Formal or informal, the garden remains a creation of Man where nature must be mastered. Very particular landscape styles, even somewhat opposed, these ways of arranging space have diverse histories and inspirations.
The formal garden in history
The Persian gardens surrounded by high walls that existed as early as 4000 years BC are considered the ancestors of today's formal gardens, as they were already very structured and arranged along geometric lines.
In order to be pleasant and to offer some freshness, they always included one or more water features, just like in the Italian gardens, very fashionable from the Renaissance on, where a superposition of horizontal plans are added to the plans of the medieval gardens which were mainly dedicated to the production of fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants.
The "French gardens", so well represented by the one of Versailles created by Le Nôtre for Louis XIV, also represent this very particular and strictly structured formal style.
The formal garden or the art of mastering plants
In a formal garden, whether antique or contemporary, the limits are always well marked, if possible by walls or high hedges very well designed all around.
Straightness is the order of the day, axes are present, geometric shapes occupy the space and divide it with harmony. Rectangles, squares, straight lines and well-marked angles organize the garden and are separated by clearly designed paths, often mineral (paving stones, gravel, concrete, flagstones, natural or reconstituted stones, bricks...).
The space is planned so that nothing is left to chance and the lawns are framed by scrupulously trimmed borders.
Boxwood, and nowadays its alternatives (charcoal, myrtle, myrsite, ilex crenata...) are very present, especially in low hedges to create very specific areas or topiaries (plant sculptures), as well as yew, which lends itself to this very particular type of art.
The green rooms alternate with vast flower beds or arabesques.
A focal point serves to centralize the many paths that make up the formal garden. Fountain, pond, water mirror or sculpture can be used for this purpose.
Perspective is of course important in this type of garden since it leads the eye to a particular point and plays with shapes and heights, proving once again the gardener's mastery of plants.
Vegetables can have their place there, but always well contained in distinct squares or well aligned rectangles.
The orchard, often trellised against the walls, shows once again the mastery of the plant by constraints of sizes and silhouettes (espaliers, 'U'...). The harvests are thus facilitated because these constrained forms allow a culture in the horizontal and within reach.
The informal garden, a more nuanced form of control
One might think that the informal style is opposed to the formal style.
This idea needs to be qualified... Certainly, the informal garden leaves more room for nature, however, it remains mastered and shaped with taste by the hand of man.
This garden remains structured but does not rely excessively on straight lines and angular geometric shapes. Perspective and focal points are not essential, nor are millimeter-sized operations. The work of the gardener, although sustained, remains more discreet, less ostentatious.
Here we do not want to impress anyone but just inspire a benevolent harmony between textures and colors, soft shapes and rustling water thanks to the presence of a small natural pond or a simple bird bath.
Curves, rounded shapes, eclecticism in terms of plants are perfectly tolerated, but not wild vegetal clutter or total abandon.
The English garden style represents this trend to perfection. Plant harmony reigns between the vast alleys or winding paths. The color is very present, the flowering shrubs rub shoulders with the beds of perennials and annuals, the very large trees have a place of choice, occasionally enthroned in isolated subjects on a lawn, at the edge of a pond or a pond.
The informal garden then forms a picture worthy of the best impressionist painters.
The mineral is much less present than in the formal garden, whether in the form of walls or ground coverings. The garden can end on an unfenced woodland edge or on a watercourse that will mark its limit without any concern.
The paths may remain dirt or even be covered with grass. They do not necessarily join and do not lead to a specific focal point, they can give access to a bench in front of a bushy grove, as well as to a flowerbed or to a viewpoint on the surrounding landscape.
The surprise is hidden behind each grove that a transparent pruning will emphasize leaving the other plants appearing in the background.
In this garden, biodiversity is in the spotlight since the plant variety is the order of the day, leaving room for many small animals necessary to the balance of any self-respecting garden!
