This busy autumn border in my garden needs the lawn to provide respite for the eye

The concept of space in the garden has various aspects. Of course, on one level, who doesn't crave more space in our gardens? We want to grow everything that our hearts desire, so we often fill we every available space in the garden. It's only human nature! However, using open space as an actual element of the garden design is another thing altogether and something many of us struggle with because of this desire to grow as much as we can! In Japanese gardens, open space is valued as much as filled space, and is an aspect of 'Ma': 'the interval in space and time that delineates, adds pause and emphasis to everything ... Without Ma, the world would be a continuous blur of action and matter without meaning ... With Ma the space between words, sounds and actions takes on clarity and distinctiveness. Ma is about emptiness between things, about the silence between the sound, the respite between activity, and the pause between thoughts' (Kiyoshi Matsumoto, 2021, https://japanexpertinsights.com/). After hearing an excellent talk on Japanese gardens recently, I have been thinking about this concept in my own garden and life in general, given a recent involvement in a challenging decluttering project, which has made me vow to become a complete minimalist!

A scene showing the use of space to define garden areas in the garden of Kathryn Hipkin in Sydney

A scene showing the use of space to define garden areas in the garden of Kathryn Hipkin in Sydney

A garden is a combination of the positive elements that attract our attention, and the surrounding and contrasting elements that is sometimes called the negative space (or 'Ma'). Open space, such as that provided by a lawn, paving, paths or areas of gravel or massed groundcover, provides a counterpoint to overflowing beds and borders, and a place for the eye to rest and to process what it is seeing. It actually enhances these planted areas and allows them to be shown off to their best advantage. The open space can act as a frame for the border, giving it an edge as contrast, thus enhancing it. By balancing the abundance of highly planted areas with the simple, uncluttered areas, open space also provides the important quality of repose that many of us seek in our gardens.

The garden created by Wendy Whiteley in Sydney uses open spaces as a balance to densely planted areas

The garden created by Wendy Whiteley in Sydney uses open spaces as a balance to densely planted areas

Open space can also be used in a garden to provide satisfying and important shapes within the design - a round, half-circle or oblong lawn defines the shapes of the beds and borders surrounding it. In fact, it is fundamental in creating a garden design - there can be no form or structure without this so-called 'negative space': the garden would be just a totally planted-up area, which would be very difficult to take in and would feel almost suffocating. Also, it would be basically impossible to walk through such a garden! The shaping of space in a garden allows us to move through the garden and look at it from different angles and perspectives. Open space also allows us to use the garden in various ways - somewhere for a table and chairs or a bench, and places for kids and animals to play.

Space in the garden can be defined vertically as well as horizontally - by the use of hedges, trees or informal groups of shrubs, providing the three-dimensional element of the garden. These components can provide the 'walls' of the garden, making different rooms or informal sections that fit together to provide the overall garden design, and paradoxically, make a garden seem larger. The delight of finding a glade in a woodland or in bushland, surrounded by trees, illustrates the way spaces are integral to our enjoyment of nature.

Architectural plants like this Phormium need space around them

Architectural plants like this Phormium need space around them

Space can be used to create focal points: having space around the object highlights it by not competing with it, guiding our eyes towards, for example, a tree or a beautiful pot with a feature plant. The effect would be quite lost without the space. Some plants with a distinctive silhouette (especially those with a 'fountain-like' shape) also really do need space around them or their shapes gets blurred - like Phormium, ornamental grasses, Cordyline and Dracaena and shrubs such as may bush (Spiraea cantoniensis). Space is also an important consideration within garden borders and beds in general. I am guilty of planting things too close together, with the result that some of the plants are swamped and may even die. Crammed too close together, plants can't reach their full potential. I don't like plants too far apart as I love the look of a cohesive border so it's a very fine line!

Introducing more space can work wonders in many parts of our lives, but especially in our gardens!