Garden Styles
Styles of gardening are slow to develop. Generations of gardeners experiment with plants, their cultural requirements and growing conditions, and with garden designs. What is handed down from one gardener to the next are the successes—”styles” of gardening that succeed for two important reasons: they are esthetically pleasing, and they permit the desired plants not just to grow, but to flourish. A shade garden in the Japanese style, for example, is not only beautiful to look at, but if properly pulled together provides an ideal environment for ferns, mosses, azaleas, and other characteristic plants.
There are two common styles of gardens. These styles—woodland and oriental gardens—are particularly well-suited to the use of shade-loving plants. Neither of these styles may appeal to your personal taste, or be feasible in your own garden site. Style is, after all, a personal statement. What the styles do show, however, is that creating a garden with a distinct theme enhances the impact of the garden itself.
