A place of quiet beauty
In childhood, the garden is perceived as a wonderland and a place for fantasy and adventure. Adults appreciate the opportunity to be alone and immerse themselves in contemplation. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in studying the role and significance of a private home garden in our lives. Speaking about global urbanization, we must remember that not all the advantages of country life can be compensated, even if an ideal dense and comfortable city has been created.
Lyudmila Beloded, landscaper, designer, director and founder of Beloded Landscaping bureau
Often, people have a happy ability to find the personal in the public environment and perceive as "home" parks or parks located near an apartment building. But this is not enough for many of us. Private gardens are an integral part of identity — this is a place for expressing personal values and character. The very fact of owning an open green space is also important. A public park is not always able to satisfy the need for peace and quiet, while a private garden is designed for this. A private garden is an integral part of a home as an archetypal semantic structure. It provides a unique combination of opportunities — it is located outside the premises and at the same time allows a person to feel free, unfettered by norms of behavior. And it also gives an opportunity to show oneself in horticulture - public green zones often do not assume such a function, although the need to grow plants and take care of them is very great among modern citizens.
In short, no matter how good the concept of a dense, comfortable city is, there will always be people who prefer a private house with a garden to an apartment with a balcony. At the same time, private and public green spaces are closely interconnected. Posting fresh photos of a blooming public park in Sheffield, Nigel Dunnett writes: "It's hard to believe that these are street gardens!" And it is understandable - ideal flowering can usually be achieved under constant control in the home garden. It is the private garden that is the cradle and laboratory where designers hone their sustainable solutions for streets, and breeders bring out new amazing varieties for city parks.
A place for solitude and contemplation. Private garden, village Plyuty, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Design: Beloded Landscaping. Photo: Yury Ferendovych
Private gardens in Amsterdam are an integral part of the life of local residents, hidden from the eyes of passers-by and tourists. Photo source: tuinenstichting.nl
What exactly makes a garden a garden? Flowers and trees? Not quite so. "Plants, no matter how good and diverse they are, do not create a garden by themselves. We must use them so that there is meaning in all this diversity," said Gertrude Jekyll, the famous English designer of the XNUMXth century, artist and author of books on gardening.
Gertrude Jekyll - English designer of the XNUMXth century, author of books about gardening, in the Deanery Garden, Berkshire, England. Photo: Maxwell-Lyte
The culture of garden art in Europe developed thanks to tireless traveling gardeners who migrated between countries in search of impressions, inspiration, new ideas, exotic plants and, of course, meaning. Gertrude Jekyll herself drew her inspiration from walks in the Mediterranean gardens of her friends in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. "The garden should be a place of quiet beauty, a place that brings pleasure to the eye, relaxation and strengthening of the mind," - this is how Gertrude described the main purpose of a private garden. She was not orthodox in the matter of style, she was able to highlight the strengths of both regular and landscape style and boldly experimented with colors and volumes of plantings. Gertrude Jekyll devoted 56 years of her life to her personal garden in Surrey. Actually, it was from him that the artist started her career as a designer.
Just as a brilliant picture makes the viewer stop and look at it at times, so the best of gardens attract attention
If today we look at Jekyll's watercolor sketches or at the photo of her famous triad - the Garden of Delight, Victorian, Edwardian - we will not see in them a solemn solemnity or deliberate luxury. They, like picturesque impressionist canvases, invite contemplation and reflection. Narrow winding paths, arches wrapped in roses, steps and sculptures covered with lichen and moss, ponds with water lilies and sedge. Jekyll did not "design" gardens, she drew them - first in her imagination, then on paper and only then in reality.
Just as a brilliant canvas makes the viewer stop and look at it at times, so the best of gardens are able to attract attention. And not even for hours, but for years and years, because gardens have an important advantage over static inanimate nature — they change depending on lighting, weather and season. This dynamic is the guarantee that the garden will never bore the fascinated observer.
Manor House is a private garden in Hampshire, created by Gertrude Jekyll in 1908 and restored by the current owner of the estate, Rose Wallinger. Photo source: ft.com
Traditionally, most of our Ukrainian customers ask us to design a garden for them in the typology of a green guest house - this is a place where you can gather friends for an open-air party, spend a romantic evening, or spend a weekend with your family. But more and more often in our practice we are faced with the request to create a garden as a place for solitude and silence.
The hours or minutes spent in the garden in inactivity or meditation are vitally important - this is the time of subtle spiritual adjustments, a priceless, effective and safe medicine for stress, anxiety, daily psychological stress, better than which nothing has yet been invented. A personal therapeutic space, with its own atmosphere, with favorite plants, trees that can be hugged, is urgently needed by almost every one of us.
Garden according to exact standards
The creation of any garden is an indifference, as in tailoring. The main thing is that the garden meets the tastes and wishes of the customer. Behind each technical task are his dreams, outlook, experience, personal way of life, according to which the customer wants to format the garden. Therefore, we always start with the search for meanings, clarifying the customer's preferences and the idea of a specific person about an individual space. Sometimes it is somewhat similar to psychoanalysis - we need information to adjust the garden "just right". Someone already has clearly formulated wishes. Every year, clients become more and more "observant", and often they tell the landscape architect in detail what exactly they would like to see in their garden.
A private garden in Hampshire, created by Gertrude Jekyll in 1909 and restored by contemporary garden designer Cherry Mills. Photo source: cmgardendesign.com
And we - I'm not only talking about my office now, but also about colleagues in the shop - are ready for ambitious and difficult tasks to create a new or renovate a mature garden. Over the past 20-30 years of practicing landscape architecture and design in Ukraine, we have gained serious experience. We learned to install complex intellectual irrigation systems, plant large-scale plants, honed schedules and care rules in accordance with our climatic conditions, perfect organizational and administrative activities, project management. And although we, landscape architects, still remain as if invisible, and our profession is a ghost profession, the work goes on, the work is active and intense.
Today, almost any project involves work on the organization of the relief - this is both geoplastics and the inclusion of stone masses in the landscape: blocks and boulders. Such methods make it possible to transform a flat area, create perspective and new complex routes with the help of height differences and terraces. Someone asks to create an open space without obstructions to the view, and someone wants to divide the plot into "rooms" with the help of paving and hedges.
We had the opportunity to use high-quality molded plants to create expressive landscapes. I mean not only traditional topiaries - spirals or cones. Fantasy haircuts are becoming more and more popular - the creation of cloud-like shapes, "hairdos", or "hairdos" slightly ruffled by the wind. Previously, such techniques were not practiced in our latitudes. But in addition to topiaries, we bring from European nurseries trees with skeletal branches shaped to their growth. We use them as soloists who give character to the entire space. And, of course, now we sell gardens that are much more mature than 20 years ago - we no longer plant tiny seedlings, but work with large-sized ones that we select from European nurseries.
Private garden, village Plyuty, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Design: Beloded Landscaping. Photo: Yury Ferendovych
Alternating arboretums with flower beds, it is necessary to create accents. For example, one of the most expressive places in Highgrove is the "Garden of Stumps", where natural wooden "sculptures" were personally selected by Prince Charles. In one of our strongest projects, the "place of strength" and secret room became the "Moss Garden". Private gardens are often recognized as real treasures, collections of works by sculptors and artists working in the fields of environmental art or land art.
Green Walls
I am sure that someday I will be happy to announce that the era of deaf fences in Ukraine is over! But not now. A blind fence 6-meter high, cutting off a private estate with a garden from the street or park, is a widespread phenomenon in our country. On the border of private estates, where Europeans install a column with an inconspicuous "private" sign, and that's enough, our wealthy compatriots install real defensive structures made of metal, concrete, and even barbed wire.
The same can be found inside protected cottage towns. But if it's just to avoid other people's unintended glances, building a fortress wall is not necessary at all. The size of the visual barrier is measured very simply. If I see a neighbor, the neighbor sees me. If not, then the fence is high enough. Quite often, a metal or brick fence can be replaced with a hedge, which looks great both from the side of the street and from the site, and harmonizes with the architecture of the house. In whatever style it is, it is a continuation of the landscape and reliable protection against invasion. Hedges also successfully protect against noise, wind and snow drifts, and at the same time remain part of the garden ecosystem, retaining moisture, providing shelter for insects and humus for the soil.
Multi-level green hedges are used for zoning the territory of a private garden in the village. Plyuty, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Design: Beloded Landscaping. Photo: Yury Ferendovych
Today, the banal hedge made of thuja trees planted in a row is replaced by multi-layer hedges made of tall trees and shrubs formed by an "umbrella" in the lower level. The combination of a hedge and small architecture looks great - a cool shady place under a green wall is perfect for relaxing on a hot summer day. We can create a hedge of fruit trees formed by wallpaper, which in the spring form a snow-white flowering lace. All these possibilities did not exist before, because we were limited in the assortment of plants.
Of course, when using a hedge as a screen between the street and the garden, all norms and allowances must be observed, since proximity to a noisy and dusty roadway can damage plants.
From micro to mega
From my personal experience, I can say that the size of the plot is not so important. We are currently working on a project for 24 acres and 14 hectares. Everything depends on the capabilities of the customer, the degree of his readiness and openness. And, of course, whether a landscape architect or designer is capable of creating a garden with an individual image in principle. It is possible to create an emotionally expressive garden composition on any area, even 2 square meters. m, placed tastefully selected pots with plants on the gravel. The more compact the garden, the more expressive its character should be. It all depends on the idea, skills and techniques.
"Moss garden" is a fragment of a private garden in the village. Plyuty, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Design: Beloded Landscaping. Photo: Yury Ferendovych
"Moss garden" is a fragment of a private garden in the village. Plyuty, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Design: Beloded Landscaping. Photo: Yury Ferendovych
A specially shaped tree can be an accent, but bonsai should not always be chosen as the center of the composition. It is not even necessary for the plants to be expensive or exotic. These can be wildflowers, cereals, mosses, ferns, which, with their smell and color, may evoke some memories from childhood. A stone of a particular shape can provoke a series of personal associations and warm emotions. Sometimes the center of the composition becomes a small pond, a bench or an armchair with a unique design — and then the whole space spirals around this element. In Great Britain, tiny gardens are often allocated to a separate competition category - the design of tiny gardens is a popular topic and it is really a high art.
Corporate gardens
Large companies have long understood that the workplace is an environment that should inspire and motivate their employees, and one of the most effective ways to achieve this is to create a corporate garden that will become a point of pride and, perhaps, even a business card of the company. Just as private home gardens are a reflection of the owner's personality, corporate gardens reveal the individual character of the company, its philosophy.
For example, the Novartis biotechnological and pharmaceutical group campus in Basel is completely built in accordance with the park typology. It is the garden that is the connecting fabric for the architectural objects of Tadao Ando, Esio Taniguta, Frank Hera, Eduardo Souta de Moura and others. By the way, at the end of 2022, the campus will be opened to the public. The gardens of the PepsiCo campus in New York state have one of the largest collections of modern sculpture and can compete with any museum. Everyone has heard about the orchards at the Apple headquarters in Cupertino, but they are only available to employees. Examples can be cited endlessly.
The Physic Garden is part of the corporate garden on the Novartis campus, Basel, Switzerland. Landscape design by Thurbjörn Andersson, Sweco Architects. Photo source: swecoarchitects.com
The Physic Garden is part of the corporate garden on the Novartis campus, Basel, Switzerland. Landscape design by Thurbjörn Andersson, Sweco Architects. Photo source: swecoarchitects.com
Already at the design stage of large offices, a garden is immediately laid in the inner open courtyard or in the atrium. This is a multifunctional space in which the natural component plays the main role; a special contemplative Wednesday, where there is something to focus the gaze on and there is an opportunity to relax it. More and more often, aromatic plants are used in corporate gardens - sage, rosemary, citrus.
Even the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel is surrounded by a garden. Moreover, this is not a formal, official landscaping, but a very lively landscape with an original assortment of plants. Around the Reichstag building on the lower level, there are special garden "pockets" where employees of different departments can go to relax a little.
The Physic Garden. Landscape design by Thurbjörn Andersson, Sweco Architects. Photo source: swecoarchitects.com
Investments in the creation of corporate gardens are increasing every year, the management of companies pays special attention to this direction and is ready to invest a lot of money in the landscaping of their headquarters.
Too beautiful for one
Books, colorful photo albums and documentaries - perhaps every Englishman knows what the gardens of the Prince of Wales in Highgrove look like. They became a source of pride for Charles. He purchased the estate in 1980 and invested a lot of energy, funds and personal efforts to restore the house and landscape. Despite the fact that Highgrove is the personal country residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, several times a year it becomes available for individual and group tours, as well as "champagne tea tours" (Champagne Tea Tour) and charity receptions. About 30 people visit Highgrove every hour. person On June 23, after a break of more than a year caused by the pandemic, the gardens reopened.
The Thyme Walk in Highgrove with thyme and clipped yews - before renovation. Photo: © Highgrove
The Thyme Walk in Highgrove with thyme and clipped yew trees - after renovation. Photo: © Highgrove
The impression that we almost completely lack the culture of private design gardens is deeply mistaken. In fact, Ukraine is a reserve of luxurious secret gardens, many of which, by the way, were made by famous Western architects. Perhaps, the owners would be happy to present their gardens to the world at some point and collect thousands of well-deserved compliments, but in the conditions of a sufficiently deep social stratification, not many risk doing it. In the view of most people, a private garden remains an attribute of luxury, which should be kept behind a blind fence for security reasons.
I wholeheartedly support the development of our industry, and for this, it is necessary to show gardens - because this is the lion's share of the work of every landscape architect. We have many excellent specialists whose names are known only to the circle of professionals and to no one else. Simply for the reason that they work with private orders and do not have a loud public name. And, for example, if these high-class professionals are brought to work on a new public park, the public will be outraged - why, they say, was such an important project for the city entrusted to an unknown designer? Openness is extremely important from an educational point of view. Today we are going to admire and study private gardens in Europe, but we cannot share our own experience.
Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire is a personal project of Charles Wales. Photo: © Highgrove
Of course, private gardens are very delicate, sensitive and not designed to let a stream of tourists pass through them. This is not accepted. The hosts open their doors to receive guests only on certain days of the year, most often in May or June. In Great Britain it is Open Garden Squares Weekend, in the Netherlands - Open Tuinen Dagen, in Italy - Giornate FAI di Primavera.
Stumpery - "Garden of stumps" in Highgrove. Photo: © Highgrove
Everyone is interested to know what the personal gardens of famous landscape and garden designers, multiple winners of the Chelsea Flower Show look like. Today there is a great opportunity to create a virtual image of a garden, alive enough to gather thousands of worshipers around it. Social networks and blogs are filled with colorful photos, thanks to which we can see in real time how the personal gardens of famous garden designers and architects are changing, or the landscapes created by them for clients are developing. Dan Pearson publishes articles every week in his e-magazine Dig Delve about the development of his personal garden, created only 5 years ago. These Saturday stories are about how plants wake up in early spring, how they actively vegetate, bloom and dry beautifully, as well as reports on seasonal work, unexpected design finds and solutions. They capture the attention of everyone who is interested in the evolution of English horticulture. Dan's partner, photographer Hugh Morgan, accompanies the articles with a series of magnificent illustrations that reveal the smallest details and shades of color.
Pete Udolph often shares impressions and photos from his experimental garden in Hummelo on his Facebook page, Nigel Dunnett alternates publications about famous public projects with photos from Woodland, his family estate.
Landscape designer Dan Pearson and his home garden. Photo: Hugh Morgan
In the Waltham Place estate in Berkshire since the 2000th century. each subsequent owner created a new garden, preserving the previous one. Today, this is a series of unique landscapes, a real atlas of the history of English gardening, to which several famous designers contributed. In the XNUMXs, the Dutch landscape naturalist Henk Gerritsen rethought the concept of gardens, turning them into biodynamic ones. Ancient gardens, merging with naturalistic meadows, are accessible to the public and developed as an educational platform, and garden guides clearly explain to Waltham Place visitors the essence of sustainable horticulture and agriculture.
I must say that the designers of the new wave gardens are fundamentally more open, since democracy is the philosophical core of the concept. In naturalistic plantings, wild grasses and wildflowers are casually adjacent to selected roses, clematis, peonies, dahlias, complex topiaries and molded trees. And, of course, the popularization of the new wave is impossible if you don't demonstrate, don't show gardens, but hide them.
Landscape designer Pete Udolf with his wife Ana in their home garden in Hummelo. Photo: Rick Darke
A garden is always a very personal space, and it can tell a lot about the taste, preferences and imagination of the owner. Not everyone is ready to share such details, and I respect and understand such restraint. But sometimes a mature garden that has come into force becomes so bright and energetically powerful that the owner himself feels that it is too beautiful to own it alone. "The point of horticulture is to bring pleasure to other people, and not just to yourself," - this is how the Prince of Wales explained his decision to open Highgrove to visitors in one of the interviews. I believe that one day the Ukrainian secret gardens will be opened, and we will all feel inspired and happy.
