| "Less is more." Mies Van der Rohe said it, | | | | add decorative elements simply because you |
| and exemplified what he said with such | | | | happen to like them. Cute little frou-frous |
| architectural masterpieces as the Seagram | | | | that don't reinforce the core motif serve |
| Building in New York City. | | | | only to whittle away a garden's integrity. |
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| By "less is more" he meant the avoidance of | | | | To put it another way, if it doesn't help, it |
| gratuitous ornamentation. He believed in | | | | hurts. |
| strong, simple design, with no decorative | | | | |
| encumbrances to detract from the structural | | | | Creative restraint is beautifully evident in |
| purity. His guiding principle was restraint, | | | | the gardens of such masters as Russell Page |
| the kind of restraint that is critical to | | | | and Jacques Wirtz. But can be carried to |
| success in all the arts, including the art of | | | | almost ungardenlike extremes in some of the |
| garden design. | | | | new minimalist gardens. |
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| Admirable though it may be as a concept, | | | | In practicing restraint, garden designers can |
| restraint is not always easy to achieve in | | | | take a cue from the acting profession. Good |
| practice. You must start, of course, with | | | | actors don't overact-they leave something for |
| good structure, and add to this structure | | | | the viewer's imagination. "Spelling out" is |
| only those elements which are essential to | | | | not nearly as effective as triggering the |
| its delineation. | | | | image-making abilities of the viewers, |
| | | | inspiring them to develop their own creative |
| Above all, you must resist the temptation to | | | | insights. |