For most of us, a French landscape is also a formal landscape, and therein lies its appeal.
Believe Versailles, possibly the most famous French garden area. It has a different look and feel that set it apart from its own Italian neighbors to the south as well as its British neighbors to the north east. There are elements of the two. What we think of as traditional French style does have its roots in Italian landscape layout. The consequent French adaptation was in turn embraced by British gardeners, and their adaptations made their way back over the Channel and in turn influenced later developments.
Symmetry and sequence are the core of French landscape layout. The gardens are also supposed to be looked at in the distance, so design and form play a significant part. They are supposed to highlight the centerpiece of the full space, which would be the house (or, in most cases, that the chateau). They are famous for their cool colour palette, with an emphasis on greens, whites, greens and purples. Believe boxwood hedges, intricately trimmed shrubs, neatly planted garden beds and planters, and fields of lavender. You will also discover a great use of rock, if for pavings, edgings, a terrace or decorative elements, and places where you can enjoy the view.
Designs for Country and Courtyard
French state gardens are more casual, with a mixture of softer plantings and bolder colours, but generally follow the same basic layout principles. Planting beds might be loosely planted and not as structured, but they’ll still be included by an edging or a border of some type. The same gravel beds which operate in a formal space fit in just as well in a little home’s front entryway. Rather than an overwhelming riot of colour and plantings, there’s always a sense of sequence, even at the most natural of settings.
Although we often consider French landscaping concerning large spaces, the overall style translates remarkably well into smaller courtyards (imagine an interior garden at a Paris building) as well as the functional vegetable garden, in which a mixture of little raised beds isn’t just popular but functional. So while you might not want an entire landscape done in this fashion, you might discover it ideal for a smaller part of your garden.
Warning: A formal design requires a lot more maintenance than, say, a organic garden. When something is out of place, it’s immediately evident. If you do not want to devote a great deal of time maintaining your garden in shape, a formal French-style estate might not be for you personally.
Woodburn & Company Landscape Architecture, LLC
Start with the Fundamentals. Meaning stucco walls, stonework and, needless to say, lavender. The window boxes add a touch of bright colour to contrast with the soft greens, purples and whites found in the remainder of this clean landscape.
A+B KASHA Designs
You can’t get much more French than this home in the Normandy countryside. The overall layout is simple, including the strong, straight lines and neatly kept gardens which exemplify French style.
Isler Homes
This little courtyard epitomizes the basis of French layout, especially when seen from above. All of the basics are here: striaght-lined geometric contours, neatly trimmed hedges and shrubs, gravel for paving along with a monochromatic colour scheme.
Design suggestion: In much the most appropriate of gardens, it’s great to include 1 thing which doesn’t quite fit the mold. Within this landscape, the seat gives a one-of-a-kind element in the otherwise repetitive (at the best gardening sense) distance, keeping it from appearing too sterile.
Debora carl landscape layout
Stone surfaces provide the underpinnings. Gravel paths and rock terraces are hallmarks of French garden design. A gravel path is one of the simplest ways to start your own landscape. In cases like this, the gravel defines the route area, whereas the inset stepping-stones result in a more stable walking surface.
Design suggestion: With almost any loose rock, be prepared for some maintenance. While landscape and weed-barrier cloths will keep down weed growth, nothing is foolproof. You will need to periodically remove unwanted plant material. The secret is to do it before things get out of control.
Expand a gravel path to a terrace to give continuity. This simple bistro set adds to the texture, as do the trees across the road that form a little allée. The fitting spheres add a small formal look while delineating the transition from route to terrace.
Al Jones Architect
For a stronger surface, think about flagstone or cobblestone. Edge the space with planting beds and include pliers and baskets to soften the hardscape.
Design suggestion: Using low rock walls to make planting beds not just elevates the plants also provides more growing space, but it’s also a terrific way to add additional chairs. Choose a stone which complements the pavers on the terrace so the entire area is cohesive.
Al Jones Architect
This Provence-inspired terrace highlights the overall simplicity of French terrace design — clean, simple and restful. A nice touch is the fitting baskets in the base of each column. They include some colour and life to the terrace.
Troy Rhone Garden Design
Design the planting beds. French style is a research in geometry. Choose the contours you want for your planting beds, then make sure they’re clearly defined. Edging these conventional parterres with reduced boxwood borders is a timeless strategy.
The Todd Group
Fell free to mix and match when it comes to contours. The diamonds on the right are offset by the semicircle on the left side. Using the same plant material to make the contours ties the two sides together.
Design suggestion: Be sure to look at the distance from many levels. It needs to be pleasant once you’re in the midst of the garden, but it should also be visually interesting to check into the garden from outdoors or to see it from above.
Cassy Aoyagi, FormLA Landscaping
While straight lines and hard edges are often seen as typically French, a weatherproof knot garden would not be out of place. This one was created as a walking garden, a place of peacefulness and reflection.
Lenkin Design Inc: Landscape and Garden Design
Insert plants. Fill the spaces inside the borders with plants, especially annuals and perennials. For a timeless feel, stick to one plant within each area, as was done here. The topiary-inspired balls which punctuate each bed add some height with no deflecting from the cool, clean overall look and feel.
Style suggestion: When picking plantings, think about their bloom period. A bed of tulips will look charming in the spring, but you’ll want something in the area for summer through fall at least. Also think of the care requirements; if the bed is quite wide and tightly packed, it can be difficult to reach the interior plants for deadheading and other upkeep.
Schmechtig Landscapes
Mix and match within the overall space. The plantings within each bed below are uniform, however they vary from bed to bed.
Design suggestion: Creating a focal point, such as this fountain set in a semicircle of green, adds needed interest, especially in a huge space where the masses of similar beds could be overwhelming. In this area, which is very big, the bed and trees also function as similar fractures but do not overwhelm the layout. In a smaller area, go with just one focal point.
Daly-Sublette Landscape Architects
Away from the formal beds, add some climbers for measurement and to frame an opinion. In cases like this, the view is the entrance door; the arching wisteria, which is a vibrant purple against the yellowish walls when in bloom, accentuates the height of the door along with the fitting windows on both sides.
Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab
A bit more casual is that this vine covering a terrace area. Look for a plant that will provide colour through the majority of the outdoor season. Your personal style will dictate if you would like greenery just or some colour provided by blossoms. If you choose the latter, be certain the blossoms are more subdued than lush for a classic French texture.
Another fantastic alternative is the espaliered fruit tree. Edibles were always a part of a French garden, along with also a well-trained espaliered tree will fit right in.
Dave Adams Photography
Contain a place to unwind and eat. Sitting areas and dining spots add a touch of romance and evoke the sensation of the French countryside. Maintain the components simple, with low-profile furniture (think bistro set rather than huge wood tables) along with an open floor ceiling.
Design suggestion: While an eating area near the house is convenient, think about moving it slightly away, into a different place in the landscape. You will discover a whole new view of your garden.
Dave Adams Photography
While this little yard is casual and vibrant, it’s still very French. In a little area, adding colour through linens and flowers gives a country feel that’s equally as tempting as that of their last distance.
Dave Adams Photography
Though perhaps more full of furniture than is typical for a terrace area, French components still shine through here, with the open terrace, stonework and hedge Placing the distance. The symmetry of these plants also keeps the French-inspired feel.
Tongue in Cheek Antiques
This courtyard combines traditional and contemporary elements. The curtains add a nice touch, softening an otherwise plain distance.
Style suggestion: Patios, terraces and courtyards are ideal locations for aquatic plants. To maintain the look consistent, match the colour, style and materials of these containers, and do not overcrowd them. Utilize them as focal points or set them at equal intervals across the space. Repeating the colour or type of plant will maintain the look cohesive.
Frank & Grossman Landscape Contractors, Inc..
Use decorative components. Statues, urns and planters, and water features are all components of French garden design. The key would be restraint. A fixture in the end of a path is.
Edgewater layout llc
Combining both water and statuary is one other way to go. Whether you set them in stone or in a garden, maintain the space around them simple so the featured element shines.
A+B KASHA Designs
Courtyards and potagers. This interior area, a long passage(with symmetrically placed lighting and planters, leads to a plant-filled courtyard that still retains a sense of openness, thanks to the single colour palatte and also the low-key gravel paving.
The Labyrinth Garden
Simple French-inspired layout, along with strategically placed mirrors, helps open up a much smaller area. Again, a simple color palette and low-key furniture together with the formal plant contours and less-is-more strategy exemplifies French design.
Natalie DeNormandie
While vegetables might be the very last thing you would expect in the formality of a traditional French garden, do not overlook them entirely. Potagers and herb gardens were principles of design. Here, the classical influence is seen in the high walls, the gravel path as well as also the wood-edged parterres.
The Brickman Group, Ltd..
This potager is much more full and lush than the previous case, but it still retains the strong design elements, including a centre fountain as a focus. A bonus for these two designs is that it’s simple to harvest the crop without stepping onto plants.
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