Leading the Eye….

One of my favourite Edinburgh gardens has a really incredible structure of shrubs and trees. I’m always struck how perfectly their different crown shapes, and growth habits guide my eye through the garden: from ground level up to the canopy and back down again. Once of my favourite aspects of gardening is this use of form. How to anchor the eye in a particular area, where to move things on, and where to build in a pause. In pictures I’ve outlined the simplified shapes of the key trees and shrubs which are creating this visual line, and introduced the idea of a focal point to look at how this changes the feel of the space:

Mature woodland garden: the umbrella shaped crown of the Styrax japonicus planted on this raised bed acts as a wonderful focal point to the broader space. In this photo I have played about with the idea of adding a secondary smaller focal point where the basket of flowers is - to anchor the eye in this area before moving to the winding path under the canopy below. From the curved crown of the Styrax the upright Magnolia campbellii leads the eye up to the huge purple Beech in the background. The curved outline of the Styrax is mirrored on the other side by the Cherry, and then in the understory by the Cotinus, and Rhododendrons.

Common garden features like this pair of Obelisks at the top of the path which leads to this part of the garden are brilliant for framing views, and introducing a new area.