Wild and Romantic Gardens
A Brief Introduction, and My Design Inspiration
For as long as people have been making ornamental gardens, there has been an inherent tension between the naturalistic approach and the formal, with the formal often being preferred by powerful people who wished to demonstrate their domination of the natural world - for instance, the Gardens at Versailles. There has also frequently been a tension between the use of native and exotic plants, with use of exotics often chosen to demonstrate wealth and/or horticultural skill.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the British Arts and Crafts Movement and French Impressionism were artistic responses to a rapidly industrializing world. The first major Impressionist exhibition known as the "Salon of the Refused" was held in 1863, and William Robinson published The Wild Garden in 1870, followed by The English Flower Garden in 1883. Both movements were ridiculed by their respective establishments, but were led by extraordinary people. Gertrude Jekyll was an accomplished artist before declining vision led her to pursue and dramatically evolve garden design, while partnering with Arts and Crafts architects. Claude Monet is probably one of the world's most significant artists, but he was also a passionate garden designer, who focused his energies on his home at Giverny which continues to be a major garden tourism destination. Both of these artistic movements influenced American artists and designers during what many consider a golden era of landscape design, and the American Society of Landscape Architects was founded in 1899.
Long before I considered pursuing a career in ornamental horticulture, I was a fan of Impressionist painting - the subject matter and locations, the colors, the free flow of the brush strokes, the lack of formality, all resonated with me. I consider it to be a very happy art genre which usually celebrates beauty and nature.
As I was studying garden history, I kept an open mind about degree of formality, modern versus traditional design, and investigated the design traditions of a number of civilizations and nationalities. Every period and every tradition has merit and reflects important cultural values, but the gardens that inspire me most include cottage gardens, Arts and Crafts landscapes, Rural Cemeteries, potagers, college and university campuses, and other historic gardens. These are all essentially Wild and Romantic gardens, and when they're placed in a rugged setting, such as the Maine Coast or Ireland, they're even better!
While I'll discuss flowers in much more detail in other posts, the Wild and Romantic garden needs a healthy mix of plants with certain qualities: fragrance, enchanting colors, a relaxed habit, heirlooms (which have a story), vines reaching for the sky, bulbs to provide both permanence and ephemerality, cottage flowers which are humble, bold tropicals in pots, ornamental trees and shrubs to provide some sense of enclosure, plants shared by those who are important to you, and of course - roses!
In the photo galleries on this site, I'll share pictures of the gardens, flowers, and places which inspire me, and I hope these images will resonate with you. While I am also a designer, specializing in fragrant plants, my photos will mostly feature the design work of others. The gardens you see in magazines take years (or even decades) of maturing and vigilant editing to be picture perfect. They're beautiful from the day they're planted, but not yet compelling, and aside from show and tell shots for your family and friends, garden photography should really move people.
A Second Opinion from The Royal Horticultural Society
While I do have additional thoughts on the subject, this RHS article is excellent and concise introduction to the Wild and Romantic philosophy!