design work and hand planting of 2 thousand perennials
Dobrawa: Did you have a free hand in planning and creating the garden, how did the work progress?
Tomasz: The investors fully trusted me. The work proceeded classically, from the meeting through the conceptual design to the detailed design and implementation with supervision. The first stage was the development concept design, which from the beginning assumed the division of the garden into interiors. The division of the elongated and narrow southern part of the plot was necessary to optically enlarge the garden. This was done by partitioning and obscuring views with hedges or trees.
Acceptance of the concept went remarkably quickly, and work on the detailed technical design followed. A pavement design was drawn up and, of course, the most important one - greenery, which took the most time due to the selection of plants and their availability. At the finish of the design stage, we went together to a Dutch nursery to pick up trees, where we made the final selection of individual specimens for the garden.
The most exciting moment, of course, is the implementation. The paving and planting of the tall greenery was done by a local company, the planting of more than 2,000 perennials was done personally with a colleague and the investors, having previously laid out plant by plant according to the design. Active involvement in the design process, but also in the execution process was, in my opinion, an excellent way to learn how the garden works. The furniture complementing the garden was chosen by the investors, who also personally designed the interiors of their house.
The project is inspired by English and Dutch gardens, among others
Photo: Piotr Michalik, Christopher Miller
framing the view, geometric and organic forms
Dobrawa: Please tell us about the composition, types of plants, is the garden year-round?
Thomas: The composition of the garden is based on a main axis running west-east, connecting the so-called secret garden with the view closure, where the sculpture will stand in the future. The composition is also based on framing views of the Alps, these lines are set perpendicular to the main axis. The interior of the garden closest to the house is formed by geometrically delineated flowerbeds, referring to the lines of the pavement in the front garden. They are complemented by cubic low hedges. The secret garden, located farthest from the house, is their opposite, here there are organic shapes and oblong shaped shrubs in the form of balls.
The garden changes every now and then, all thanks to more than a hundred different species of perennials that change with the season - when one plant fades, a new one appears.
Is the garden year-round? I think it is. It is not a classic garden associated with evergreen shrubs and trees, being a constant invariable. The backbone of the composition is made up of deciduous trees, whose sculptural multi-trunk forms are also an attractive element in winter. Shrubs formed into cubes and balls are found in deciduous, but also coniferous forms. Such a set forms the basis of the composition, the variable elements of greenery are perennials, which have their time from April to late autumn, introducing dynamics into the garden. This dynamics is presented in seasonal attractiveness, as well as form - delicate shoots, leaves waving in the wind. In autumn and winter, their dried stems, contrast with the snow. The period when the beds are cut is filled with early spring bulbous plants.
gravel alleys
Photo: Piotr Michalik, Christopher Miller
