Knot garden require special planning
Knot gardens are very formal designs from England and France starting in about the 16th century.
The idea is that hedges are woven together in a design to look like lines of one color shrub are going over or under another.
Think of a pattern like a Celtic cross, for example.
Knot gardens are designed to be seen from at least a slight height, such as a deck or kitchen window.
They also require advance planning and quite a bit of maintenance.
While boxwood, barberry and yews are popular shrubs for knot gardens, herbs like lavender, rosemary and sages can also be used.
The loops, triangles or squares created by the design can be filled in with flowers or other herbs or even gravel.
One warning: Dwarf boxwood requires less trimming, but it is not hardy in our area.
Knot garden Web sites:
www.almanac.com/garden/design/parterre.php
www.highcountrygardens.com/library
Books:
"Knot Gardens and Parterres: A History of the Knot Garden and How to Make One Today," by Robin Whalley and Anne Jennings (Barn Elms Publishing, $45).
"The Art of the Kitchen Garden," by Jan and Michael Gertley (Taunton Press, $29.95). This book deals with attractive, less ambitious gardens.