Garden Design Inspiration—Illusion

 

Wear nude-colored shoes to make your legs look longer. Hang a mirror on a wall to make a room look larger. Tricking the eye to create the illusion that something is not quite what it seems is everywhere, including garden design. Small-space gardeners often seek to create the impression of more space, but illusion can take many forms.

 

Sun and Shadow

In March I enjoyed a much-needed vacation in Cancun. You may recall that the brilliant colors of Quintana Roo inspired me, but I was equally intrigued by how cultural and religious references were incorporated into the built environment, oftentimes for the purpose of creating illusions meant to evoke awe, reverence or fear.

In the ancient Mayan ruin of Chichen Itza, the Temple of Castillo is probably the most famous structure. Built to honor the serpent god Kukulcan, his presence is represented by the two stone serpents that flank either side of the staircase.

 

A true marvel of astronomy and mathematics, on the spring and autumn equinoxes, afternoon sunshine lights up a bright zigzag pattern made by the steps, creating the illusion that a giant serpent is slithering down the stairs.

 

While the complex calculations required to create a magical slight of hand of this magnitude are far beyond the tools of a simple garden designer, illusion is an important part of landscape lighting design. It’s easy to put a pathlight next to a walkway, or an uplight in front of a Japanese maple, but to create your own fantastical bit of garden trickery, take advantage of downlighting. In the natural world, light shines down from above, which is why lighting your landscape in the same way creates a much more realistic effect. One of my favorite techniques is moonlighting, achieved by hanging a small, low-watt fixture from a tree or other overhead structure, and allowing it to cast a gentle glow on the ground below.

Lighting photos courtesy of Pam Penick, taken at Zona Gardens Landscape Design in Tucson.

This type of softly dispersed light more closely mimics the effect of moonlight in a way that can’t be achieved by a focused beam, helping to feed the illusion that the light source is natural.

 

The Illusion of Movement

On a day trip to Isla Mujeres, Kukulcan in serpent shape appeared again, this time embedded in a concrete staircase. Easily one of the most artful staircases I’ve ever seen, the slithering serpent outlined in carefully chosen stones adds a subtle sense of movement to the landscape. Creating the illusion of movement makes a garden feel alive, and is a no-fail strategy for turning an ordinary space into something extraordinary.

If a hardscape upgrade isn't in the cards, an easier way to do this is with plants. With their delicate foliage that sparkles in the light and sways with the slightest breeze, finely-textured ornamental grasses are the go-to solution for many gardeners.

For large gardens, this effect is intensified when grasses are massed together to form a sinuous, wavy shape.

Photo courtesy of Tai Williams

But even in small gardens, one or two carefully placed grasses can achieve a similar effect. My favorite small-space grass for this particular design strategy is Pennisetum orientale (pictured here), but other grasses will work as well.

 

My time in Cancun reminded me that it is always worthwhile to look beyond obvious upgrades like hardscape and plants when rethinking your garden. In this instance, a few small illusions are all you need to bring the play of light, shadow and movement into your garden.

Comments

[Pam/Digging]

Illusion -- creating magic in the garden. Yes, this is where the fun lies, and where the gardener can set her garden apart from the mainstream. It's all in the details, right?
Agree! Often it's the extras or the little things that I take away from a garden visit, not obvious elements like hardscape or plants (although I like those too, of course). Thanks for sharing your awesome photos!

[Desert Dweller/David C.]

Great stuff to ponder...I needed some good illusion, as I try to remain inspired on working drawings for an unenlightened client, who's a big let-down as is his city's staff. While I don't get Scott C's scene there, the lighting does get me going.

I am a HUGE lighting fan! Consider it one of the least understood yet most impactful aspects of landscape design. I just wish more of my clients were willing to make the investment.

[Jim/ArtofGardening.org]

Great post! I've been trying to figure out how to do something like these illusions in my garden: http://www.kumiyamashita.com/light-and-shadow/

Some advanced planning, some craftiness and well-placed lights is all I need.

Beautiful link. I know you're a landscape lighting plan, because even though it's been years, I still remember the excellent posts you wrote on lighting your own garden.

[wiki]

I think this is a real great post.Really looking forward to read more.