42 The Peebles Garden: April
The horizontal axis of our landscape is well- defined: the visible horizon, the roof lines of houses nearby, the shape of the hills around us. Most of the garden is on the horizontal – for example, the lawn, paths and driveway. All of this draws the eye away from the house, across the garden to the boundaries. To keep the eye inside the garden, think vertically.
garden out of the most unpromising space.
On the other hand, some really large gardens lose cohesion because there is nothing to interrupt the view across the horizontals. Planting a grove of identical trees, or alleys of pleached or clipped forms is a device that supplies balance to what is often a fairly large house some distance away. Uniformity distinguishes them from specimens or boundary plantings that can be more natural and varied.
Vertical elements come into their own when they link the house to the landscape; they soften the architecture and often repeat or mimic features of the house like the windows and doors. It is delightful to use climbers in this way and there are some for every aspect: roses, clematis and honeysuckle, ivy and climbing hydrangea and, on a south face, wisteria. There are also many good wall shrubs that can be trained effectively; for example, pyracantha, chaenomeles and garrya eliptica.
Another excellent choice for a vertical on a sunny house wall would be fruit in trained shapes like espaliers, cordons and fans. These plants benefit from regular attention but can produce good amounts of food in a confined space, especially against a warm stone or brick wall. The view back to the house is just as important as the view away from it.
My star plant this month is definitely the magnolia. I stare covetously at them in other people’s gardens. Plant one in enough space to grow into and never prune it.
Vertical elements can be constructed or planted; for example, constructions like pergolas and arches, fences, walls and gates, the house itself. Planted vertical elements like deciduous trees and upright conifers are some of the most important plants in the garden. Other verticals to think about are climbers or spiky perennials like calamagrostis, digitalis, verbena bonariensis, lythrum, persicaria and cimicifuga.
The value of the vertical is that it creates tension where it crosses the horizontal plane, leading the eye upwards, increasing the apparent size of the space. In a small space, say a courtyard garden, you might avoid anything too big but a strong vertical presence will expand the space visually by attracting you to the top of the form. It only needs one perfect specimen to make a stunning
Sheila Drummond Portland Garden Design 07905 397185
drummond.sheila@
gmail.com Visit us online at
www.peebleslife.com
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