an update on my reading goals

I thought I would give an update on my progress in reading for the summer. I have been reading a little bit at a time out of Anne Lovejoy's book on Garden Design, would like to share some of the things I have been learning from it.
One of the things she talks about is the five senses that are important in a garden. First is the sense of welcome, a garden must feel welcoming, this can be accomplished in many ways depending on the surroundings. A sense of enclosure is important in a garden too, because people are naturally attracted to smaller enclosed areas. Along with enclosure you need a sense of entry into the garden space. An entry can serve as a source of curiousity for visitors, because they can see a glimpse of the garden before actually entering it. Once visitors enter a garden there also needs to be a sense of flow. Things like paths, and repeated colors or plants guide people through the garden space and provide a sense of flow. The last on the list, is a sense of place. This means that you use the natural strengths of the site in planning your garden, instead of trying to make the site into something its not. You take into consideration the size[small area does not equal gigantic plants], the outer surroundings[house style, etc] and the existing elements[naturally wet or dry spots] of your site.
Some of these things we have talked about at school, but I like the simple way Ms. Lovejoy presents them to the reader. I may continue to post about my progress through her book, I just have to see. If you enjoyed this post let me know by leaving a comment... or if you would like to check out Ms. Lovejoy's book Organic Garden Design School click here.