A new start at Lalbagh

Sometime back, Bengaluru’s garden lovers were lucky to witness an encouraging start of Annual Landscape Show at Lalbagh. The pioneer in the nation’s horticulture scene took up a wonderful initiative to reach out to the citizens and expose them to the beautiful world of landscape as an art.

With a variety of landscaping concepts on display, it was a perfect platform to convey the impact on humans. From bold displays to quirky themes, from pretty set-ups to zen treatments, the show was a peek into the magnificent capacity of nature to transform a space into an ethereal one.

As the visitors took a walk around the various displays, I couldn’t help but notice the difference in viewer response. Some displays held visitors at a distance in awe, while around others were people discussing and hanging around leisurely. Without any prompting, the different impacts of design were visible. If one was a reflection of lifestyle, the other carried an air of casual elegance. Some could transport the viewer to exotic lands, while others forced the viewers to time travel to an era gone by. Each one had an element of visual communication and a different appeal. 

Living art

Landscaping is an art like no other, because it works with living materials — plants. The artwork grows and needs regular caretaking and uses principles of science to tie many elements of nature together. One of the best features of landscape art is that it lasts very long. It is something that could be enjoyed year after year. It becomes a partner in your journey of life. When the design strikes the right chord with the user, it holds the power to bring the experience of inner harmony.

The beauty of the art is such that even though the design, functionality and
sustainability for every successful landscaping is different, the appreciation for natural beauty remains constant. For this reason, a single platform displaying a range of works is not only an absolute treat for the connoisseurs, but an amazing opportunity to experience the magic of landscaping for anyone who may not know what it is.

Royal Horticulture Society of UK, a world pioneer in gardening and its related aspects, holds seasonal and inspirational shows throughout the year. Such shows attract millions of visitors every year. It includes flower shows, outdoor living, topiary and canvas art and many more such things. The industry of horticulture gets an extraordinary platform to showcase its best at such shows.

Creation of a beautiful environment by planning and managing the land is what landscaping is al about. The type of management each land or environment needs is different. Some landscapes are strictly designed for aesthetic purposes, some for their functionality, some for ecological reasons, and some others for people to live in and enjoy. It can be anything — a quiet rejuvenation corner or a flamboyant speciality garden.

Landscape designing is a process beyond merely planting trees. Before jumping to plants, it is essential to judge and address the soil condition, slope, drainage, traffic, utility lines, light and wind exposures and target ambience. Such analyses will decide the scope of work. Always have a clear picture in mind for what you want.

Next look at whether the available space is enough for all your creativity or not. If not, you can always tweak around till you get your desired ambience. A trained eye can quickly identify potentials, pitfalls and solutions. So, do hire a specialist to lessen your burden. Hiring a professional may appear expensive and time-consuming, but over a period of time, it is undoubtedly the best value for money.

Often, it’s tempting to start work on impulses. But struggle starts when it doesn’t mature as expected or remains underutilised. And when designs don’t go our way, we end up ripping apart the entire project and make the area a concrete structure. What a waste! Thus, building on good fundamentals always saves expensive mistakes and wasted effort. It’s easier to add the layers over the period and keep freshening it up with least undoing.

Remember, not everything works everywhere. So, bear in mind what kind of look you are going for. It’s a no-brainer to say planting must be based on the user preference, but in order to sustain and eventually work in favour of the user, planting should always be determined keeping in mind the site constraints, design requirements, future growth and ongoing maintenance capability.

In an outdoor living experience, plants work in many ways — backgrounds, curtains, aesthetic accents and so on. Further, an enriching experience can be created by weaving various other elements like lighting, water and art into the scheme. For
instance, for a mini Zen garden, you can install statues of Buddha all over the landscape.

The concern for our environment is growing by a great margin everyday. So, don’t go all out on creating a landscape that harms the ecology. Do pay attention to water conservation also. Using natural materials will also make your landscape  greener. A fancy garden may look nice on the outside, but it might end up costing you more. As said earlier, landscaping is so much more than just creating fancy gardens. It’s also about portraying yourself through living things.

(The author is a landscape consultant)