French Baroque

Portrait of Andr Le Ntre (12 March 1613-15 September 1700) by Carlo Maratta

Main article: Garden la franaise

The Garden la franaise, or Baroque French gardens, in the tradition of Andr Le Ntre.

The French Classical garden style, or Garden la franaise, climaxed during the reign of Louis XIV of France (1638 1715) and his head gardener of Gardens of Versailles, Andr Le Ntre (16131700). The inspiration for these gardens initially came from the Italian Renaissance garden of the 14th and 15th centuries and ideas of French philosopher Ren Descartes (15761650). At this time the French opened the garden up to enormous proportions compared to their Italian predecessor. Their gardens epitomize monarch and 'man' dominating and manipulating [8] nature to show his authority, wealth, and power. Rene Descartes, the founder of analytical geometry, believed that the natural world was objectively measurable and that space is infinitely divisible. His belief that "all movement is a straight line therefore space is a universal grid of mathematical coordinates and everything can be located on its infinitely extendable planes" gave us Cartesian mathematics. Through the classical French gardens this coordinate system and philosophy is now given a physical [9] and visual representation. This French formal and axial garden style placed the house centrally on an enormous and mainly flat property. A large central axis that gets narrower further from the main house, forces the viewer's perspective to the horizon line, making the property look even larger. The viewer is to see the property as a cohesive whole but at the same time is unable to see all the components of the garden. One is to be led through a logical progression or story and be surprised by elements that arent visible until approached. There is an allegorical story referring to the owner through statues and water features which have mythological references. There are small, almost imperceptible grade [10] changes that help conceal the gardens surprises as well as elongate the gardens views. These grand gardens have organized spaces meant to be elaborate stages for entertaining the court and guests with plays, concerts and fireworks displays. The following list of garden features were used:

Alle Axis

Bosquet Canal Cul de sac Fountains Grottos with rocaille Orangerie Parterre de broderie Patte d'oie (Goose foot) Tapis Vert Topiary

DIY Parterre de broderie

The embroidered parterre fell out of fashion for good reason...it is hard to think of another garden design so timeconsuming and expensive to install and maintain. But here is a modern solution, from French designer Romain Duclos: place the stencil on the grass and in a few days you have your own parterre de broderie! Available for 45 euro on the designer's website, or you could DIY...

Characteristics of the formal French Garden

The garden depicted in the wallpaper of the previous post is classically French...compare it to the above illustration from Plans et dessins nouveaux du jardinage by Michel le Bouteaux, c. 1700.

Elements of the formal French (as opposed to what many people think of as 'country French') style are:

-a strong axis of symmetry for the garden that is centered on the house

-symmetrical arrangement of features on either side of that axis

-the pate d'oie, or goose-foot pattern, of paths radiating from a circular feature

-fanciful parterres (flower beds, basically) that look like scroll work or embroidery -elaborate trelliswork, often defining one or several walls of a room in the garden

Note that there is plenty of 'path', but no 'lawn'...these gardens were for strolling. In enormous hooped skirts and towering wigs. In groups with people similarly attired. Wide paths were a must, and one didn't stray into the grass in high heeled silk shoes.

~ A French garden is a very specific style of formal garden. Many people think of French gardens when they hear the words "formal garden," with the gardens at Versailles being a notable example. French gardens are used most classically in the landscaping of large formal structures like museums, private mansions, and so forth, although one could also install such a garden in front of a more modest structure. Although this style is termed "French," it actually originated in Italy. French visitors were struck by the style of Italian formal gardens, and they resolved to bring the style back home, developing their own version of the formal garden with uniquely French features. Like all formal gardens, a French garden is characterized by a very precise, formal layout. Symmetry and order are very highly valued, with all hedges, lawns, trees, plants, and shrubs being meticulously maintained. The distinguishing feature of a French garden is that it is centered on the facade of a building, differentiating it from many other formal gardening styles. The French garden draws the eye to the building, and integrates the building into the landscape with its very geometric style. These gardens also typically have numerous reflecting pools, fountains, and ponds, with gravel and lawn paths to allow people to navigate the garden. Clipped evergreens are a common feature inFrench gardens, bordering paths and flower beds. Many French gardens are also dotted with small ornamental buildings, which may range from openair gazebos for summer entertaining to fully enclosed structures. Historically, each structure had a very specific purpose, with these buildings being used to play board games, serve tea, listen to music, paint, and engage in other recreations in the garden. Such buildings were also used by royalty for formal audiences with guests. Maintaining a traditional French garden usually requires a lot of work. The garden needs constant trimming, pruning, weeding, and other maintenance tasks, as it must look immaculate at all times. New flowers are constantly being planted to replace worn and tired plants, and the design of the garden is constantly being refined with small and subtle details. In the 1800s, the style of the French garden began to wane in favor of more natural and wild-looking gardens, probably in part because of the tough maintenance. The French garden still endures in many corners of the world, however, and dedicated gardeners prize theirs very highly, since it can take decades for a French garden to reach its full potential. ~ Such buildings were also used by royalty for formal audiences with guests. Maintaining a traditional French garden usually requires a lot of work. The garden needs constant trimming, pruning, weeding, and other maintenance tasks, as it must look immaculate at all times. If youre looking to plant a garden and want a specific look, remember these basic pointers. French gardens are very geometric. The center should have some sort of faade and emanate outward.

Many people think of French gardens when they hear the words "formal garden," with the gardens at Versailles being a notable example.French gardens are used most classically in the landscaping of large formal structures like museums, private mansions, and so forth, although one could also install such a garden in front of a more modest structure. ~

(Photo from "Het ontwerpen van tuinen in stijl" by John Brookes)

Characteristic of the french garden is the mixture of mathematical lines, balance, symmetry flower-beds are bordered with low hedges or repeatedly used plants in a long row. The flow clusters of perannials and/or shrubs, which are situated symmetricly to both sides of the ga or gravel. But also a balustrade, elegant stairs, roses in big (stone-)vases and pergolas would fit in ve A french garden can be very beautiful even in a small garden. The photo above does prove t Sculptures, ornaments en garden-vases play an important rol as eye-catchers. The contruction of such a garden is quite expensive due to the used materials and the plant finished, the garden will be a pleasure for the eyes for many years, without causing new ex Maintanence is easy and restricted to some cutting and weeding throughout the season and autumn. For people with little spare time a very good option.
~

Think of French Garden Design and you immediately think of beautiful, intricate knot gardens or long avenues of trees interspaced with large ponds and fountains. French Garden Design, also called Jardin la Franaise, is a very formal, very ordered gardening style with lots of straight lines and symmetry. It is above all a style created to impress however we can take ideas from this style and use it to great effect in a domestic garden.

Key Features of a French Gard en Design

The focus of the garden tends to be the house, usually a palace or chateau and paths radiate out of this creating long axial views. A geometric plan is used and symettry is very important. A central axis leads away from the house - perpendicular to the house. Paths tend to be gravel and edged with clipped hedges and topiary laid out in symmetrical patterns. W ater is often a key feature of French garden design and lots of round pools and long rectangles of water will be incorporated , the reflection of the water adding to the symmetry and tranquillity of the scene. Fountains and cascades are also very common features. Close to the house planting is kept low (no trees) and tends to consist of parterres. Parterres close to the house ca n be quite intricately patterened and will tend to become more simple further from the house. Further from the house paths are often edged with trees, these are almost almost always manipulated in some way (see below). Trees are always planted in straight lines adding perspective and reinforcing the symmetry of the garden. Statuary is often used in French Garden Design. Pavilions and 'follies' are often incorporated too. In the great French formal gardens there is almost always a terrace from where the gard en and its symettry can be seen from above

The use of Parterres, or Knot - gardens, In Fre nch Garden Design

Parterres, or knot-gardens, are widely used and generally made up of clipped box, lavender or rosemary. The low clipped hedges are laid out in a symmetrical pattern, these can be quite intricate or as simple as four squares next to each other with a gravel path seperating them. Generally the more intricate patterns will be close to the house or chateau and s impler patterns further away.

For use in small gardens a simple pattern could be the best choice both for ease of maintenance (remember your hedging will need cutting twice a year to keep the hedges the right size and nice and leafy. At their simplest the parterres can be filled with coloured gravel or sand. Or they can be filled with bedding plants laid out in formal patterns within the hedging.Flowers are often a secondary interest in French Garden Design and can be limited to the use of a limited range o f bedding plants inside the parterres. Another possibility is to use the formal parterre structure but soften it by planting with an informal display of plants and flowers. This approach is used in the parterres of the Chateau du Lude in North W est France.

Plants and Tree s to use in French Formal Desi gn

Trees
Trees are planted in straight lines and clipped to keep a perfect shape and size. They may be formed into shapes to form topiary. The trees used in the Gardens of Versaille were: hornbeam, beech, chestnut, elm and linden for the most part. Hornbeam and Beech are easy to prune and shape making them particularly good trees for formal gardens.

Hedges
The clipped hedges are usua lly box, lavender, rosemary and occasionally santoline. Regular trimming to stop them going 'leggy' and 'woody' is important.

Plants
If you want to recreate a very traditional design then the colours should be limited to white, pink, blue and mauve as these were the only colours available in the 17th century when many of the great French Formal gardens were created. Red, yellow and orange plants weren't brought to Europe until 1730. Bedding plants and bulbs are popular choices for parterres with for example , parterres filled with bulbs in formal patterns for spring flowering and then taken out and replaced with bedding plants for the late-spring and summer. Nowadays it is possible to fill with a more relaxed scheme as at the Chateau du Lude or the Jardin Plume which has put a contemporary twist of the Formal French garden.

Vegetables
Many French Chateax have wonderful vegetable gardens with the vegetables laid out in patterns and parterres in the style of the ornamental formal gardens. The results are superb. The best and most famous is at the Chateau de Villandry which also has some stunning ornamental formal gardens.

History of Fren ch Garden Design

French Garden Design, Jardin la Franaise, devolopped from the Italian Renaissance gardens. The style arrived in France in the 16th century and included symmetry, parterres and geometrical shapes for planting schemes. The first important French garden was that at Chateau Vaux -le-Vicompte where the chateau was designed at the same time as the gardens. Andre le Notre was commissioned to design the gardens and for the first time the chateau and the garden were perfectly integrated . Andre Le Notre went on to create the extraordinary Gardens of Versaille , the largest garden in Europe and the most splendid example of French garden design. The style was copied by nobility throughout France and, indeed, by some of the large aristocratic buildings of Europe too. Its popularity continued until the introduction of the English Landscape Garden started the next garden fashion trend. W hereas French garden designers saw the garden as an extension of the architecture and ordered the garden into a series of rooms with walls created from hedges and stairs from water, the E nglish Landscape gardeners were inspired by paintings .

Some Examples of French Garden Design

Chateau d'Azay is French Garden Design at its simplest. The Gardens of Versaille and the Gardens of Villandry are French gardens on a majestic scale. The Parc Maupassant de bois Savary and the Gardens of the Chateau de Lotte also use the French Garden Design style. For a contemporary take on French Garden design v isit the Jardin Plume .

~
This is one of my favourites . The summer garden is a kind of modern knot garden with a very formal layout of clipped box in a square edged pattern. Each 'box' is then filled with a very natural planting

of grasses and perennials but the colours are superb. Lots of golden yellow, deep red, burning oranges... The overall mix of formal and informal, the somber green of the box and the jewel colours of the flowers is really superb. Favourite plants here are dahlias, crocosmias, heleniums, kniphofias and of course grasses - giving the plum es the garden is named for. Because of the strong structural element to the garden and the use of plants which remain interesting in the winter the garden is still beautiful in the winter. Masses of euphorbias and hellebores and many other plants mean that spring is wonderfully fresh and verdant in the jardin plume . Autumn is my favourite. All the grasses and cimifugias make the backdrop to the asters and helianthus etc a bit like a firework display. Magic.

My garden visit in late September:

The box hedges are filled with vibrantly coloured flowers, interspersed with grasses. Meadow areas are mowed into regular squares adding formality to the informally swaying grasses.

The autumn garden was a joy when I visited the Jardin Plume in late September. Tje ast ers and grasses were taller than me.

Even the potager is full of flowers.

Added to all this there is a fabulous garden centre where you can buy most of the plants grown in the garden.

Garden Guide:
Le Jardin Plume is open from Saturday 17 May. W ednesdays and Saturdays from 10h - 12h and 14h - 18h. Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays 14h - 18h. The garden centre is open the same hours but from 5 March to 1November. Address: The Jardin Plume is situated 20km North -East of Rouen, between Rouen and Diepp e. Le Jardin Plume 76116 Auzouville sur Ry Tel: 02 35 23 00 01

Potager garden
A potager is a French term for an ornamental vegetable or kitchen garden. The historical design precedent is from the Gardens of the French Renaissance and Baroque Garden la franaise eras. Often flowers (edible and nonedible) and herbs are planted with the vegetables to enhance the garden's beauty. The goal is to make the function of providing food aesthetically pleasing. Plants are chosen as much for their functionality as for their color and form. Many are trained to grow upward. A welldesigned potager can provide food, cut flowers and herbs for the home with very little maintenance. Potagers can disguise their function of providing for a home in a wide array of forms from the carefree style of the cottage garden to the formality of aknot garden.

Parterre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the gardening arrangement. For the theater seating arrangement, see theater (structure). For theater audience, see Parterre (theater audience).

Kensington Palace engraved by Jan Kipfor Britannia Illustrata, 1707/8

The left hand side of the completely symmetrical parterre at Waddesdon Manor, England

A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all. French parterres originated in 15th-century Gardens of the French Renaissance, such as the Chateau of Versailles, and were elaborated out of 16th-century Baroque Garden la franaise knot gardens, and reached a climax at the and its many European imitators, such as Kensington Palace (illustration, right).

Contents
[hide]

1 Examples 2 Development of the parterre 3 Revival of the parterre

3.1 Making of a modern parterre: gallery

4 Historical images 5 References 6 External links

[edit]Examples
At Kensington Palace, then a suburb of London, the planting of the parterres was by Henry Wise, whose nursery was nearby at Brompton. In the engraving of 1707-1708, (illustration, right), the up-todate Baroque designs of each section are clipped scrolling designs, symmetrical around a center, in low hedging punctuated by trees formally clipped into cones; however, their traditional 17th century layout, a broad central gravel walk dividing paired plats, each subdivided in four, appears to have survived from the Palace's former (pre-1689) existence as Nottingham House. Subsidiary wings have subsidiary parterres, with no attempt at overall integration.

The parterre at Cliveden from the terrace.

The parterre at Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire, viewed from a first floor window.

At Prince Eugene's Belvedere Palace, Vienna, a sunken parterre before the facade that faced the city was flanked in a traditional fashion with raised walks from which the pattern could best be appreciated. To either side walls with busts on herm pedestals backed by young trees screen the parterre from the flanking garden spaces. Formal baroque patterns have given way to symmetrical paired free scrolling rococo arabesques, against the gravel ground. Little attempt seems to have been made to fit the framework to the shape of the parterre. Beyond (in the shadowed near foreground) paired basins have central jets of water. In the UK, modern parterres exist at Trereife Park in Penzance (Cornwall), Birr Castle in Ireland, at Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire and at Bodysgallen Hall near Llandudno. One of the largest in Britain is at Cliveden in Buckinghamshire; it consists of symmetrical wedge-shaped beds filled with catmint, santolina and senecio, edged with box hedges and with sentinel pyramids of yew at the corners and altogether covers an area of four acres. Some early knot gardens have been covered over by lawn or other landscaping, but the original traces are still visible as undulations in the present day landscape. An example of this phenomenon is the early 17th century garden of Muchalls Castle in Scotland.

[edit]Development

of the parterre

The parterre was developed in France by Claude Mollet, the founder of a dynasty of nurserymen-designers that lasted deep into the 18th century. His inspiration in developing the 16th-century patterned compartimens simple interlaces formed of herbs, either open and infilled with sand or closed and filled with flowers was the painter Etienne du Prac, who returned from Italy to the chteau of Anet, where he and Mollet were working. About 1595 Mollet introduced compartment-patterned parterres to royal gardens at Saint-Germain-enLaye andFontainebleau; the fully developed scrolling embroidery-like parterres en broderie appear for the first time in Alexandre Francinis engraved views of the revised planting plans at Fontainebleau and Saint-Germainen-Laye in 1614 [1].

Modern Parterre at Birr Castle, Ireland

Clipped box met with resistance from garden patrons for its "naughtie smell" as the herbalist Gervase Markham described it. By 1638, Jacques Boyceau described the range of designs in box a gardener should be able to provide "Parterres are the low embellishments of gardens, which have great grace, especially when seen from an elevated position: they are made of borders of several shrubs and sub-shrubs of various colours, fashioned in different manners, as compartments, foliage, embroideries (passements), moresques, arabesques, grotesques, guilloches, rosettes, sunbursts (gloires), escutcheons, coats-ofarms, monograms and emblems (devises)" Trait du iardinage selon les raisons de la nature et de lart, pp 8182 (quoted by Laird) By the 1630s, elaborate parterres de broderie appeared at Wilton House, so magnificent that they were engraved the only trace of them that remains. Parterres de pelouse or parterres de gazon refer to cutwork parterres of low-growing herbs like camomile as much as to the close-sythed grass. An alley of compartiment is that which separates the squares of a parterre.

[edit]Revival

of the parterre

Parterre gardening was swept away, beginning in England, by the naturalistic English landscape garden, beginning in the 1720s. Its revival coincided with Neo-Renaissance architecture, in the nineteenth-century fashion for carpet bedding which was realized by mass planting of non-hardy flowering annuals, set out anew at the start of each season and providing the blocks of color that made up the design. Flat surfaces were required, and a raised terrace from which to view the design, and so the parterre was reborn in a transfigured style.

[edit]Making

of a modern parterre: gallery

Parterre beds laid out ready for planting, with paths gravelled. One half of a symmetrical design flanking a path shown