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Sunday, July 6, 2008

Perfection in a path.

Unfortunately, I can't copy and paste the image I saw. Let me see if I can describe it.

It's a straight line. But the paving is broken, either white slabs, or even concrete, in soft rounded shapes. Grass grows between the pavers adding further softness and a bit of height.

The brilliance is in the edging. Soft grey bricks, laid endwise, on a slant, on both sides of the path. The slant points the direction of travel. They are in scale with the gaps between the pavers. They add yet another height.

It's a "garden" in hardscape microcosm. It expresses unity--the edges recreate the same line as the path. I imagine it echos some colour already on the house. Their being upright echos the verticality of the grass. It expresses variety: of shape, there is a diamond shape, a round shape, a tall and slender shape; of colour, white, green, grey; of height. These heights echo the very construction of a garden itself--overstory (or trees) understory and plants nearer the ground. And the echos add yet more unity, creating harmony.

Can one design a garden based on the construction of a path?

4 comments:

  1. Well, a path is a good place to start! I was particularly struck by your description of the slant of the bricks pointing in the direction of travel - I'm sure this would act as a message of "welcome to our house" on some psychological level.

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  2. I love paths. I find them intriguing, and I always want to follow them.

    Go with your heart on this one. I definitely think the construction of a path could lead on to the shape of the garden in general.

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  3. Your path sounds like the "inspiration piece" in a room, often a rug or pillow -- something that defines the key colors, patterns, and scale.

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