How to create your own knot garden

Want to create a floral arrangement worthy of the greatest gardeners? Here are some tips on designing your dream knot garden.

In England, knot gardens appeared during the reign of Henry VIII.

• These gardens, often of a complex plot, are designed to be seen from above and consist of interwoven geometric patterns (diamonds, for example), made up of small evergreen hedges.
• The designs may represent coats of arms, recognizable thanks to differences in texture and colour of the leaves that compose them.
• Originally, the spaces between the hedges were simply occupied by lawn or gravel.
• Subsequently, fragrant plants were cultivated there such as rosemary, lavender, sage and hyssop, on which the laundry was laid out to dry. One could fall asleep easily in sheets imbued with the smell of a lavender bush.

Although their hedges are traditionally made of boxwood, a dense plant, robust and famous for its durability, other plants may lend themselves to the creation of a knot garden: rosemary, lavender, santolina, germander, wormwood.

Variegated varieties are also suitable:

• Between the hedges, you can plant pansies, spreading thyme or marigolds, for example.
• Be sure to avoid invasive plants, such as mint, which spread out.

It is quite simple to create a knot garden:

• Simply divide an area of ​​12 square meters (40 square feet) in four sections lined with small hedges. You can also adopt a circular pattern, showing a wheel and its spokes.
• Hedges are easier to develop with young plants; but as they often take several years to thicken, you have to be patient. Between the spokes of the wheel, you can grow different types of aromatic plants, so be sure to separate the medicinal plants from the spice plants.
• When drawing a plan, it's easier to start from classical forms. The mirror images of flower beds are a good way to duplicate a pattern on both sides of an aisle, a lawn or a home.
• The presence of hedges will allow you to create a colour balance and not to overload the garden in bloom. The parallel lines create an orderly and calm atmosphere.

To create your own beautiful garden, find the foliage colours that you like the most and let your imagination run.