Parterre de Broderie at Vaux le Vicomte
Modern parterres, of which there are many, are often made with approx 300-600 mm high box and planted with colourful bedding plants.
Traditional parterres were more often made with lower box hedging (eg 150mm) and decorated with different coloured gravels.
Geraniums with red painted steel
Planting design does not have to be ‘timid and tasteful’. There is, where appropriate, much to be said for being bold, brash and bright.
Green walls made with trickle-down irrigation systems are becoming popular – but they electricity and require piped water to function. A simpler way of making a green wall is with traditional planting boxes. You have to water them but, hey, that’s a daily pleasure. The dark green foliage sets off the Chinese Red paint and copper fittings, to make a good outdoor colour scheme.
Sao Paulo, designed by landscape architect Celia Alves (photo courtesy Fernando Stankuns )
Pink peonies have a wedding flair, seen against a cloud of Snow in Summer (Cerastium tomentosum)
