Designing gardens scientifically
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A garden is a communication between the landscape and the building. T. NANDAKUMAR finds out that the features of a garden can be selected to suit individual tastes.
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— Photo: S. Mahinsha
Form and function: The choice of grass for the lawn should be finalised with great care.
Designing a garden is a challenge for even an accomplished landscape artist. Detailed planning and framing of an appropriate theme are the key to the creation of a good garden. Apart from the aesthetics, there are functional aspects to garden design.
Professional landscape designers will tell you that retaining the character of land and achieving a balance with nature are priorities that cannot be overlooked. Planting a lawn or creating a flower bed may be easy but it often takes professional help to strike the right balance and symmetry. Shoddy planning will result in an unattractive mishmash.
Form and function
The scientific approach dictates that form and function are equally important in garden design.
Construction of a building on a site changes the character of the land itself. It disturbs the ecosystem, the slope and the underground and surface drainage channels. Landscaping is the art of restoring the balance with nature by minimising the disturbance.
K.R. Shambhu, a city-based garden designer, says a garden is a communication between the landscape and the building. “As part of the landscape, it has multiple roles.
The functional components of a garden can be designed to suit individual preferences. For example, while one family may use the garden to host parties, another may want a play area for children. There are some families who prefer a kitchen garden to grow vegetables,” he says.
While garden seats can provide a space for entertainment, shrubs, creepers and tall plants will suit those seeking seclusion. Water bodies and flowerbeds are preferred for those who use the garden to unwind.
Mr. Shambhu asserts that aesthetics will not become a casualty to functional utility in a scientifically designed garden. “Manageability and maintenance should be key concerns,” he says.
“Unlike natural vegetation, an artificially created garden may be prone to pests and diseases. This calls for extra care. However, chemical fertilizers and pesticides will destroy the natural ecosystem and break the food chain in the soil. This may affect soil fertility and lead to multiplication of mosquitoes, slugs and centipedes. Organic fertilizers and pesticides are preferable over environmentally harmful chemical compounds. Most nurseries will be willing to part with advice on planting and maintenance,” he says.
Rainwater percolation is another point that needs to be addressed in a garden. Construction of a building on a site affects the percolation, depletes groundwater sources and also leads to accumulation of surface water.
“The problem is easily resolved by constructing percolation trenches filled with gravel. The size of the trench depends on the plot.”
Mr. Shambhu points out that the choice of grass for the lawn should be finalised with great care. “While buffalo grass is hardy, disease-resistant and allows water percolation, exotic species such as Mexican grass are prone to termites and fungal infections and thereby costlier to maintain.”
The features of a garden can be selected to suit individual tastes. For example, while an NRI family with regular get-togethers may want garden seats and lights to suit the occasion, a spiritually inclined family will prefer a “tulsi thara,” tiered stone lamps and perhaps a gurgling cascade.
A small garden can just as easily contain many of the features of a large garden without the high design and maintenance costs. “It is only a matter of choosing the right mix of form and colour.
A professional garden designer can advise a client on the most appropriate type of plantation and layout.”
Mr. Shambhu can be contacted for advice on ph: 9447 149149.
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