Get Out of the Box
By Clive Russell, OAA — Inside and Out Garden Design
Roam
With the layout of military camps that later grew into towns and cities, the Romans started a process we now take for granted- the dividing up of urban spaces into rectangular plots. Rectangles are very efficient, easy to record in deeds of ownership, easy to subdivide and fence, and the straight streets that front them are great for getting around quickly, the addressing is logical, and so on. And rectangles (boxes) are easy to build. So here we are, in the box of our house, within the box of our property, somewhere in one of the rows of other boxes. But when we step out the door into our garden, most of us want to get out of the box and into nature- some version or reminder of nature, at least. Our minds, our spirits, our souls need that- softness, complexity, mystery, indeterminacy, free from boundaries and definition. Freedom to roam. Space.
Space
Most discussions of garden design in the slick magazines that have sprung up like gout weed in the past few years are about objects- plants, benches, trellises, decks, paths and patios. The most important element in a garden, though, is space. It may be indicative of our culture that the word space, when applied to our house or garden, has more of a quantitative than a qualitative connotation for most of us (do I have enough space?). A good garden, though, is one that takes you out of the box into the infinite, where amount doesn’t matter. The shape of space, the quality of space, in the garden is far more important than the measurable dimensions. Size may matter for certain functions, some of which can be performed in the garden, under moonlight, in the grass. And for kicking a ball around, putting on a garden party, etc., a certain amount of space is required. But a successful garden is one that feels good to be in- it can be tiny, and it might have started out as a tiny box. In Japan.
Japan
Japanese gardens are renowned for their quality of space. Somehow, through its placement in the very small space of a Japanese garden, a single stone can evoke the infinite. And the vast space of a six tatami garden (about 10ft. by 12ft.) can take you on life changing journeys through meadows, mountain ranges, and streams. Just as often as here, the garden’s boundaries are rigid rectilinear walls or fences. Within that box, though, the arrangement of materials, textures, colors, suggestions made by shape and references to memory, can create worlds. Japanese gardens are often thought of as meditative. Often they do have a quiet, contemplative feeling, and it is that quietude that allows for the sense of space. The nothingness without which nothing could exist is palpable in a well designed Japanese garden. Physically, it is the space between objects, the way the eye is led from one to another and beyond, that creates the sense of mystery and conjecture that takes you out of the box. In a Zen garden simplicity of materials and starkness of arrangement emphasize this process, but even in a lushly planted Japanese garden, skillful techniques are applied to the same end, and can easily be applied right here at home.
Home
The simplest way to get your garden out of the box is to throw a curve at it. Traditionally here in Toronto, a garden consists of a neat rectangle of lawn edged with planting beds along the fence lines. This only emphasizes the boxiness of the lot. Get out of the box. Change the shape of the lawn to an oval, and the energy will begin to flow. Your eye is no longer drawn into the corners (there are none). Just as in a Japanese garden, the space will now seem larger than it is, and far more interesting. The space itself, not only its boundaries, now has a character and presence. Focal points are now a matter of design rather than default- larger trees or shrubs, colorful foliage, a water feature, can all lead the eye and the imagination further.
Another technique of Japanese design is creating layers of visual experience that can give the impression of ’somewhere else’ beyond. An arbor or an island bed within the space creates the sense of another room. An arrangement of rocks, or a small bench under a tree, creates spaces with a particular character, within the larger space. And don’t stop there- look beyond the boundaries of your garden to see not only those features of the neighbourhood that need to be masked with your planting or trellises, but also what can be captured or emphasized in your garden views- a beautiful tree, an interesting rooftop. This is called ‘borrowed scenery’ in Japanese garden design. It is a powerful way to create a sense of space in a small garden, and take it out of the box.