French Formal Garden

The French formal garden, is a style of garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. A style which was inspired by the Italian Renaissance garden at the beginning of the 16th century. The Italian Renaissance garden, typified by the Boboli Gardens in Florence and the Villa Medici in Fiesole, was characterized by planting beds, or parterres, created in geometric shapes, and laid out symmetrical patterns; the use of fountains and cascades to animate the garden; stairways and ramps to unite different levels of the garden; grottos, labyrinths, and statuary on mythological themes.

The gardens were designed to represent harmony and order, the ideals of the Renaissance, and to recall the virtues of Ancient Rome. Additionally, the symmetry of French gardens was a continuation of the renaissance themes of harmony French gardens were symmetrical and well manicured to represent order, and this idea of orderliness extended to French society at the time.

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