Landscaping Secrets

Everything Just-So

The formal garden style is everything that a cottage garden isn't. It's as neat and tidy as a Marine's bed just before inspection. Straight lines, right angles, squares, and circles abound. Clipped hedges form geometric patterns. Symmetry reigns supreme; if there is a boxwood on the left side of the door, there must be another of the same size on the right. Shrubs are pruned with a surgeon's precision. No weed is allowed to live. Paths are paved with stone or brick.

Formal, symmetrical gardens go best with the same type of houses. However, an informal home can still have a formal garden if the space the garden occupies isn't directly adjacent to the house. The formal style is often easier for beginners, because most people can relate better to hard lines and geometric shapes than wandering curves. But beware, all the clipping and weeding required to make things perfect takes time.