If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’re at least a little familiar with the traditional concept of the focal point, as in the photo at left*. Yes? So I’m not going to talk about the principles behind the traditional focal point today. I’m feeling like thinking outside the box. Here are my outside-the-box thoughts. *All photos clickable.
First rule of focal points: don’t fight the site. Too often I think we think of focal points as crafted by us, but a focal point is simply meant to draw the eye — maybe yours is the view you see there in front of you, or the white space surrounding what’s in front of you. OK, so your existing focal point probably isn’t the Palisades at Wave Hill (below), but consider this: every frame of vision is, technically, a view. Whether your view is a vista is beside the point. If the view draws attention and it’s naturally a window into a place you find visually interesting or mentally restful, it’s worth your consideration as a focal point, or considering added focal points simply augment it. The rest is window dressing.
Secondly, as designers of gardens, we design with living things. Our focal points are so easily made temporal. Plants are seasonal creatures, and sure, they may be focal points year-round, but I think layers of focal points that change through the seasons — even through the course of the day, as light changes –- is a much more sophisticated prospect than one static always-the-focal-point focal point. I live to to rearrange the furniture in my rooms every now and then. Plants constantly rearrange theirs! Consider your focal point might be different from month to month, and from minute to minute.
Third, because I crave this evolution in focal point in the garden, I’m wary of static attention-getters. It sucks to realize I’ve fallen out of love with a precious static object because I’m tired of its asking to be noticed all the livelong day. Man-made objects often contrast with plants in such a way I find them prone to flailing for attention in the garden, but we’re not just talking man-made objects — architectural plants can be attention hogs. Movement and reflectivity can be attention hogs. Strongly contrasting, visually active plant combos can be attention hogs. If placed without care, all may kindly, persistently, CONSTANTLY request consideration by you as focal points. When I go for a stroll in my garden, I’d rather not be constantly tapped on the shoulder (like my mom’s kindergarten students, “Miss Keys? Miss Keys? Miss Keys.”) by elements jockeying to be the focal point.
HAVING SAID ALL THAT, finally, here’s where I shall contradict myself. My all-time favorite static focal points in the garden (and in nature) are often unexpected, always contrastingly man-made, designed wholly to be attention hogs. I’m obsessed with signage. Not billboards, mind you, but kitschy technicolor signs, even road signs, in the garden and in otherwise scenic landscapes. (Which, BTW, COMPLETELY flies in the face of my desire to preserve natural landscapes. I know, I’m a conundrum.)
Have I figured out how to USE signage in my garden or clients’ gardens? Big, fat NO. I haven’t yet figured out how to do that without having them wear me out, as above. But maybe it’s time to jump in and see what happens? That usually how I learn best. So what do you think?
Check out my Garden Designers Roundtable compatriots posting on focal points this month!
Carolyn Choi : Sweet Home and Garden Chicago : Chicago, IL »
Debbie Roberts : A Garden of Possibilities : Stamford, CT »
Laura Livengood Schaub : Interleafings : San Jose, CA »
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK »
Pam Penick : Digging : Austin, TX »
Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In the Garden : Los Altos, CA »
Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ »
Susan Morrison : Blue Planet Garden Blog : East Bay, CA »
Susan Schlenger : Landscape Design Advice : Hampton, NJ »
Tara Dillard : TaraDillard.com : Atlanta, GA »
{ 18 comments }
So true about focal points literally occurring in every ‘frame’ your eye sees! Everywhere you look, there’s a focal point! And yes, it’s so true about the wind, time of day, weather ALL effecting a focal point. And I love your signage (you might like one of my last photos in my post - I too, brought up the ‘ol yellow traffic sign in one’s garden!)…brilliant, as usual Andrew!
They say one of the signs of genius is the ability to recognize and deal with conflicting thoughts in a productive way. Well, maybe I said that, but no matter - I believe it. I feel the same way you do. I tend to shy away from man made “focal points”. I think they scream “I am a FOCAL POINT”! But at the same time, I fill my garden with such architectural plants … they are the kindergardeners you’re talking about. But when it’s a plant, somehow I love it. Because they DO change, adapt, and respond.
Love your post - thoughtful as always! You are such a great teacher! Thanks friend…
I never really thought of it but your point light and shadows (but I think layers of focal points that change through the seasons — even through the course of the day, as light changes –) is so true! Very worth remembering as I set out to improve upon the a focal point as you enter our back garden. Thanks!
The constant ebb and flow is what always makes me look, but non gardeners in a garden aren’t often as observant. I’ve often thought of upending some baseball bats as a focal point…think they’d get the joke?
I love that, “Mr. Keys! Mr. Keys! Mr. Keys! Lookie! Lookie!” isn’t that the truth! I like your idea of signage in the garden (always a sucker for words and pictures) but think that signs perhaps work when combined with another structure (like grouped on a fence or on the side of a shed) perhaps because they are two-dimensional and therefore only have one way they can be properly ‘seen’ in the garden. At the end of the day what a designer does is arrange objects in space, in a way that is pleasing, harmonious, moving, energizing…you name the objective, and design can do it. Understanding the most important view windows in your garden and starting with those can help organize your thoughts. Thanks, Andrew!
Fascinating to read your perspective and your conflict within yourself as to how to resolve it.
Interesting post.
Thanks for your help re joining in blogfest!
Best Wishes
Robert
Andrew, I’m totally on board with your comments about the “changingness” of gardens (by hour, day, season, year) is where their real appeal lies. Boooo to endless, static evergreens and forever-blooming flowers! However, I also believe that those gardens that are, at heart, plant collections often benefit from the dominance of a strong focal point (ie. your mother, the teacher, has the final say/control over all those little distracting voices!) Thanks for your great post!
Andrew,
How boring would life be if we were never conflicted?? Your comment about layers of focal points is important because different people focus on different things and what may be a subtle focal point to one visitor is lost on another. As far as signs as focal points in th garden, I’m still mulling that one over.
Very interesting and well written, Andrew. While touring the countryside in Korea I saw a lot of interesting signs in Hangul ( the native language ) warning evil spirits to stay away. They were actually carved into a very natural looking wood post so it looks like a part of the landscape.
Thanks so much for your comments, everyone! Normally I’d respond individually, but I’ve been out planting for a client in the rain. C’est la vie! Can’t wait to read all your posts as well when I have a moment to breathe. (Susan, I AM still laughing about your comment.)
Good reminder about how focal points are not always ones that WE make. I have a client whose backyard view cannot be beat, and she was wise to put in a negative-edge pool that simply looks like it melts into the view. All the cool landscaping is off to the side, like bookends or a frame.
Thanks, Andrew!
For me the focal point and its placement/what it’s made/what scale it is of depends on where I am seeing it from.
Most of mine are ever only seen by me, from inside the house, from the key spots I sit/work/cook at…and were created to please my eye when I was finished working IN the garden and was finally back inside looking out AT the garden.
I never “see” the garden while I am in it, really, so I had to think very, very hard to put proper focal points that visitors could see. I have never worked making a garden for a client, so that’s the difference. It was a very intellectual, planning-oriented process; making the ones for me to enjoy from inside came from pure instinct and emotion. The ones that visitors see came much later in the garden’s life, when I realized nobody else gets to see the garden from my seat. : )
@Margaret: You make three excellent points — one is as much as I love my garden, I wish I’d started it as something for me to look at from inside, rather than with the existing bedlines and the view from the street. Two, I find it difficult in my own garden to be objective when I’m out in it, and three, shouldn’t there be focal points for visitors and those just for us? It’s like peeling an onion, this focal point thing! By the way, I specifically remember visiting your garden and you pointing out the points of gold you’d placed along one line of sight from the house. I’d just decided I loved gold plants, so it stuck with me.
@Jenny: I want a negative-edge pool! What do I have to do to get one of those?
I love being faced with new ideas and yours of using various plants to avoid boredom is intriguing. I would imagine that is so much more of a challenge than just “Miss Keys”! However, I think I might take a stab at it since the many different ways and times in a season that plants can captivate us opens up a world of possibilities.
Thanks for the interesting insight.
Thanks, Susan! It’s true, I bore easily, but I hope to use that to create beautiful things in the garden. It seems to be working pretty well in my own garden, though I’m reminded now I need more spring interest…
I love the leaves of a a banana as a focal point. I so miss them during this long stretch of year when they’re not around. Signs are an interesting choice, I could see developing a real affection for the right one in the garden. Hmm, now I’m thinking about it.
@Megan: I’m with you on bananas! I’m actually using red banana as something of a focal point in my back garden this year. Whether I find a way to incorporate signs remains to be seen. Thanks for reading and commenting, I’m enjoying your blog too!
Andrew, I love your take on this, and particularly the idea that the focal point often changes according to season. That’s a wonderful way of looking at it and something that I intuitively sensed but didn’t explicitly reason out. Thanks for the new take on an old subject. This has been a very fun roundtable.
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