IMG_8738.JPG, originally uploaded by dogwood*designer.

Refined Journey | Landscape Design Ideas

This is another secret garden, sort of, well not really. It’s right between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Museum on the US National Mall. Of course it is a highly stylized victorian garden, barrowing the style of the castle, but it is also a path. It’s quite a contrast to the informal paths I’ve shown before, but it was designed with some of the same design principles, especially the undulating curves that slow you down and give you a chance to appreciate the journey. There are some waste high walls that don’t invite you to sit, rather they also encourage you along and point you in the right direction. Though quite a formal space, it is also very friendly in scale. Shade and cover is another element that puts you at ease in this little oasis between big grand areas of the open hot lawn on the Mall and the extremely busy Independance Avenue. Can you believe there is even a parking lot entrance behind the rear wall?