GARDEN SANCTUARY

When we enter a well-designed garden, we may not always see the entire garden at one time. The layout of the garden should invite us into it; it should call us to meander further down the path toward a bench that is partially revealed, or to walk around the corner to see something not fully visible.

The first principle of Arts and Crafts style is to unify house and garden—extend the living spaces of your home outdoors and create rooms outside where you can live in the loving arms of nature. Inside your home, choose color palettes that are inspired by nature. First principle of Arts and Crafts style is to unify house and garden—extend the living spaces of your home outdoors and create rooms outside where you can live in the loving arms of nature. Inside your home, choose color palettes that are inspired by nature.

The second pillar of Arts and Crafts style is to use nature as a primary source of inspiration. Be inspired by nature. Venture to the woods, the desert, the ocean, or a lake near you. Arts and Crafts gardens feel like the natural environment that surround them. Be inspired by nature rather than insistent on controlling her. Instead of the rigid lines of Victorian gardens, let plants spill beyond their boundaries.

The fourth principle of Arts and Crafts style is to use relaxed plantings. Let plants spill beyond their boundaries. Plant in drifts of color as opposed to rows. You can plant relaxed, cottage-style plantings within a structure that defines your garden rooms. In the New Perennial style, the preference is for non-hybridized plants, sometimes called heirloom plants, that have a wilder feel.

The fourth principle of Arts and Crafts style is to use relaxed plantings. Let plants spill beyond their boundaries. Plant in drifts of color as opposed to rows. You can plant relaxed, cottage-style plantings within a structure that defines your garden rooms. In the New Perennial style, the preference is for non-hybridized plants, sometimes called heirloom plants, that have a wilder feel.

The fifth principle of Arts and Crafts style is to enclose the garden and its rooms. Make your garden your own. Give yourself privacy for solitude or intimate moments with your family. 

How appropriate. Your garden should be your paradise. Although the idea of dividing a garden into “rooms” has woven its way into popular landscape design culture, the concept is as old as the concept of garden enclosure. Your garden may not be large enough to create totally separate rooms, but you can still find ways to organize and divide space to make each part feel special.

The seventh principle of Arts and Crafts style is to include edible plants. What could better support the spirit of life than having the ability to eat fresh produce directly from your garden? Have you ever had the opportunity to eat a tomato straight off the vine, still warm from the sun? Well, you can!

The sixth principle of Arts and Crafts style is to integrate the existing landscape. Evaluate your existing landscape. Determine what plants you may want to keep. Keeping at least some of your original plantings will help make your new landscape look lived in, not so raw and new. We must honor the past while sustaining the future.

In landscape design, we use line, form, and texture to transform space, just as an artist uses these same elements to compose a painting. The main difference between a piece of art and a landscape is that we experience a landscape from within it, as we move through space. Understanding the elements of design and the guiding principles used to bring those elements together is the first step in creating a harmonious, unified landscape.