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Gardening

A Clean-Lined French Garden

Inspiration: Gardens of Versailles in Versailles, France
By Anna Fialho Byers |
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Courtesy

French gardens are among the most formal. They boast order and clean lines and are designed for grandeur. “French gardens are typically defined as having strong symmetry and order based along a central axis,” says Paul Fields, president and director of design of Lambert Landscape Company. “French parterres—or patterns on the ground of clipped hedges, flowers, and gravel—are a defining feature.” Terraces, statuaries, and water features can also be incorporated—and according to Fields, limestone is a key material: “Limestone elements, such as benches or garden ornaments, along with paving or bed edges, add authenticity.”




from left: inlaid side table, to the trade/Janus et Cie; “Cedric” sculpture, to the trade/Made Goods; 19-inch “Hampshire” cylinder, $278/Jacksons Home & Garden; Hardware cube, $194/Jacksons Home & Garden; “Journal” outdoor armchair in mint, $329/Stori Modern; 10” “Hampshire” cylinder, $73/Jacksons Home & Garden


 

To create your own French garden that will thrive in the Dallas area, Fields suggests using these plants:


 

 


Dave’s Take


Dave Forehand, vice president of gardens at the Dallas Arboretum, shares his reflections.


Don’t have room for a full French garden? Try a potager (or French kitchen) garden. According to Forehand, it’s a fun way to create a touch of France in your own yard. “In the potager, you mix seasonal annuals with seasonal vegetable plants,” Forehand says. “The beds and the plantings should be very geometric. Sometimes there is a small boxwood hedge enclosing the bed. A Tasteful Place, the food and herb garden at the Arboretum, is a good example of a potager.”

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