Almost four hundred years have passed since the entire royal court, led by Louis XIV, gasped in admiration at the sight of Versailles - the world's first example of a French regular park. Today, the use of this style is a fairly common technique in art. landscape design. It is impossible to imagine a single castle in Europe, not a single royal residence without a unique “ business card"- neatly trimmed bushes and trees, bright parterre flower beds, symmetrically located fountains and gazebos. Initially created for the huge areas of royal palaces, the garden in a regular style gradually moved to more modest spaces - on the territory country houses.

Using elements of regularity, you can easily bring a considerable amount of solemnity and grandeur to the exterior of a private house. Landscape designers modernity has managed to soften it somewhat this style, depriving it of pomp and cumbersomeness that is unnecessary for our realities. However, all the same, even the most modest and simple composition, created in a regular style, is a luxury item, since its constituent elements, by definition, cannot be cheap and there is no more subtle and elegant way to hint to those around you about your wealth than by placing it near your home small royal garden.

Regular garden in history

The creator of the regular style is considered to be the court gardener of Louis XIV, Andre Le Nôtre, whose design fantasies led to the emergence of precise geometric forms of many landscape gardening ensembles, the first of which was the park Palace of Versailles. It was Le Nôtre who came up with the main rules for creating a regular garden: clear axial symmetry of the composition, the center of which could be a building, a fountain, an unusual large flowerbed or a statue; even garden paths; hedges; topiary forms.

Having gained extraordinary popularity among the French nobility, the regular style in landscape design gradually began to capture new spaces, firmly establishing itself in many European parks, including in Russia. Russian regular gardens and parks appeared with light hand Peter I, who, having visited Versailles in 1717, decided to create something similar in his homeland. Peter transformed somewhat french style, increasing the number of flower beds and ponds, but at the same time maintaining the clarity of lines and shapes.

Main characteristics of the regular style

1. Scale

Since regular gardens were originally used to decorate the vast territories of castles and palaces, they are traditionally associated with scale. Designed for long walks, such a garden conceals new views around every turn of the hedge and puts on different “performances.” It is difficult to organize such “theatricality” on a small plot, and various decorative elements inherent in the regular style will burden small space. In addition, to create such a garden, a mandatory requirement is a perfectly flat, Smooth surface relief, requiring certain earthworks.

2. Geometricity

The regular style is characterized by axial symmetry, where the axis is most often the house, and clear, straight lines, allowing for maximum ordering of the space. Any chaos in such a garden is a priori unacceptable. The main element of a garden in a regular style is the parterre - an open area with flower beds, lawns, borders, consisting of several sections of regular geometric shape. Intricate statues or fountains are often installed in the center of flower arrangements.

3. Topiary forms and hedges

To break regular garden into zones, arches, pergolas, and various hedges are widely used. One of the main decorations of the territory in a regular style are topiary figures created by trimming trees and bushes. Using this technique, plants of various geometric shapes are created.

4. Reservoirs

A mandatory element of a regular garden is a pond with a clearly defined coastline. It can be either in the shape of a rectangle, a circle or an oval, framed by suitable vegetation. Swimming pools and various fountains are also widespread.

Fountains and pools are part of the style

5. Special plants for a regular garden

Great importance They also have flower beds for a regular style, which are located in open, sunny places. Lighting of plants must be uniform, otherwise asymmetrical growth and development cannot be avoided, which is unacceptable for this style. Annual plants are mainly used for parterre flower beds. Most perennials are not suitable for regular flower beds due to the short duration of their flowering.

Decorative elements are characterized by the use of marble, ceramics, bronze, artistic forging. In a regular garden, everything should be luxurious and elegant, so saving for this style is inappropriate.

From appearance personal plot a lot depends. It's no secret that being in nature relieves stress, calms, pacifies and charges the body with pure energy. An area where the landscape design is carefully thought out, made in the same style, and the plants look well-groomed and lush, will always lift your spirits, allowing you to regain your lost peace of mind. Many people think about what style to choose to decorate their garden. If you are a lover of clear symmetrical compositions, regular geometric shapes and order in life and nature, perhaps a regular style in landscape design is your option.

It should be noted that a regular garden will require a large area on which you can create compositions that can demonstrate the beauty of this style.

Characteristics and features of a regular garden

Axial compositions are very popular. They are usually formed around a central axis - an alley, a path. Often located in the center of the axis water body- pond or fountain. On both sides of the central axis, symmetrical compositions are formed - lawns and flower beds correct form, alleys and alleys with bushes and trees with trimmed crowns.

Example of axial composition on small area. On both sides of the central path there are geometrically regular symmetrical lawns on which plants are planted in rows; the trees on the site are located in a special symmetry, forming an interesting combination

Bosquet is an integral part of a regular park. A bosquet is a group of shrubs or trees planted in a specific way. Plants trimmed in a special way can form something like a green gazebo or room, a curtain that hides visitors from prying eyes, imitate various geometric shapes or even some architectural forms - arches, columns, turrets.

There are two types of bosquets:

1. the so-called office, where plants are planted around the perimeter;
2. artificial grove is a group ornamental shrubs or trees that are planted on the lawn:

Example of an office in regular park– trimmed bushes form a green wall, in the niches of which there are arches and statues. In the center of the office there is a symmetrical composition in the form of a flower bed. In your garden, you can also make a similar curtain of shrubs and lawn, forming a cozy corner

A small artificial grove, to create which you can also use ornamental plants in tubs

A regular garden is unthinkable without neat, regular-shaped lawns; they largely give such a garden a ceremonial and noble appearance.

The history of gardening art goes back hundreds of years; already in the 16th century, gardeners created magnificent regular gardens and parks surrounding the imperial palaces. In many ways, this style has remained unsurpassed, and today it surprises with its clarity, elegance, luxury and nobility of lines.

Of course, create a real one regular park in a relatively small area is not possible, but some can be used characteristic elements– symmetrical planting of plants on geometric the right lawns located along the central alley, or several paths diverging in straight lines from a pond or flower bed.

Two examples of the formation of a composition around a central path: 1) using an arch and symmetrically located bushes; 2) using a central flowerbed and a gravel path framing it

You can plant flowers in flower beds in such a way that they form ridges. The ridge is an elongated rectangular flower bed, where various flowers planted in a certain order, forming beautiful patterns. This flower bed will look great on the sides or between garden paths.

Flowers planted in a special way form beautiful patterns on flower beds and lawns, making them look like a colorful carpet

Regular style The garden also involves the use of sculptures or sculptural decorations in the antique style. For example, if the central alley in your garden is quite wide and long, it will be decorated with two statues located at the beginning of the alley opposite each other. You can use vases on pedestals, or one large vase in the middle of the central flower bed.

Classical sculptures are a decoration of a regular park; they complement the composition and look picturesque against the backdrop of luxurious greenery

And also, in a classic regular park there is always a top point from where you can see the ground floor - lawns, flower beds, trees planted in a certain order. This garden is especially beautiful from above. In a private house, such a point may be a balcony.

We invite you to watch an interesting video

You should start planning your garden by choosing garden style.

What is garden style

To decide on a style, you first need to understand this. In landscape design, garden style is the use of certain techniques and methods of garden planning, united by a common idea. In this case, small architectural forms are used (sculpture, fountains, trellises, pergolas), decorative compositions (ponds, rock gardens, flower beds), various types of coverings, fences, certain types of plants and their combinations characteristic of each style.

Currently, there are two main style trends in landscape design, from which all the others originated: regular and landscape. To do right choice, you need to get to know the characteristics of each.

In a garden designed in a regular style, everything is subordinated to geometry, which is the main source of beauty and harmony. The regular style is characterized by rigor, symmetry, solemnity, pomp, and a desire for to the highest order. In such a garden, a person strives to subjugate nature and establish ideal order.

Main features of the regular style:

• the presence of an axis of symmetry in the garden;
• straight paths;
• geometric shapes (circle, square, hexagon, rectangle) of lawns, flower beds, ponds;
• the use of ancient sculpture and fountains;
• trimmed forms of trees and shrubs.

Often fountains and sculptural compositions are bordered by borders

from annuals or structural perennials such as hostas

Regular style in garden art has rich history, dating back more than one thousand years: it originated in Ancient Egypt and Babylon ( hanging gardens Semiramis), was developed in ancient Greece and Rome. Even in the Middle Ages, regular gardens were in fashion, but they reached their peak during the Renaissance: it was at this time that gardens were created with luxurious fountains and sculpture, as well as grottoes (Villa d’Este in Italy). Topiary art appeared - curly trimming of trees and shrubs.

Later, when the fashion for regular classicism came, such pearls of landscape art appeared as Versailles in France, Peterhof in Russia and many other parks. They are characterized by: the presence of water and flower parterres of geometric shapes with sculptures, luxurious gilded fountains, the disclosure of long-range perspectives, the use of diagonal radial roads, closed spaces limited by high trimmed hedges (“green halls”), curly trimming of trees and shrubs. In this case, containers in the form of antique flowerpots or a strict cubic shape, standard trees, forged benches, as well as arches, pergolas, obelisks, berso, trellises for climbing plants are used. In such gardens and parks gazebos and small pavilions are installed.

Previously, by creating gardens in a regular style, people sought to show their superiority over nature and emphasized their power over it. Now there is no longer a need for this. Therefore, regular gardens are monuments of landscape gardening art and serve as a source of inspiration for the creation of new styles. Is a regular style needed today? modern garden and in modern life with its fast rhythms? As they say, there is no arguing about tastes. The regular style is often used where it is necessary to emphasize solemnity, pomp, monumentality - in front of public buildings and government residences, in the front part of parks, etc.

In private gardens, the regular style is much less common. The choice of garden style often depends on architectural style houses on the site. If the house is built in classic style(with columns, flowerpots, sculpture), then decorating the adjacent area in a regular style will be quite justified and appropriate. A formal garden requires a large space to show perspective. But even in a small garden it will be quite appropriate: you can, for example, create a small parterre of four square flower beds, bordered by a low hedge, with small fountain, a flowerpot with flowers, a sculpture or a sundial in the center. Sometimes, instead of flowers, aromatic herbs are planted in flower beds. In this case, it is good to fill the paths between the flower beds with fine gravel.

Regular style is often used to decorate the entrance area, even if the rest of the area is made in a different style. A large rectangular or round parterre would be appropriate here, or a flower bed with annuals or roses of the same height, or a lawn bordered by a narrow ridge of flowering plants. Sometimes a sculpture is used in the front area in front of the house. Modular gardens or vegetable gardens are also often made in a regular style - they must have an axis of symmetry, and the paths between the modules must have hard paving (gravel, tiles, natural stone).

Unfortunately, the regular style arose in countries with mild climates, where evergreens suitable for hedges and topiary trimming (yews, boxwoods, laurels) grow and winter well. In the gardens of St. Petersburg and its environs, they are replaced with alternative plants. Linden is used for tall hedges to create pyramids, spirals, balls and garden sculpture- thuja occidentalis. For a figured hedge - cotoneaster, hawthorn. Standard evergreen trees (laurels, ficus) are used as a replacement crop (they are removed for the winter in heated greenhouses).

The regular style uses antique sculpture, sundial, fountains in the form of bowls and shells, grottoes, birdbaths, various flowerpots of classical shapes, as well as gazebos and various pavilions for relaxation. For paving, light-colored fine gravel is most often used. Reservoirs have a strict geometric shape (circle, square, polyhedron) and are located symmetrically relative to the main axis.

Landscape style

Everything in this world has its opposite, so there is nothing surprising in the emergence of a landscape movement different from the regular style in landscape gardening art. It arose and took shape at the beginning of the eighteenth century in England as a reflection of the socio-political and philosophical ideas of the Enlightenment. The idea of ​​returning man back to nature became very popular at that time and found many supporters. The onset of industrialization and the emergence of megacities led to the fact that most of the countries' population Western Europe concentrated in large cities. All this contributed to the emergence and development of the landscape style, first in parks and then in country estates.

It is generally accepted that the landscape style came to Europe from the East, from China and Japan, since in these countries gardens have always been created exclusively in the landscape style. However, Europeans rather borrowed the external side of oriental design: gazebos, pavilions, and pagodas were installed in gardens and parks. chinese style, the gardens were decorated with Japanese bridges. Eastern garden with him philosophical meaning, with deep symbolism and brevity, appeared in Europe much later - only at the beginning of the twentieth century. Therefore, the emergence of the landscape style was not an imitation of Eastern traditions, but a natural result of the development of society.

The creation of landscape parks became most widespread first in England, because its natural conditions contributed to this: a mild, humid climate, an abundance of fog, extensive meadows and pastures, low hills, hedges of tall bushes separating gardens, fields, and groups of trees. Later, landscape parks with elements of romanticism began to be created in other European countries (France, Germany, Russia). Some of them have survived to this day as monuments of landscape art: Stowe Park in Great Britain, Petit Trianon in Versailles, Bagatelle and Buttes-Chaumont parks in Paris, Wertlitz Park in Germany, Catherine and Pavlovsk parks near St. Petersburg, Alexander Garden in Moscow and others. They are characterized by pronounced relief, large water surfaces, cascades, bridges, alternating open and closed spaces. Such parks included numerous different structures in the spirit of romanticism: temples, grottoes, gazebos, ruins, mausoleums, tombstones, obelisks.

In estates and country estates, alleys with smoothly curving paths were arranged, which were lined with coniferous and deciduous trees (linden, oak, ash, elm, maple, larch). Local species of shrubs were planted in groups. Such parks and estates fit well into the surrounding natural landscape, as if being a continuation of it.

Features of landscape style:

• open plan;
• lack of symmetry in the arrangement of objects;
• close connection of the garden with the surrounding natural landscape;
• alternation of flat forms with hills and ravines;
• use of terrain features;
• winding paths;
• inclusion in the composition of such objects as rock gardens, natural or artificial reservoirs, cascades, hills, retaining walls;
• gradual opening of the garden perspective as you move along the paths;
• arbitrary outlines of flower beds, ponds;
• use in decoration natural materials(natural stone, bark, wood chips, gravel and pebbles, wood cuts, etc.);
• absence of plants with an artificial crown shape;
• use of a variety of natural plant forms;
• the presence of mixborders - compositions including trees, shrubs, perennials herbaceous plants;
• lack of lush sculpture and fountains.

A garden in a landscape style is most often found in the design of modern plots. This is due to a person’s desire to have a piece of untouched nature near their home. In such a garden, “paradises” are created - compositions close to natural ones. Both large spaces and small gardens are suitable for this. Man, as it were, slightly corrects and slightly ennobles nature, smoothing out its shortcomings and emphasizing its advantages. A garden in a landscape style is not an exact copy of natural landscapes, but it allows a person to take a break from the stressful rhythms of modern life, relieve stress, restore strength, gain additional energy and aesthetic pleasure from communicating with nature.

There are many options for planning landscape-style gardens, largely depending on the terrain, but usually a garden of this type better suits family needs, because each family creates it “for themselves.” This technique is often used: in the central part of the site they place large lawn free outlines, along the perimeter of which groups of trees and shrubs, flower beds, rock gardens, ponds, and gazebos are placed. Closer to the house, recreation areas with hard surfaces are made, sometimes under canopies, where garden furniture is installed.

It is important to think about the location of objects of different sizes and paths in the garden - this will help to optically enlarge the space and enhance its depth. Then even a medium-sized garden will seem large and spacious.

A natural or landscape garden often includes various objects: a trimmed lawn, a flowering lawn, a mixborder, a swimming pond, a decorative pond with coastal aquatic plants, a stream or cascade, a terraced slope or ravine, a green hill, a rock garden, and unshaped hedges , groups of trees and shrubs, flower beds and winding borders. All this should fit harmoniously into the existing natural landscape.

An orchard and vegetable garden, as well as a bathhouse and a greenhouse, would be quite appropriate in a landscape-style garden. But the placement of such objects must necessarily be carried out taking into account the functional zoning of the territory, that is, the identification of the main functional zones(recreation area, children's area, garden area, utility area, etc.). Then a road and path network is laid that connects these zones, separated from each other by trees, shrubs, gratings with climbing plants. The entrance (or front) part of the site can also be decorated in a landscape style. Sometimes a mixborder of dwarf conifers or highly ornamental shrubs (roses, rhododendrons) or a ceremonial flower garden with textured perennials is placed here.

Plants play an important role in a landscape garden. They create volumes, divide the garden into zones, form decorative compositions, act as accents, act as ground cover, and connect the garden into a single whole. It is advisable to give preference to local trees and shrubs and herbaceous perennials. In such a garden, you should not plant lush varietal perennials (phlox, dahlias, gladioli), as well as bright annuals - more suitable natural views and plants with textured leaves and small flowers.

Text and photo: Natalya Yurtaeva, landscape designer

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Every field has its own trends. Landscape design is no exception, which is also subject to changing fashion trends. Every year, experts try to offer new options for plot design. They reflect not only the mood of our time, but also the views of the masters, their amazing abilities and talent.

general information

Landscape design can be considered a concept that has been known for quite some time. Previously, it was used when it came to decorating fairly large land areas or public areas, including parks. But today, in this regard, the situation has changed quite dramatically. For contemporaries, landscape design has become relevant in many cases. And first of all, specialists in this field are in demand among private owners who buy large areas of land to build a house on it.

Landscape design in such cases should be thought out very carefully so that every corner of the site is used. Many home gardens today they contain interesting decorative items; from a design point of view, they are luxurious and rich. Modern styles Landscape designs allow you to transform areas into fashionable and original places. But in order to get this wonderful garden, you need to invest a lot of serious work and costs, including not only financial, but also time. The specialist must first decide on the style, install an irrigation system, select materials for paving paths, plants, fencing and much more. The right approach to the design of the territory is a guarantee that the personal plot will turn out to be a truly unique place.

Landscape Design Styles

The choice of direction primarily depends on the area land plot. If the territory is small, then chic massive monumental compositions will be inappropriate. Moreover, when design work the degree of natural light personal plot. Today, a sufficient number of different styles of landscape design are known. Most often, experts use country, Provence, Scandinavian, landscape. Rustic and regular styles in landscape design are no less popular. Each of them has its own history, characteristics, forms and goals.

Many people perceive the garden area as a personal corner of nature. After all, spending enough time in the air allows a person to relieve stress, refresh thoughts and improve mood. Therefore, it is beautiful and at the same time functional arrangement The backyard territory can confidently be called a guarantee both for peace of mind and for a great pastime. In this article we will talk about what constitutes a regular style in landscape design, photos of which are presented below. It has already gained great popularity not only in Europe, but also in our country, so many will be interested in getting to know this area better.

Peculiarities

This method will ideal solution for those people who love symmetry and prefer to see order in everything. Regular style in landscape design implies the presence of many clear compositions that are made in the form ideal figures and geometric lines. It is more suitable for large spaces. Only the presence of a large-scale territory makes it possible to demonstrate all the features of a regular or French garden.

Regular style in landscape design: description

There are no small details in this direction. A regular style involves taking into account even the slightest nuances, which should very subtly harmonize with the overall image of the site. A clear layout is provided here. At the same time, you need to know that arranging a garden in a regular style is not as easy as it seems: such work requires a lot of effort and time, and caring for it is quite labor-intensive. However, the result completely pays for everything. A garden in a regular style, laid out on a country plot, will resemble a real park of French aristocrats. At the same time, every detail and image in it must be thought out to the smallest detail. Regular landscape style in the garden can be recognized by the symmetrical plantings of shrubs and trees, regular geometric contours, straight alleys or paths, clear and measured compositions, a complex parterre, a pronounced center line, as well as by the many-sided water elements and numerous sculptures. All this gives the formal park orderliness and sophistication with notes of grandeur and solemnity. The French regular style is the complete opposite of the naturalness expected in an English or landscape garden.

History of origin

Initially, the process of formation of landscape gardening art was strongly influenced by the prevailing views and government structure country, as well as the type of thinking of the ruler. They set the tone for landscape design. After all, gardens and parks, in which the utilitarian function did not have a leading role, were only allowed to be owned by the richest people at that time.

Regular landscape style has a very long history. It dates back to the ancient Romans, who, contrasting the aesthetics of geometric shapes with the natural environment, reached a high level in this art. IN Ancient Rome plastic and floral compositions were combined with fountains and cascades. The gardening art of this powerful empire At that time, it used almost the entire arsenal of decorative gardening known today. Historically, the garden in a regular style was a place for processions and walks, as well as for sitting recreation.

Heyday

It was widely used in France in the seventeenth century. The regular style at that time was used to create parks and gardens laid out at palaces or castles. It is closely associated with the name of King Louis XIV. The formal or regular style reached its heyday in the 17th century, during the era of the apogee of absolutism. That's why it is also called French.

Regular gardens and parks, due to their compositional complexity, were used primarily for the design of castles and palaces and were designed to further emphasize the monumentality and splendor of the ensembles of the elite. A huge contribution to the formation and development of this style was made by Andre Le Nôtre, the court gardener of Louis XIV. He is the author of unique landscape solutions in such famous parks as Versailles, Chantilly, Fontainebleau, Vaux-le-Vicomte, etc. One of the most striking examples is the country residence of Louis XIV - Versailles. The magnificent palace is the center of the composition, from which straight, well-groomed alleys and evenly trimmed lawns radiate. Each flower bed in a regular style occupies a thoughtful place allocated for it.

Made it all amazing paradise with intricately trimmed trees and shrubs, magnificent flower beds, shiny surface artificial ponds. Louis IV thus sought to once again demonstrate his power, not only over his subordinates, but also over nature itself.

Implementation methods

The French or regular landscape style is often considered an example of European classics. However, many call it sunny and artsy, avant-garde and even pretentious. After all, the French or regular style of the park implies anything but ease of maintenance. Aesthetics and expressiveness are the main objectives. This feature of this trend in landscape design can be seen in modern incarnations.

The main elements of a French garden are a parterre, including a lace one, a flower bed in a regular style, a parterre lawn, topiary and flower beds.

The dominant color of any regular garden is green. Neat, trimmed lawns and other varieties are like a frame and background for “playing” with symmetry and geometry. Green tunnels connecting flower beds and lawns, framing trimmed borders and trimmed hedges along the perimeter, entwined facade of the building, numerous topiaries in the form of spheres, pyramids, etc. - all this should dominate the design of the landscape.

The main element is the parterre - the open part of the garden, divided into sections with regular shapes, most often separated by sandy paths. It may contain patterned ornaments collected from low or cropped ornamental plants combined with coarse sand of various shades, gravel, etc. The word “parterre” is derived from the French par and terre, meaning “on the ground.” It can be floral, lawn and lace.

Scale

The regular style was mainly used to decorate the grounds of castles, palaces and castles, which can hardly be called modest. Therefore, such gardens are traditionally associated with scale. They are intended primarily for long walks, so that new views constantly appear before your eyes and picturesque scenes alternate. It is quite difficult to organize this in a small area, and besides, numerous decorative elements will become cluttered and therefore burden the space.

In addition, a mandatory requirement for implementing a regular style when decorating a garden is a flat, level area, without the presence of relief irregularities. And this requires thorough excavation work.

Geometricity

The regular style is characterized primarily by an axial composition. Most often, the main structure in the garden acts as the axis of symmetry. Straight lines coming from it allow you to organize the space and emphasize the impact on nature. This style does not allow any chaos. The main element of a regular garden is the parterre - an open part of the territory with lawns, borders, flower beds and flower beds, consisting of areas of regular shape. The main backdrop for flower beds and tapeworms—the parterre lawn—requires especially careful care, since it is considered the face of the park. Characteristic feature A regular garden consists of ornamental flower beds with intricate patterns and compositions, which are particularly complex not only in design, but also in subsequent care. In this case, you cannot do without a professional. The center of a floral arrangement is often a fountain or sculpture.

Hedges, topiary and ponds

When zoning a regular garden, arches, hedges, pergolas and trellises are widely used. One of best jewelry are considered to be created as a result of cutting trees and shrubs and giving them various shapes. A mandatory element of regular or formal garden is considered a body of water that has a clear coastline. Its shape can be in the form of a square, circle or rectangle. The reservoir must be framed by vegetation planted in a strict order.

Plants and materials used

If possible, the decorative effect of a regular garden should be maintained all year round. Therefore, experts give preference to evergreen plants. Liana or ivy is most often used to create picturesque vaults. Monogardens that consist of only one type of plant, for example, rose gardens, sirenariums or iridariums, fit perfectly into the regular style. As a rule, in such a garden it is customary to use plants with decorative foliage. Another selection criterion is the longest possible flowering time.

Trees that are given interesting shapes by pruning are yew, privet, thuja, boxwood, barberry and juniper. However, experts recommend not to get carried away: it is enough to use two or three types in compositions.

The flower garden should have classic, strict forms. This type of French garden is also characterized by arabesques. Moreover, a flowerbed in a regular style should consist only of low-growing plants, for example, bright awl-shaped phlox, lobelia, coleus or ageratum.

Parterre

The garden in a regular style has required element: ground floor - a single ceremonial composition consisting of flower beds, lawns and a pond. He is the face of the garden. A real front parterre should occupy a large space, so that the entire composition can be seen only from the top floor of the house. However, today simple options have become widespread, which are often performed next to private houses or cottages. We are talking about a well-groomed lawn of regular shape, limited around the perimeter by a border or green flower beds.

A garden in a regular style, as you know, should have a large area. However, some elements of this type of landscape design can be used in small areas. For example, a regular style of the site can be achieved by creating flower beds decorated with trimmed shrubs. Large space they are not required, but bushes arranged symmetrically will have an impact on the style of the garden.

If there is a gazebo on the site, then it is recommended to use forged metal or even wooden decorative elements in its design. carved elements. Similar fragments would be appropriate for fences. A good option as an element of a regular style on the site would be a cast fence, executed in a classic, strict manner.

A garden in a regular style is a complete submission to the laws of geometry. This style originates from the ancient Romans, who contrasted the aesthetics of geometric and rectilinear forms with the picturesque nature of the natural environment. The Romans reached a high level in the art of cutting green spaces and floriculture. The aesthetics of plastic and floral compositions were combined with the fragrance of flowers, the sound of water from fountains and cascades. The gardening art of Ancient Rome used almost the entire arsenal of decorative gardening techniques known today. Historically, a regular garden was a place for processions, walks or sitting rest. It is more likely intended for a visual feast than for an active pastime.

Egypt.

In the history of society, the creation of historical and cultural landscapes, and in particular the emergence of gardening art, was noted in Ancient Egypt about 4 thousand years BC. Landscape art reached a particular scale during the heyday of the ancient capital of Egypt, Thebes. Luxurious villas surrounded by gardens were built in Thebes. Numerous plants were specially brought from other countries, in particular from Punt (the territory of modern Somalia).

The compositional center of the ensemble has always been the main building, located among a large number of reservoirs, often of impressive size (60x120 m). Aquatic plants grew in the ponds, fish and birds swam. According to surviving documents, it is confirmed that all elements of the garden - ponds, alleys, vineyards, flower beds, open pavilions - were stylistically interconnected, which suggests that the gardens were created according to a pre-developed plan.

Mesopotamia.

With the general regularity determined by the irrigation system, the gardens of Mesopotamia were not divided into symmetrical quadrangles; the plantings were more freely located. The gardens at Nineveh, with their rich assortment of trees and shrubs, can be considered the prototypes of modern botanical gardens. The most famous ensemble - the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, located on landscaped stepped terraces made of mud brick - was created during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (VI century BC). Unfortunately, there are no traces left of this grandiose device; nevertheless, this design technique is found throughout the history of landscape gardening art in a variety of countries and, in slightly modified forms, has survived to this day in the form of roof gardens.

Persia and India.

These states were distinguished by a high level of development of landscape gardening art. And here the gardens were symbols of paradise; they were created for recreation at the royal residences and required large financial expenditures. The basis of their strictly geometric (regular) layout was the so-called “chor-bak” - four squares. The alleys, lined with slabs, intersected at right angles, and the space between them was filled with dense tree plantations or occupied by ponds and luxurious flower beds. The resulting large square was divided into four smaller squares and so on. This division of space was carried out not only by paths, but also with the help of plants and large quantity small channels with water. The main and best part of the garden was occupied by trees and flowers of rare species, and the old powerful shady plane trees, on whose branches gazebos were built, are still especially popular.

Ancient Greece.

In the ancient states of the European Mediterranean, various trends are observed in the compositional use of relief as a landscape component. They are associated with general differences in artistic culture. In particular, the Greek approach to architecture and art is characterized by a desire for harmony with nature, for the greatest possible unity with the surrounding landscapes. The acropolises and theaters of the Hellenistic cities of the Peloponnese and Asia Minor (the Acropolis of Athens, the amphitheaters of Ephesus, Priene, etc.), which formed the centers of urban compositions, often look like the sculptural completion of the rocks on which they are located. For example, the relief features of Priene were used especially expressively, where the mountainside naturally forms a terrace for squares and public buildings.

This layout is associated not only with the peculiarities of cultural traditions. It is known that initially the settlements of both the mainland of Ancient Greece and the islands were mainly located directly on sea ​​coast. But during periods of military raids, it was they who were subjected to devastation as the easiest prey. Therefore, cities began to be built at some distance from the coast in mountainous areas, which naturally implied the mandatory use of relief in urban planning. This trend can be seen mainly on the islands of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas in a later period (from the 6th-7th centuries AD) due to frequent Arab raids.

Thanks to the conquests of Alexander the Great, the society of ancient Greece was influenced by the culture and traditions of Egypt, India and Persia. Landscape art was no exception. The Greeks introduced cultural landscape design and new trend- a freer compositional solution. Since Greek art was initially characterized by a desire for harmony with nature, gardens and parks were likened to a living organism in close connection with the natural environment and man. In this context, it is worth noting the basic principles of urban planning by Aristotle (IV century BC), who believed that the design of both a settlement and a park should be considered not only as a complex technical issues, but also from an artistic point of view: “The city should be built in such a way as to provide people with safety and at the same time make them happy.”