Garden Story Themes: A Romance or Mystery?

Do you love a good mystery? Or perhaps you're more of a romantic novel fan? What are the elements of the story that keep you turning the page? Perhaps it's one key character – or the unexpected details which make you reassess your original understanding?

We can apply these same storytelling characteristics to our gardens. In my last blog post I shared ideas to  help you create your introduction; an entry sequence that reflected your personality, allowing visitors to get a little glimpse of who you are even before they reach the front door.

In this post I'll explore some suggestions for the first  two of four garden themes. Use these ideas as a springboard for your own garden, aiming to create (or edit) a space that truly reflects your personal style.

A Wonderful Romance

There are a few key design elements that are essential components of this style.

A sense of abundance

Rich layers of perennials and annuals jostle for position: design by Sheila Chapman, England

There's nothing quite like a romantic novel for that instant 'feel good' factor. The plot may be obvious but the characters are so charming that you find yourself routing for them to find their happy-ever-after.

Sheila Chapman's private garden in Chelmsford (shown above) may be petite in size but it's BIG on charm. Between the rich purple clematis scrambling up an obelisk to get head and shoulders above its companions to the dainty pink spires of veronica and soft-yellow pom-poms of a santolina this is clearly a gathering of good friends.

Romantic gardens are not about restraint but rather abundance.

Immersion

A weathered bench tucked into a delightful summer border. The Garden House, England

A romance is never rushed. It takes time to set the scene, establish the backstory and introduce you to the heroine. So settle down in a comfy chair and let the story unfold around you.

A weathered bench nestled into a frothy summer border at The Garden House, England invites you to do just that. A contemporary chair and clipped boxwood hedges would not have the romantic feel that this billowing border does. Nor would placing this bench out on the tightly mown lawn. It is the interplay between the two elements that creates a sense of immersion and romance in this garden.

Familiar favorites

The Garden at Miserden, England uses pergolas to add even more roses to the herbaceous borders.

Roses play an important role in a romantic garden, whether grown over pergolas, within a mixed border or against a wall. The more blowsy and fragrant the better! In England you will often find climbing roses used as a living trellis on which to grow a secondary vine such as a clematis or honeysuckle.

More is more!

Kiftsgate Manor clothed in a romantic medley of vines and espaliered roses.

Using the vertical plane for planting is another common theme in romantic gardens as seen at Kiftsgate Manor in the Cotswolds (above). The weathered stone facade of the manor house supports a mature wisteria, roses and an Arctic kiwi vine  (Actinidia kolomikta) – the combined fragrance is unforgettable. What a perfect place to sit.

Hestercombe, England

Where space allows, a series of pergolas can create a tunnel allowing for multiple vines overhead and a froth of lavender at the ground plane as seen in Hestercombe. In this instance there are many different types of climbing vines and roses which extends the bloom time. Other gardens might choose a single species such as wisteria for maximum impact in a shorter season.

Relax into the romance of it all

I have also noticed that romantic garden are rarely pristine. The odd weed here and there is overlooked, self-seeding encouraged and abandoned watering cans accepted. It's more important that you simply experience the moment and allow it to speak to you.

Pettifer's, England

A Good Mystery

Perhaps you prefer a good 'whodunnit'? Those stories when every time you think you know what to expect – there's another plot twist? This makes another exciting theme for gardens.

Creating an invitation

Doors or gates set within walls or hedges add instant intrigue – what's through there? Where does it lead? Come on in and find out…

Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, England

The pale blue door set into the stone wall at Hardwick Hall (above) promised entry into a very different space by the glimpse it afforded. That cool, ice-blue also really seems to catch the eye, perhaps because  the adjacent colors  are warm tones?

Great Dixter, England

The gardens at Great Dixter  offer a wealth of design lessons but the image above shows how a portal in the brick wall invites you to explore further, especially intriguing as we are already in such a fabulous space with so many things to look at! Can we bear to tear ourselves away?

RHS Hyde Hall, England

This woodland path at RHS Hyde Hall is tantalizing because the path seems to disappear! One can't help but follow. This is easy to recreate in our home gardens either by the inclusion of frothy, billowing plants along the path edges as seen here (catmint (Nepeta spp.) and lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis) are great choices for this) or by curving the path around a boulder, tree or shrub, obscuring the destination.

Creating intrigue

Giant feather reed grass creates a semi-transparent scrim in the Beth Chatto dry garden, England

The key feature of a mystery story is that sense of intrigue where not everything is obvious or clear. In garden design we achieve this by the use of scrim. In the theater a scrim is the thin fabric which depending upon how it is lit is either fully opaque or transparent. We can mimic this gauzy effect in the garden by using see-through plants. These are typically plants with basal foliage, wiry or slender stems and small flowers or seed heads at the very tip.

Grasses are a fabulous way to add scrim. In the image above the giant feather reed grass (Stipa gigantea) partially obscures what is behind – so of course I had to walk around the other side to find that out! In fact, I have just added two of these to my new front garden plantings where I want to create a degree of seasonal privacy – but not a  solid blockade. I don't mind people seeing that I'm in the kitchen but I'd prefer they couldn't see what I'm cooking!

The new wellbeing garden at Trebah, England

Tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis) is another great candidate to achieve this. It gives the effect of those beaded curtains from the 1960's don't you think?

Surprise!

Stonehedge – at Breezy Knees, England

There' s nothing quite like turning a corner and unexpectedly coming face to face with …Stonehedge!! I do love a garden with a sense of humor – and Breezy Knees has it in abundance.

Love it! – Breezy Knees, England

You can bet visitors will remember these discoveries long after they have forgotten the names of plants that they saw.

Giant wellies – again at Breezy Knees

Want to see more?

I am about to close registration for my tour Adventures in Yorkshire and the Lake District – you can see several of these gardens these plus oodles more. Don't delay if you'd like to join us – get in touch today.

Want to learn more?

Do you live within easy reach of Bellevue, WA? Check out my Designer's Eye Workshop – come and learn how to "see" like a designer and apply that knowledge to your own garden.

Stay Tuned…

In my next blog post I'll explore the themes of historical fiction and cultural connections. I wonder which style you will feel resonates the most?