Garden Diary: the long view

This view is down the length of the main wet prairie garden, on the level below the view shown in the previous post (5 July 2008). The main concept is garden as a continuation of the natural drainage pattern - a kind of metaphorical flood plain. The intent is to create a sense of sweeping movement around the end of the house, with the planting spreading out across the open clearing defined by the tree line, and flowing to the "outlet" in the distance.

The long pond is positioned in the direct path of water flow and so emphasizes the actual drainage pattern across the main garden area. I can see now how straight verticals of small willows (perhaps Salix 'Rubykins'), coppiced yearly, would provide vertical structure and an important part of the "middle layer" I'm still missing at this early stage. I would be imitating Ton ter Linden's similar use of willows in some of his wetland gardens.

My camera unfortunately lacks sufficient resolution to show detail in landscape images; the closer photo below shows Filipendula rubra 'Venusta', Rudbeckia maxima, and Salix alba 'Britzensis' serving as vertical accents in the distance.