Classical Gardening Landscape - A Place For Peace

Everyone has a different idea about the best approach to garden landscaping. Canadians and North Americans may consider colonial layout the "classical" gardening landscape. Old-world types may prefer the use of Greco-Roman styles and statuary as the centerpiece in their gardening landscape. Others will consider the charm and elegance from the well-known gardens in Tuscany to be the standard classical gardening landscape.

Even with largely differing opinions, and they are just opinions, few gardeners argue against the traditional formal rose garden as The Classical gardening landscape. Kings and queens of old Europe, and their aristocratic hangers-on, much preferred the formal rose garden for their romantic dalliances and high teas. The rose garden has long been a favorite spot for relaxing, entertaining, and soaking up the sensual fragrances of this most popular flower.

A truly classic formal rose garden should be completely symmetrical, each side mirroring the other, with plenty of lawn areas separating the well laid-out beds. Garden beds should follow classic lines and curves, even creating an image or design. Surrounding the garden with neatly trimmed evergreen hedges is a wonderful way to frame the classic rose gardening landscape. A bluestone patio adorns one end of the rose garden, balanced by a reflecting pool set within more bluestone at the opposite end. Evenly-spaced stepping stones or an elegant stone path connects the two ends and provides a way for visitors to enjoy the garden without trampling the neatly trimmed lawn.

For many gardening landscape enthusiasts, the classic sundial is the perfect centerpiece or focal point to the garden, although an elegant foundain or birdbath might also add the desired effect. Your focal point should be circled by a small hedge and stepping stones or stony path so that visitors can take their time and enjoy this point of interest as they take in the wonderful sights and fragrances surrounding them.

Other smaller pathways radiate out from the focal point to lawn areas with benches and lawn chairs or trellises and pergolas providing support for lovely flowering vines and shade for lingering to read or meditate in this peaceful environment. These additions are placed so that stone paths or stepping stones form a large cross that divides the garden into even quarters. Benches aside the reflecting pool are accompanied by rose planters, and more planters of roses lend decoration to the patio at the other end. The patio is framed by trellises and flowering vines on either side.

On the sides of the classic garden are three oval-trimmed trees, complimented at their base by beds of blooming flowers. In the early spring, these flowers add color to the garden while the young roses blossom. In the fall, the blooms compliment the fading roses and maintain interest in the classic gardening landscape. Evergreens line the back of the classical gardening landscape, and each corner is highlighted by a neatly-trimmed evergreen to give visual balance.

The classical gardening landscape's hallmark is its sense of order, peace, and comfort. Accented by cobbled paths, its lines are strong and symmetrical, their impact softened by the delicate rose blooms and vined overhead arbors. You'll find many examples of classical gardening landscape at historic locations like the Biltmore in North Carolina or other Vanderbilt estates in New York and New Jersey. Hartford, Connecticut, boasts a world-famous rose garden at Elizabeth Park. Of course, America's White House hosts a world-famous rose garden as well. Fort Worth's Botanic Garden in Texas is proud of its lower and oval rose gardens, exhibiting all the elements of classic gardening landscape.

European rose gardens display true classic gardening landscape. Castle Howard and Mottisfont Abbey in England are well worth the time if you're visiting Great Britain. The Roseraie de Bagatelle in Paris houses over 9000 plants of over 1000 varieties. The Roseraie de la Cour de Commer in Normandy, France, contains over 40 unique roses that exist nowhere else in the world. The Roseto Botanico di Cavriglia “Carla Fineschi" near the town of Cavriglia in Tuscany, Italy, contains representatives of each of the subgenera, sections, and classes of the genus Rosa.

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Garden design an easy row to hoe But is permaculture really new?

Is permaculture just old wine in a new bottle?
If you look at its components, it seems to be all about growing food, raised beds, companion planting, composting and soil building. Put them together, and it promises to save water, solve our food security fears and bring non-gardeners into the fold with new energy and ideas.
Which sounds a lot like simply growing veggies in your back -- or front -- yard.
When Bill Mollison coined the phrase permaculture in 1978, however, he intended the word to mean "permanent culture." (Not simply "permanent agriculture" as is often claimed.)
Which means his theory goes much further -- essentially, Mollison says it's a way of growing food plants that takes its inspiration from complex forest systems.
In that way, permaculture includes food gardening, but is not exclusively about gardening. It includes landscapes and terrain, but is not really about landscaping. It is bigger than both these fields and so much more.
Arriving In Calgary
"My wife Michelle and I came across permaculture several years ago when travelling around the world in search of sustainability solutions." says Rob Avis, owner of Verge Permaculture in Calgary ( vergepermaculture.ca)via an e-mail.
"We found that permaculture above all offered a simple formula and a practical and sensible approach to creating sustainable human habitat. Look to nature. Work with nature rather than against it. Take responsibility for our own actions. Build our house and garden so that they shelter and feed us. Simple. Empowering. Positive. We were hooked.
"I now believe that growing food is one of the most radical things we can do as global citizens. To quote my friend and mentor Geoff Lawton: 'All the world's problems can be solved in the garden.' "
Avis helped found the Calgary Permaculture Community Group last fall to host activities, information sessions and Permaculture Energy transfer days (PETs).
Ami Dehne is a member of the Calgary group. "Just off the top of my head I can think of 10 people who are implementing permaculture into their own backyards and we've actually gone out and helped them do it," she says.
"It's called an energy transfer, so we all get together and we help implement permaculture into someone's backyard. We are trying to raise food, but we are trying to be a part of that system as well."
In The Garden
Two years ago, Avis and his wife Michelle -- both mechanical engineers by training -- set up a permaculture garden in the Forest Heights yard of Michelle's mom, Annette St. Cyr.
"Productivity of our front yard is really quite amazing," says St. Cyr, who had piles of manure and cardboard placed over her old lawn during the permaculture conversion. "There is a large interest in the community to what is going on."
With permaculture, gardeners build soil and model their gardens after Mollison's original food forest idea. Urban and rural spaces mimic how a forest would grow with continual additions from the trees above and a supported healthy population of soil below.

"We used permaculture principles in our garden design to create a system that would feed us with minimal external input, improve soil, increase diversity -- all organically," says Avis.
"Our garden and food forest yields local, healthy and organic food for our family with zero food miles, no pollution or detriment to the environment. Also, surplus veggies are handed out to our neighbours, creating and fostering community on our block," he says.
In some ways, the permaculture method resembles supercharged companion planting.
"Last year, we were gardening in mounds where the idea of synchronicity between plants really became evident. To my surprise, in the permaculture world, the peas, the carrots, the tomatoes -- everything ended up on one mound so that the food chain was being supported," says St. Cyr.
How To Get Started
Permaculture starts with individuals, and many of them -- including the Avises and Dehne -- had not gardened before. When Dehne's mom tells me she doesn't grow vegetables because it's too much work, Dehne jumps in, saying, "Work is a failure in design, so if you have to do too much work, then you haven't done enough designing."
Avis adds, "Ultimately, the philosophy behind permaculture is thoughtful observation and intensive design rather than thoughtless action. It just makes sense."
So permaculture is at least partially "thoughtful" gardening with a design. By changing a few things -- such as how they move water through the property and adding food plants where ornamentals once were -- every gardener could become a permaculturist. Or not. I would raise a glass of wine to either scenario.
Gardeners and farmers can see the Avis/St. Cyr transformation on the Verge web page or learn more by participating in a Permaculture course in Edmonton, Nelson, B.C., Denman Island, B.C., or overseas. More local information is available from:
- permaculturecalgary.org;
- bigskypermaculture.ca;
- vergepermaculture.ca.

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Green thumbs up: Developing a landscape master plan

Several days of milder temperatures afforded a welcome opportunity to escape the dry, stuffy confines of my indoor sanctuary and enjoy pale blue skies and crisp clean air. Despite the brief reprieve from wintry weather, restless dirt diggers must be content to be armchair gardeners during the early winter months. Colorful gardening books, catalogs, and magazines offer inspiration, guidance, and assurances that spring will arrive eventually. In the meantime, the winter months are an ideal time to begin planning new gardens or redesigning overgrown plantings.
As we examine our landscapes during this period of chilly weather, it becomes readily apparent that the scenery, especially in winter, is often viewed from within our homes. The winter season is perhaps the most important time of the year around which to plan our plantings. During the spring, summer, and fall seasons, Mother Nature paints our surroundings with multi-colored tints. Woodlands, meadows, roadsides, and our landscapes usually offer a wide array of changing colors including a profusion of spring-flowering trees and shrubs, varying shades of green throughout the growing season, and the glorious bold hues of autumn. During the winter months, when we yearn for color most, many landscapes appear drab and lifeless. Study your shrubbery from a kitchen window or a favorite sitting area and make notes for the spring planting season, which include reminders to focus attractive winter plantings where they can be observed from these perspectives.
On warmer days, venture out into your yard to view the beauty of the dormant winter landscape and truly scrutinize your plantings. Bring along a notebook and a camera to record your observations. Snap a series of photographs of your home from different angles and at various times during the day. Consider the view from the street, the driveway, and the front and back walkways.
Whether you are dealing with a new dwelling or an overgrown mature planting, it is advisable to begin with a master plan. A preliminary analysis of your family’s needs and habits should be undertaken to ascertain the goals and objectives of your landscaping project. Sit down with all family members present and discuss the anticipated activities that are likely to take place on your property. This may necessitate a long-range plan for both financial reasons and future changes in the family’s needs and pastimes.
The analytical process requires that you be somewhat of a visionary. Imagine your perfect landscape while being realistic about the possibility of achieving that end. Do you envision a swimming pool or tennis court? These features require considerable space, expense and maintenance. Where would you locate them? Do you require a storage shed, dog pen, swing set, or space to park additional cars? If you have a smaller property, planning becomes especially important to maximize your living space.
The next step should be to prioritize your wishes. For some homeowners, a swimming pool may be the first and most important feature to be addressed; another may prefer to begin with plantings to surround the foundation of the home. It is usually wise, however, to begin with the installation of what is known as the “hardscape” which includes the driveway, walkways, retaining walls, decks, or patios. You may also want to enclose an area with fencing for the purpose of privacy, screening an unwanted view, or containing pets or young children in a safe environment.
As your master plan begins to take shape, you should think about whether you intend to undertake the design and implementation of the project yourself or hire professionals to assist you. Obviously, there is a significant expense should you choose to engage a landscape designer but capital invested in creating an attractive, functional landscape will increase the value and marketability of your home. Your decision will depend on your budget, the time you have to invest in such a project and your sense of your individual ability to do the job yourself. Hardscape and the removal of large trees and overgrown shrubs may necessitate the use of a contractor, but a creative homeowner can often design and install the majority of the plantings.
Another consideration when formulating your master plan should be to determine how much time you plan to devote to the maintenance of your property. Do you have the financial means to hire a landscape company to assist you with the upkeep? Your final design should suit the way you live. If you have minimal spare time, you should strive to create a low-maintenance landscape and incorporate primarily trees and shrubs, evergreen ground covers, and easy care perennials such as hostas, daylilies, and ornamental grasses. Hedges, fruit trees, roses, vegetable gardens, large expanses of lawn and flower gardens tend to be high-maintenance and require more time and effort to look their best.
Do not underestimate your personal ability, for as the homeowner, you are the best qualified to determine how you want your spaces to be organized and how you would like it to appear. Study books and magazines and observe landscapes in your surrounding neighborhood. Try to find ideas and designs appropriate to the exposures and challenges posed by your own property. There are websites and software programs available for those who might want to experiment with designing on a home computer.
If you are willing to do the research and proceed slowly, the pride and satisfaction of doing the job yourself are well worth the effort. Recognize the inevitability that your needs and activities will change as you and your family age and that a successful, attractive landscape is an ongoing process. Over the years, changes and additions can and should be made.
Suzanne Mahler is an avid gardener, photographer and lecturer who has been developing the 1.5-acre property surrounding her home in Hanover for more than 30 years. Her weekly gardening column Green Thumbs Up has appeared in Community Newspapers for more than a decade. She is a member of two local garden clubs, is past president of the New England Daylily Society, and is an overseer for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. She is employed at two garden centers.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/plymouth/fun/gardening/x1301084765/Green-thumbs-up-Developing-a-landscape-master-plan