Alex Smith Garden Design, LTD
'Parterre de Conservation'
Alex Smith Garden Design, LTD
Southeastern Flower Show 2008
Imagine, 18th century France, where garden designers were assimilating the lessons of Italy, finding in nature’s forms the perfection and symmetries to guide human artistic creation. The mastery of these laws, or at least a thorough practical acquaintance of them, formed one of the essential ingredients of a gardener’s education. Perhaps one of the most original features of the new French garden was the parterre de broderie, an embroiderylike design of decorative scrolls, palmettes and arabesques in herbs, boxwood, or clipped grass. The evolution of French garden design dictated that not only was it necessary for gardeners to be trained in practical horticulture, but also they needed instruction in geometry, draftsmanship, architecture and aesthetics, often best instilled trough a curriculum of perspective and proportion.
Now, back in the 20th century we have fully absorbed those lessons and a new evolution is upon us to create, teach, and absorb. As our resources become more precious we have to reform the way we think about the garden. Standing on the shoulders of giants, we still apply the knowledge of the past while reinterpreting them with the intent of conservation. Slow growing plants and succulents fill the voids of boxwood arabesques, providing beauty without the worry of contributing to the decline of our rapidly diminishing resources.