When I lived in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, B.C., long ago, we often resorted to creating boggy spaces when confronted with drainage problems. I got fairly good at bog gardening then and became eager to use these in other ways, in fact, as ways to develop a different look and feel in a normal landscape. There are plants which grow here that one cannot place anywhere else. Granted, some of these can grow out of control. As I said, they really, really like it there. I am thinking some of the bamboos which we actually had to seriously thin in the project above. Nevertheless, flowering plants, bamboos, other lettuce-like planting, there are a wide and satisfyng variety of plantings to make one appreciate real bog gardens. Typically, also, we like placing some sort of swirling sculpture spraying water amid the bog, to recirculate, or to just plain aerate the water and keep it moving. The rainbow effects can be entrancing.
This formal entry is essentially Italian by design. The manicured Arborvitaes, clipped and manicured like topiary is a very Italian feature, as is the fountain. The brick pavers are very rustic, tumbled and somewhat aged-looking. Balancing it all is a trick, as is the location in the geometric sense. Things to bear in mind are the most welcoming orientation of the fountain’s base. Centrality and proportion are everything to these formal contructions.
Formal waterfalls are constructions with more severe design restrictions, conforming to an overall desired shape, color or form rather than blending, organicly, with actual natural terrain, such as the natural waterfall constructions. What one gets in formal waterfalls becomes real architecture, 100%. Hopefully, of course, it too will “fit” in the landscape and not be some obnoxious interjected whimsical design flaw. Therein lies the delicacy of the design. There are so many examples of formal successes one can see almost anywhere. People have long searched for ways of integrating the sound and soothing motions of water into architectural projects. The effect of water on society is widely understood to be, if not peaceful, then entertaining in it’s own right. From the fountains of Europe to the waterfalls of Japan and China, gardens have exploited water, whether in an urban environment to those of private residences, and people will always continue to flock to its wonderful qualities.
