Water, water

Here is yet another scene from the garden in Normandy pictured yesterday.  A gravel path leads from the house to this garden "room" surrounded by hedges (wait; does anyone say "garden room" anymore?  That designation may have gone with the last century).

To form intimate spaces, the English gardener/caretaker hedged in some areas of an open meadow.  One such mini-garden contains a rose-covered arbor and benches.  This particular one has an interesting water feature.  You are only seeing half of what appears to be a long, stone-lined basin divided by a diamond shaped bridge.  Plants that look like they appreciate the good drainage of the gravel path are clustered around the stone edging.  A gravel path goes off on either side and disappears between narrow hedges.

While the lines of the design are formal, the plantings and the rustic stonework give it a cottage garden feel.  Though I would never in a million years have conceived of this idea, I think it's visually pleasing and could almost be a do-it-yourself project - especially if you have a blank expanse of yard you'd like to have fun with.