A well-executed garden works wonders on a home, and the dignified English garden has retained its popularity across centuries for good reason. The structure and formality of these classic designs imbue not only a tried-and-true blueprint for an impressive garden, but an atmosphere of repose.
Planting and landscape design expert Emily Brooks Wayment, principal of EBW Design, is a master of creating intentional, meaningful gardens that feel well-established even in new homes. Here, she weighs in on what makes English designs so successful and how to implement those principles into your own space.
Structure
Structure is essential in an English-style garden. Often dictated by the architecture of the house it adorns, when done correctly, a resolute landscape framework can feel just as effortless as it does established.
One of the key plantings in Wayment’s toolbox is ornamental hedges. Acting as a living wall, hedges provide privacy and create outdoor spaces that define both the garden flow as well as accentuate the architecture of a home. “The garden should be an embellishment of the home,” Wayment says. “Let the rhythm of the home’s architecture guide how you lay out your garden and define the areas of interest.”
Work in tandem with a home’s scale and proportion: a grand façade can support stronger geometry, while a smaller home calls for something looser. And while the home’s exterior is a big factor in garden blueprints, the pros also encourage an ‘inside-out’ perspective—consider the views from each window, and plant accordingly.
Flow & Formality
“There should always be focal points in a garden,” says Wayment. “They act as a destination: is it a pool? A tennis court? The front door? Those destinations help dictate and root the flow of the paths and plantings.”
One way to help establish flow along these garden paths is to introduce ornamental decor to act as waypoints through a garden journey. An ornate gate, a meaningful statue, a bubbling fountain or a welcoming bench can all act as an intermediate focal point, guiding the eye (and the feet) through the outdoor space before the main focal point is visible.
Layering
The success of an ornamental garden largely depends on the mix of plantings. Enlisting a pro like Wayment can help ensure that something is always in bloom: a delicate balance depending on the soil, orientation and sun exposure of every property. If crafting your own oasis, Wayment recommends a mix of trees, shrubs, perennial blooms and groundcover, whether that be annual plantings for color and variety or perennial groundcovers which allow for less maintenance and water use.
“The mix of plantings all depends on the style of garden you have in mind,” Wayment explains. “A cottage garden will have more loose, herbaceous plantings, while a more formal garden relies heavily on conventional blooms such as roses or structured shrub topiaries. Again, it all depends on the style of your home.”
If you aren’t prepared for a full-yard renovation, consider your plantings carefully and prepare for multiples: one of the most identifying features of stately gardens is repetition. Plantings in strategic arrangements create unity and are one of the simplest ways to introduce subtle organization without a hardscape redesign.
With careful planning—especially employing the eye of an expert—a garden can revitalize the mood of a home, reemphasizing your favorite elements with abundance and easy relaxation.
ebwdesign.com
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