I played in as a child have always been a source of inspiration for my own. That and the woodlandy areas that pop up in the most wonderful spots over there. I love adopting planting ideas from Mother Nature- she always gets it right!
CMK
luckygal
14 years ago
We live in a rural area where ranching and logging are the main industries. Our land is forested altho we've had a lot of trees removed over the years. The natural landscape is Douglas fir, spruce, pine, aspen, poplar, birch, and various wild shrubs and flowers. I've thought about, but not tried to transplant any wild flowers as I doubt it would be successful. For my new garden I am planning to use plants and ground covers that will hopefully survive with limited watering. Some of these are the same, or similar to, the wild plants that survive with no care. Bearberry (kinnickinnick) which I can find on our land and transplant, and red clover as ground covers and yarrow (altho I will use the colored varieties not the wild white that grows naturally) are some plants I'll use. There are limited numbers of plants that like both dry and cold, are not invasive, and that deer dislike but I am researching and *will* find them.

I think the typical gardens planted by the early pioneers in this area may have been similar to the cottage/potager gardens in England where many came from. Predominantly food and medicinal plants but also some flowers for 'pretty'. My present garden is more flowers with a few herbs and very few food plants so it isn't typical of a historical garden here. Our house is a modern farmhouse style so cottage flower garden style suits it.

I think most people here grow whatever they like that will survive in zone 3. The arrangement of the plants varies according to the gardener's ability and taste. We have, like every other place I've ever seen on 2 continents, the good, the bad, and the ugly! My least favorite style of landscaping is the broad expanse of lawn with the few obligatory coniferous shrubs and there are a few of those around. There are also some very knowledgeable gardeners and it's inspiring to see how they create beauty with the challenges of deer and cold climate.

I don't think, at this time in history, there is a typical garden style in this area, possibly because people have moved here from so many different places and that influences their style. I think much of the north west is like that.
lavender_lass
14 years ago
CMK- Good thread!

Luckygal- It is difficult to find plants that can flourish despite the deer, the hot, dry summers, and cold, snowy winters.

Our land was forest a hundred years ago. I've seen the pictures of this area at the historical society. When the trees were cut down for lumber, then the farmers moved in with crops. There are some naturalized shrubs, but I doubt they're all native.

I think the best gardens (at least out here) work with the native surroundings and reflect the gardener's personality and interests. I suppose that's what all we're all trying to achieve, even those with the large lawns and the few coniferous shrubs :)

Does your garden design mirror your environs?

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