KNOT GARDENS

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Knot garden design is like a great wine: nice at first, but as it matures it takes on complex, sometimes unexpected characteristics that enchant and delight the senses.

Using conventional methods to create a knot garden will mean waiting years for that wonderful finished look. Using InstantHedge means having that beautiful result in one day.

STYLES

Knot gardens are versatile, and they work well in many garden styles.

They are a classic choice for Cottage Gardens, forming a structured border around casually abundant mixes of flowers and herbs, as well as flowering trees and shrubs.

They are equally traditional in a Formal Garden, with intricate designs that can mimic those of Versailles. Formal Knot Garden Designs complement stately trees, topiaries, and sophisticated flowers and shrubs, as well as fountains, sculptures, or other hardscaping elements.

Modern Gardens can use knot designs to create their characteristic geometric shapes and patterns. Modern Knot Gardens can either be very spare, with more stone and metal than companion plants, or they can be lush with foliage or sculpted trees.

In public gardens and in landscaping around institutions like government or university buildings, knot gardens provide valuable, sophisticated, year-round landscaping that can be a foundation for seasonal plantings.

DESIGN ELEMENT

Knot Gardens can be used for a variety of different purposes in a landscape design. They can effectively direct eyes and feet to certain parts of a garden, bringing focus to a piece of art, water feature, or specimen plant. They can help stabilize soil in sloped areas. In areas with a lot of seasonal color, they anchor the space through the year by providing evergreen interest.

THE MAIN EVENT

While Knot Gardens are useful tools for other landscape styles, they can also make a stunning garden all on their own. Public gardens, historic estates, event venues, and many other locations can create a stunning knot garden to delight visitors. There is no limit to what kinds of designs could be created with a knot garden, needing few to no accent plants to make it truly breathtaking.

The classic knot garden choice is Boxwood, as it is a low-maintenance evergreen that looks fantastic all year and grows in a wide variety of climates. There are many different boxwood alternatives, however, to create a different look or fulfill different needs. Try Hicks Yew hedges for a different texture and great shade tolerance. Box Honeysuckle hedges are excellent for areas needing a blight resistant boxwood alternative. In warmer, humid climates, Green Spire Euonymus hedges are perfect for a glossy evergreen hedge that stays very narrow. Little Simon Arborvitae is dwarf arborvitae that makes a gorgeous, dense, evergreen hedge that does well in very cold climates.

KNOT GARDEN GALLERY

Footpaths are neatly bordered in a knot garden style with boxwood (Buxus) hedges in this country garden.
This whimsical cottage garden stays tidy-looking by using boxwood hedges to add structure.
Walkways are evenly bordered with boxwood (Buxus) hedges while the entire country garden is framed with European beech (Fagus sylvatica).
A low boxwood (Buxus) hedge as well as a taller yew (Taxus) hedge can be used in conjunction with one another to create an outdoor courtyard.
Knot gardens almost always showcase boxwood (Buxus) which looks very nice when interplanted with perennials and other flowering plants.
Large, sloping properties benefit from using hedges to add stabilize the soil as well as adding structure and beauty to the landscape
Historic homes and country settings can use low boxwood hedges to line paths and highlight courtyards and patios.
The shorter boxwood (Buxus) hedge in front is mirrored on a larger scale by the purple-and-green European beech (Fagus sylvatica) hedge on the right.
Boxwood (Buxus) hedges are the ideal type of hedge for framing walkways and defining paths.
Artistic symmetry can be implemented in a formal garden with the use of uniformly-grown boxwood (Buxus) InstantHedges.
A low boxwood (Buxus) hedge for a formal knot garden looks great with a mixed purple and green European beech (Fagus sylvatica) hedge.
Soft evergreen hedges like this boxwood (Buxus) make a stone patio softer and more inviting even when planted in modern, geometric shapes.
This cottage garden is quiet and private thanks to the tall beech privacy hedge.
Various parts of the garden can be clearly defined with carefully-placed boxwood (Buxus) InstantHedges.
Various parts of the garden can be clearly defined with a tall leafy hedge of beech (Fagus) or hornbeam (Carpinus) like shown here.
Historic estates and parks can be revived using new boxwood hedges to create classic knot gardens
Venues like resorts, spas, and lodges can add a powerfully peaceful elegance to their grounds using boxwood hedges to create knot gardens
Public parks, botanical gardens, and historic estates can use low boxwood hedges for a simple yet extremely elegant design
Botanical gardens can use boxwood hedges to display other interesting plants to the best advantage
The clean lines of a boxwood hedge form the backbone behind the seasonal displays of perennials, annuals, and other flowering plants
This formal courtyard looks tidy with a perfectly uniform boxwood (Buxus) InstantHedge border and coniferous arborvitae (Thuja) privacy hedge.
Government building areas and universities often have wide open areas for landscaping. Boxwood knot gardens provide year-round structure and interest.
An impressive knot garden can be planted in a day using InstantHedge boxwood units
The garden at this historic estate balances the whimsical topiaries near the house with acres of perfectly manicured boxwood hedges.
This country estate garden showcases a tradition use of boxwood hedges to surround and anchor blocks of seasonal color.
Intricate designs such as this can be achieved almost instantly with a boxwood (Buxus) InstantHedge!
This cottage garden juxtaposes the wild, climing rose and untamed grasses against the carefully clipped boxwood hedges for a beautiful effect.
Nicely-maintained boxwood (Buxus) hedges can help to define angles and boundaries in a contemporary design such as this.
Historic estates (or new estates hoping to achieve an historic look) always look right with an expansive boxwood knot garden.
This small knot garden near a side entrance provides a lovely view from the large window. Low plantings allow in plenty of light.