Jacinta's Journal

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Round or Angular

09 October 2011 06:38:02

Round or Angular

In my head, I tend to like square shapes, or rectangles, 90 degree angles and sometimes even a bit of symmetry. But don't tell anyone! Symmetry is sooooo 70's. When planning the garden the way it is now, a lot of thought went in to making the ponds circular. It took me a long time to get used to it. And now I can finally see the beauty of circles and curves. They tend to draw the eye into the subject with far more aplomb.

But my deep-rooted love of things that are angular brought about this arrangement of mainly herbs at the greenhouse door. I think these pots, different sizes, heights, but basically the same shape, look like an ariel view of an apartment block (ok maybe it looks like these apartments have some rooftop gardens :)). I have just taken into the greenhouse my climbing fuchsia (it's the grey one just inside the door). And boy, was it heavy! So I had to re-arrange all the other pots yesterday. I do think that the angles look well where I have them. And it's only a little area where I can indulge in my 70's way of thinking.

So, are you a roundy, or a square??????

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fran m 09 October 2011 07:07:36

Hmmmmmmm

Oval ................

Jacinta 09 October 2011 07:08:33

You would!!!

TinaJ 09 October 2011 07:57:03

Round for me ,i love sweeping curves and circular beds,

Rachel 09 October 2011 09:39:48

Interesting question. I think I'm really a straight lines person. However, I have moved more and more towards curves. They are easier to keep and look more natural. Straight lines that have gone wonky (in a lawn, for example) look terrible.

BrunoCork 09 October 2011 10:04:45

I'm a meanderer. I like lines lines that flow rather than ones that create geometric shapes. Well..that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it LOL

Elizabeth7 09 October 2011 10:33:02

I am a roundy but there are times when the surroundings tell you a straight line is a must. Straight conjures up formality for me in some odd way and formal I am not!

When I read the posting the first thing that came to mind , again an odd thought, was the idea of a square/rectangular informal pond , have never seen one and doubt that I will.

Rachel 09 October 2011 10:40:21

Elizabeth, you just gave me a eureka moment! That is the problem with the pond in the Bay Garden. It is rectangular but the setting is informal!

Elizabeth7 09 October 2011 11:00:07

that is so funny Rachel I just cannot imagine one. Is there anywhere that if nature is left to it's own devices it forms a straight sided feature. We will have to get down there and fix it!! Any chance you have a picture in one of your journals?

Jacinta 09 October 2011 11:03:01

June Blake has a rectangular one too. But hers is more a 'reflection pool'. And the planting around that is also informal. I think a rectangular pond can work well if there is plenty of space around it.

Doesn't Helen Dillon have a rectangular one too?

Elizabeth7 09 October 2011 11:14:39

Yes Helen has a canal type pool very formal and personally though I understand the problem with keeping the lawn in good condition and how difficult it was, I don't think it fits in with her garden at all , at all at all. I take your point about the space and that does help but if they are immaculately edged and standing out rather than blending with the garden to me there is a hint of sterility about them.

Jacinta 09 October 2011 11:30:15

I would tend to agree with you there, Elizabeth. But then we also have to realize that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. And we are all individuals. Each to their own!

Dick 09 October 2011 12:37:37

It varies with me Jacinta. My rose beds are all rectangular. My rockery is circular, well as near as possible to it. I have a square bed not far from the house. Borders are generally straight unless a tree or shrum gets too big then it tends to become circular. So no general rule for me.

TinaJ 09 October 2011 13:10:20

we have two ponds,a rectangle which sean loves and i hate,a small oval one which i love and is quarter the size of the rectangle one!

Jacinta 09 October 2011 13:29:11

Tina, that's what I call the perfect compromise. A recipe for a perfect couple with two very different tastes.

Gracedieu Lass 09 October 2011 14:50:13

Rachel,

I have always considered the area with the rectangular pond in The Bay Garden as formal and thought that the pond shape suited this situation.

The pond is within a garden room enclosed by hedging with a garden seat centred at the top of the pond opposite the entrance to this area, a matching arrangement of potted plants to either side, a surround of paving on the pond and gravel outide this and a narrow border around the edge. Certainly, not a curve in sight; all straight lines and symmetry.

Paddy

Gracedieu Lass 09 October 2011 14:52:13

Further to the discussion above: what happens when one gardener likes straight and formal lines and the other likes informality and cuves? This is what pertains in this household.

Warning: Let nobody say it leads to a mish-mash!

Paddy

Jacinta 09 October 2011 16:19:10

Like I said to Tina earlier, Paddy, compromise is a wonderful peaceful solution. And Tina achieved that by having one for each of them. Clever thinking, and more opportunities for wildlife!!!

Elizabeth7 09 October 2011 16:39:44

I put a photo of my extremely informal pond in an album

Rachel 09 October 2011 16:41:58

Paddy, the pond in the Bay Garden is formal but the planting is not. And, unlike June's garden which has a formal reflective pool and formal border structure, the Bay Garden does not have straight lines to its borders. Well, this is the impression I got in any case. I can't say I examined the edges too close. The borders merge with the gravel due to the large number of self-seeders through it. In my opinion, this garden doesn't work as the pond is at odds with the borders. But it is the only part of the Bay Garden I don't like.

TheH (Hazel) 09 October 2011 17:22:27

I go for wandering curves too - its too difficult to make circles stay "perfect" and squares and rectangles are too boring! The result is that all the paths in my garden meander, which is nice for a stroll but a bit of a nuisance when wheelbarrowing stuff!

Conrad 09 October 2011 17:50:47

For me I think it very much depends on the setting.

My front garden is along the road with houses around so is formal with straight lines, the back garden however opens out onto fields so is much more curvaceous, so I suppose I like a bit of both!

Elizabeth I like Helen Dillon's pond and the way it sits in the garden. I suppose her house is quite formal as is the basic structure of garden close to the house, with the informality increasing as you move away. As Jacinta says "each to their own" though, it's good to hear others differing opinions on things!

NoelleP 09 October 2011 19:51:45

I must admit I am very drawn to formal squres in gardens and but I admire it from afar. It wouldn't work in my own garden - not least because I find the ride-on is much easier to steer in circles around curved or circular beds. Also I think my setting is much more suited to the informality of the countryside it sits in. However, if I had a city garden I think I would have lots of formal square and rectangluar beds with angles everywhere.