How to design a long and narrow garden?

Divide your garden into several areas

To break linearity and monotony in a long garden, create a sequence of distinct successive spaces.

Generally, long gardens are divided into 3 parts.

The first part is usually devoted to the terrace for family meals and barbecues. This area is the most worked-on because it is the most visible and most used. It is often accompanied by scented perennials that perfume the terrace or aromatic plants to enhance home cooking such as chives, basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary…

From left to right: rosemary, purple basil ‘Dark Opal’ and chives

For other areas, choose a play or relaxation area, a vegetable garden, an orchard, a swimming pool, a pond, a fountain or a zen corner. It’s up to you!

Each space can have its own atmosphere but they must be linked together to maintain cohesion. To achieve this, take care to use identical materials between different parts (wooden fencing, identical plants, a pathway …). These form a “common thread” and give a sense of unity.

Each space is designed following these basic rules :

1. balance solids and voids, balance shade and light. Designed spaces adopt shapes different from that of the garden: circle, semicircle, square… These variations in shape help break the rectilinear monotony of a long garden.
2. separate different areas with low transverse elements that will visually widen garden without hiding garden back. For this, create low planted hedges with crenate hollies, hydrangeas, shrubby honeysuckles or skimmias.

Also consider playing with changes in level and verticals : raise areas by a step, use containers, a pergola or vertical plants such as a hornbeam. Vertical lines created by plants or decorative elements break horizontal lines that define garden geometry. As for changes in level, they allow use of whole volume. This breaks flatness and monotony of garden.

Create a smooth, fluid main view

In long, narrow gardens, linear, rhythmic perspectives amplify impression of length and narrowness. To counteract these effects, opt for a flowing main view :

• Main view is shaped by light and absence of visual obstacles: eye is guided by principal masses.
• Main view is curved and off-centre to favour asymmetry.
• Planting beds that lead the eye are rounded and flowing
• Avoid repetitions of plants or decorative elements that merely emphasise length of garden.
• Make different areas partially visible. Entice people to go to back of garden by placing an attractive focal point such as a fountain, a painting, a mirror, a sculpture, a garden shed or a summerhouse…

A linear perspective accentuates impression of narrowness (left) whereas a curving visual breaks that effect (right)

For more experienced gardeners, it is even possible to reverse garden perspective to make it appear less long. This technique was developed by André Le Nôtre, landscape gardener of the gardens at Versailles and creator of the French formal garden. It makes distant elements appear nearer. To achieve this, use warm colours at back of garden (red, orange, yellow) and position large-scale elements toward the back.

Create a curved path

Link your different spaces with a path made from a single material. As mentioned above, using a single material gives the garden coherence. Slate, stone, granite, wood… all materials are possible.

Positioning the path is important. Avoid placing it in the centre of the garden to break the symmetry of a rectangular garden.

Favour a sinuous or curved path to break the garden’s linearity. However, consider garden maintenance. A sinuous path can make mowing more difficult, for example.

Curved paths

Path width should be proportionate to garden width. The narrower a path, the narrower the garden will appear.

Soften garden boundaries

The feeling of narrowness in a long garden comes from perception of its lateral boundaries, usually straight, rigid and abrupt, often a wall. To attenuate this feeling, make the boundaries visually disappear or soften their shapes. For this, dress the vertical walls with tiered beds or climbing plants. Climbing plants are very numerous: jasmines, clematis and all the scented honeysuckles. Avoid dense hedges that make the garden feel narrower.

Create a tiered bed that gradually leads the eye from the lowest point to the highest point. To do this, start with groundcover plants, then low perennials, shrubs and finally bushes. Species are detailed below.

Play on asymmetry and heterogeneity of the boundaries: each boundary can be treated differently. For example, the west boundary can be formed by a decorative wood fence while the east boundary is clad in planting.

Choosing plants suited to a long, narrow garden

Narrow gardens generally receive little light because of shading caused by garden boundaries or even neighbours’ trees.

For this reason, choose trees of moderate spread to avoid creating additional shade. Here is our selection of seven trees for small gardens: hawthorn, magnolias, Judas tree or soap tree. Choose trees proportionate to your garden.

Also favour small-growing bushes whose forms are soft and flowing. These soft shapes break the geometry imposed by the garden layout. They may arise naturally from the tree’s habit or from pruning. For bushes with a natural, flowing habit, see rustic camellias, abelias, callicarpa, Japanese quince, shrub roses, lavateras, tree peonies, mock oranges… Meanwhile, bushes such as privets, shrubby honeysuckles, crenate hollies, spindle trees, photinias, osmanthuses, oleasters can be shaped by pruning into balls, waves, cushions… You are the sculptor!

At the base of your trees and bushes, favour perennials for partial shade or shade: ferns, heucheras, cyclamens, alchemillas, astilbes… For sunnier spots, flowing perennials such as ornamental grasses are ideal: feather grass, tufted hairgrass, Calamagrostis, fountain grass…