Lecture by Alan Chadwick in New Market, Virginia, 1979
Lecture 10: The Grand Perennial Herbaceous Border, Part 3
An Introduction to Alan Chadwick's Lectures and a Glossary of Terms
Back to the Virginia Lecture Series Index Page
Contents of this Segment:
Trees ideally are given an area thirty feet wide, shrubbery an area fifteen feet wide, and the flowers are given an area thirty feet wide. For the flower section, you may divide into areas of low flowers at ten feet wide, middle-size flowers at thirteen feet wide, and the high flowers are given an area seven feet wide. The roadway (clairvoyer) must be about twenty-five feet wide. In a small house planting everything would be smaller, but you can use optical illusions to make everything look larger and longer. Plant, shrubs, and tree heights vary in undulations and curves, but not geometrical, very natural. The borders appear to be in bloom all year long. An interplay of colors is woven into the patterns. Flower shapes are important. White flowers can over-power the eye if used too much. Periods of blooming are essential to take into consideration in the border design. Color, height, and periods of blooming are the main factors to consider. Shapes of pools of flowers should not be geometrical. (13:40)