Formal garden designs

Symmetry, clipped hedges and geometric patterns define the formal garden. Box, yew and roses in structured borders bring elegance and order.

Characteristic plants

Shrubs

Buxus sempervirens

Boxwood

Boxwood is an evergreen shrub with small, glossy dark green leaves that is ideal for topiary and hedging. The plant grows slowly and can live for hundreds of years. Small green-yellow flowers appear in April and May, attracting early bees.

Partial shadeMedium100–500 cm

Trees

Taxus baccata

English Yew

English Yew is an evergreen conifer used both as a freestanding tree and as a formal hedge. Its dark green needles are densely packed and form an impenetrable screen. Female trees bear striking red berries in autumn. All parts except the berry flesh are poisonous.

Full shadeMedium1000–2000 cm

Shrubs

Rosa gallica

Gallica Rose

The Gallica Rose is one of the oldest cultivated rose species, grown since the Middle Ages. Its semi-double, vivid red-pink flowers appear in June and July and carry an intense fragrance. Decorative rose hips develop after flowering.

Full sunMedium90–120 cm