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The history of French Gardens....
The most famous French garden design is undoubtedly The
Gardens of Versailles.
The
Gardens of Versailles, created between 1662 and 1700, were the
greatest achievement of the Garden à la française. They
were the largest gardens in Europe, with an area of 15,000
hectares, (a hectare was about 2 1/2 acres) and were laid out on an east–west axis,
and followed the
course of the sun: the sun rose over the Court of Honor, lit the
Marble Court, crossed the Chateau and lit the bedroom of the King,
and set at the end of the Grand Canal, reflected in the mirrors of
the Hall of Mirrors. In contrast with the grand perspectives,
reaching to the horizon, the garden was full of surprises –
fountains, small gardens filled with statuary, which provided a
more human scale and intimate spaces.
The
central symbol of the garden was the sun; the emblem of Louis XIV,
illustrated by the statue of Apollo in the central fountain of the
garden. "The views and perspectives, to and from the palace,
continued to infinity. The king ruled over nature, recreating in
the garden not only his domination of his territories, but over
the court and his subjects."
The
middle of the 18th century saw spread in popularity of the new
English landscape garden, created by British aristocrats and
landowners, and the Chinese style, brought to France by Jesuit
priests from the Court of the Emperor of China. These styles
rejected symmetry in favor of nature and rustic scenes and brought
an end to the reign of the symmetrical garden à la française.
In many French parks and estates, the garden closest to the house
was kept in the traditional à la française style, but the
rest of the park was transformed into the new style, called
variously jardin à l'anglaise (the English garden),
"anglo-chinois", exotiques, or
"pittoresques". This marked the end of the age of the
garden à la française and the arrival in France of the jardin
paysager, or landscape garden, which was inspired not by
architecture but by painting, literature and philosophy.
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The form
of the French garden was largely fixed by the middle of the 17th
century. It had the following elements, which became typical of the
formal French garden:
- a geometric plan
using the most recent discoveries of perspective and optics
- a terrace
overlooking the garden, allowing the visitor to see all at once
the entire garden. As the French landscape architect Olivier de
Serres wrote in 1600, "It is desirable that the gardens
should be seen from above, either from the walls, or from
terraces raised above the parterres."
- all vegetation is
constrained and directed to demonstrate the mastery of man over
nature.Trees are planted in straight lines and carefully
trimmed, and their tops are trimmed at a set height
- the residence
serves as the central point of the garden and its central
ornament. No trees are planted close to the house; rather, the
house is set apart by low parterres and trimmed bushes
- a central axis, or
perspective, perpendicular to the facade of the house, on the
side opposite the front entrance. The axis extends either all
the way to the horizon (Versailles) or to piece of statuary or
architecture (Vaux-le-Vicomte). The axis faces either South
(Vaux-le-Vicomte, Meudon) or east–west (Tuileries, Clagny,
Trianon, Sceaux). The principal axis is composed of a lawn, or a
basin of water, bordered by trees. The principal axis is crossed
by one or more perpendicular perspectives and alleys
- the most elaborate
parterres, or planting beds, in the shape of squares, ovals,
circles or scrolls, are placed in a regular and geometric order
close to the house, to complement the architecture and to be
seen from above from the reception rooms of the house
- the parterres near
the residence are filled with broderies, designs created with
low boxwood to resemble the patterns of a carpet, and given a
polychrome effect by plantings of flowers, or by colored brick,
gravel or sand
- farther from the
house, the broderies are replaced with simpler parterres, filled
with grass, and often containing fountains or basins of water.
Beyond these, small carefully created groves of trees serve as
an intermediary between the formal garden and the masses of
trees of the park. "The perfect place for a stroll, these
spaces present alleys, stars, circles, theaters of greenery,
galleries, spaces for balls and for festivities."
- bodies of water
(canals, basins) serve as mirrors, doubling the size of the
house or the trees
- the garden is
animated with jeux d'eau and pieces of sculpture, usually
on mythological themes, which either underline or punctuate the
perspectives, and mark the intersections of the axes, and by
moving water in the form of cascades and fountains.
Colors,
flowers and trees |
| Ornamental
flowers were relatively rare in French gardens in the 17th century
and there was a limited range of colours: blue, pink, white and
mauve. Brighter colours (yellow, red, orange) would not arrive until
about 1730, because of botanical discoveries from around the world
brought to Europe. Bulbs of tulips and other exotic flowers came
from Turkey and the Netherlands. An important ornamental feature in
Versailles and other gardens was the topiary, a tree or bush carved
into geometric or fantastic shapes, which were placed in rows along
the main axes of the garden, alternating with statues and vases.
At Versailles flower
beds were found only at the Grand Trianon and in parterres on the
north side of the palace. Flowers were usually brought from
Provence, kept in pots, and changed three or four times a year.
Palace records from 1686 show that the Palace used 20,050 daffodil
bulbs, 23,000 cyclamen, and 1700 lily plants.
Most of the trees at
Versailles were taken from the forest; they included hornbeam, elm,
linden, and beech trees. There were also chestnut trees from Turkey
and acacia trees. Large trees were dug up from the forests of Compiègne
and Artois and transplanted to Versailles. Many died in
transplanting and had to be regularly replaced.
The trees in the park
were trimmed both horizontally and flattened at the top, giving them
the desired geometric form. Only in the 18th century were they
allowed to grow freely.
Parterres
de broderie
The parterres de
broderie (from the French French: broderie
meaning 'embroidery') is the typical form of French garden design of
the Baroque. It is characterised by a symmetrical layout of the
flower beds and sheared box hedging to form ornamental patterns
known as broderie. Even the arrangement of the flowers is designed
to create a harmonious interplay of colours. Frequently found in
French Baroque gardens are water gardens, cascades, grottos and
statues. Further away from the country house, stately home, chateau
or schloss the parterre transitions into the bosquets.
Well known examples
are the gardens at the Palace of Versailles in France and the Palace
of Augustusburg at Brühl, near Cologne in Germany. As fashions
changed, many parterres de broderie of stately homes had to give way
in the 19th century to English landscape gardens and have not been
reinstated.
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| Term |
English
translation |
Definition |
| Allée |
Alleyway |
A straight
path, often lined with trees |
| Bosquet |
Grove |
A small group
of trees, usually some distance from the house, designed as an
ornamental backdrop |
| Broderie |
Embroidery |
A very
curling decorative pattern within a parterre, created with trimmed yew
or box or made by cutting the pattern out of a lawn and filling it with
colored gravel |
| Jeux d'eau |
Water games |
An umbrella
term for water features |
| Patte d'oie |
Goose foot |
Three or five
paths or allées which spread outward from a single point |
| Parterre |
On the ground |
A planting
bed, usually square or rectangular, containing an ornamental design made
with low closely clipped hedges, colored gravel, and sometimes flowers.
Parterres were usually laid out in geometric patterns, divided by gravel
paths. They were intended seen from above from a house or terrace. A parterre
de gazon was made of turf with a pattern cut out and filled with
gravel.[11] |
| Saut de loup |
Wall |
A recessed
landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier |
| Topiary |
Ornamental
gardening |
Trees or
bushes trimmed into ornamental shapes. In French gardens, they were
usually trimmed into geometric shapes |
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The
Modern French Garden
It suits me better than the
formal, classical design.
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| A French Garden Design
For Today's Gardener -
The French Garden style
is generally thought of as stark and austere and very orderly. What is
"formal"? For me it would mean everything in rows, and all
flowers the same sizes and at attention at all times. I would design a
french garden with the concepts of geometry and outlining, but the
flowers and stonework would be quite informal, yet still giving the
garden a classical feel. I would imagine that French Countryside would
be more my idea of a french garden.
Because these gardens
were designed to be viewed from above, there’s also usually a terrace
that sits above the gardens. Not practical for me to have an overhead
terrace, it still works for me. If you have an upper-story deck or
patio/terrace, you've got your overhead garden-gazing spot. Planting
areas usually had a raised bed design, called a parterre. You can create
one using stone for the edging. around planted areas and by adding
container trees as raised plantings.
Start with cool colors,
geometric planting beds, and stone work, and you’ll have the
groundwork.
French style is a study
in geometry. Decide on the shapes you want for the planting beds, then
make sure they're clearly defined. Edging these traditional parterres
with low boxwood borders is a classic approach.
The
overall style translates well into small courtyards and even the
practical vegetable garden, where a mix of small raised beds is not only
popular but practical. If designing your garden in a courtyard or side
yard near the windows of your house, a window box adds a nice touch and adds
a middle space for your garden.
French country gardens
are more informal, with a mix of softer plantings and bolder colors, but
generally follow the same basic design principles. Planting beds may be
more loosely planted and less structured, but they'll still be contained
by an edging or a border of some sort. Rather than an overwhelming riot
of color and plantings, there's always a sense of order, even in the
most natural of settings.
Paths located near
living areas often feature a short edging hedge. Typical hedging plants
include lavender, rosemary or boxwood.
Gravel paths and stone terraces are hallmarks of French garden
design. A gravel path is one of the easiest ways to start your
landscape. modern stone pavers, cobblestones and concrete create the
same ambience. Expand a gravel path into a patio to provide continuity.
For a durable surface, consider
flagstone or cobblestone. Edge the space with planting beds and add pots
and climbers to soften the hardscape.
Include a place to
relax and eat. Sitting areas and dining spots add a touch of
romance and evoke the feeling of the French countryside. Keep the
elements simple. Benches also should
be part of a French formal garden. And the best element, in my opinion,
would be to think "bistro". A bistro table and 2 chairs. Pots
of trees on the sides..That's the ticket.
Use a pergola over the
dining patio or terrace covered in grapevines, for a classic French
touch. I would probably opt for honeysuckle or wisteria. trellises,
pergolas and gazebos frequently decorate French gardens. An obelisk or
tuteur (a teepee-like shape) are common trellis designs used in formal
French gardens. Because these gardens are designed to be viewed from
above, there’s also usually a terrace that sits above the gardens.
Feel free to mix and
match when it comes to shapes. Using the same plant material to form
the shapes ties the two sides together. Fill
the spaces within the borders with plants, especially annuals and
perennials. For a classic feel, stick to a single plant within each
space,
Create a focal point,
like a fountain or sundial that would add interest in a large space
where the masses of similar beds could be overwhelming.French formal
gardens typically include water features, such as rectangular reflecting
pools or circular beds that play a geometrical counterpoint to the
french garden’s angled parterres. Fountains also belong in French
garden designs. Select the ones with traditional motifs. Statues, urns
and planters, are all elements of French garden design. The key is
restraint. My favorite thing to place as a focal point is a tall
obelisk. I've always wanted one in the garden. It is actually a trellis.
French formal gardens include statuary and topiaries. Tuck topiaries
into containers strategically placed along paths, or add them to the
center of the design. Trellises, pergolas and gazebos frequently
decorate French gardens.
Potagers
and herb gardens were popular. A classical influence would be gravel
paths and stone-outlined beds. So go ahead and add the french design to
your vegetable and herb gardens, too. I like the idea of mixing food
with flowers. I will be writing about Foodscape Gardens soon!
You can
download a .pdf format garden design for a French Style Kitchen Garden
by clicking
the pic below. It's free, and it contains a large illustration, planting
guide and plant list. Enjoy!
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Sources for this article
wikimedia
Forbes
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