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by Michael Weishan
When you step into a well-designed garden, something just feels
right. Upon closer inspection, you can begin to identify certain
unifying stylistic elements that serve to link the distinctive
parts of the landscape together and visually connect the garden
to the house. Without a cohesive style, the garden's individual
elements compete against each other, invariably producing a visual
mishmash. The effects are particularly nightmarish when the style
and character of the garden conflict with those of the house.
While most people have no qualms about deciding on a decorative
theme for their homes, few see the importance of doing the same
in their landscapes. Instead, they settle for a hodgepodge of
elements that do nothing but fight with each other - all with
disappointing results. In the same way that you choose a decorative
style for the interior of your house, you should also create a
unified theme for the garden. This doesn't mean you have to forsake
creativity or ingenuity. All it requires is exercising a little
discipline and thinking about your outdoor space in much the same
way that you would about your home's interiors.
Take, for example, the three illustrations here, which are reprinted
from a 1930s guide promoting evergreens (which explains their
overly heavy presence in these designs). Each shows a similar
lot designed in a different style. 
The first plan, illustrated at left, is highly formal, with a
typical beaux-arts layout consisting of a major axis parallel
to the principal line of the house and an intersecting axis in
the rear of the garden that forms a large cross, marked in this
case with a rectangular pool. A gazebo acts as the focal point
along the main axis from the house, with the expansive lawn area
surrounded on all sides by perennial beds. The garage, a feature
that could potentially throw off the otherwise symmetrical plan,
is cleverly relegated to the visual sidelines by an allÚe
of evergreens - another of the garden's formal features. A private
garden off the rear of the house near the terrace provides a balancing
element on the opposite side.
 The
second plan, at left, which closely resembles the first in many
ways, is slightly less formal in approach. Although the same double
axial design is used, the overall effect is much less strict.
The space behind the garage has been divided from the main yard
into a charming, private kitchen garden. In place of the hard-surfaced
terrace, the design substitutes a grass oval, bordered by - what
else? - evergreen shrubs. The lawn and pool in the first plan
have been replaced with a delightful cottage garden with a sundial
in the center. Although at first glance this plan appears to be
almost as geometric as the previous one, planted with a mass of
flowers and vegetables spilling out of the beds, the overall effect
would be quite loose and informal.
 The
third plan, at left, is presented as a "natural approach"
and closely resembles many modern landscapes with their meandering
curves and stepping-stone walks. From a historical perspective,
it's interesting to see the evolution of this style beginning
as far back as the 1930s. Instead of a vegetable garden, this
scheme contains a rock garden with a natural pool, as well as
very simple, mostly evergreen plantings.
If you listen to the advice of this guide, as well as to many
modern landscape experts, any one of these plans would be correct
for this yard, depending only on personal taste and budget. I
would argue that this is an oversimplification, and not really
true. It was just this presumption that one style is as good as
another that got the modern American garden into such trouble
in the first place. Although it is true that each of these plans
fit physically on the particular lot, whether the design is suited
to the house is an entirely different question.
The primary consideration when choosing the landscape style for
any property should be the architecture of the house. There are
certain garden styles that work best with certain types of architecture;
and while there often may be several plausible options, one is
generally better than the others, and many completely inappropriate.
If the house in question here were a ranch house or a bungalow,
perhaps the laid-back style of the third option wouldn't be such
a bad choice. But this loose, asymmetrical design would be completely
out of place next to the simple, geometric lines of a Colonial,
or even a Neocolonial house. If you sense a lack of enthusiasm
on my part for the third option, you are correct. I believe that
this so-called natural style is really the least natural of all
and is actually much harder than the other options to carry out
convincingly without appearing tacky. A far better choice for
such a house style would be the second option, which closely resembles
the gardens of the Colonial and Colonial Revival period, and echoes
the symmetry and balance so present in the architecture of those
times. The formal landscape of the first example would be appropriate
for a Greek Revival or other equally formal style. Conversely,
a simple modern house such as a bungalow or cape would look ridiculous
and out of scale with either of these first two options.
Before you design or redesign your landscape, take a good look
at your house and your lifestyle, and make sure your garden plans
reflect and complement both. Once you have decided what the overall
style and mood of your garden should be, you are then ready to
start thinking about the garden's actual layout, which will be
the theme of our next Landscaping Lesson.
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