WHILE natural gardens and meadow plantings may have increased in popularity in the last few years, formal gardens still have a place in our fast-paced, chaotic world.

The desire to shape and square, to manipulate plants and space to attain order and create symmetry, is a subject explored by designer pals Diarmuid Gavin and Sir Terence Conran in their new book Planting (Conran Octopus, £40) in which they share many of their secrets of planting with enthusiasts.

Gavin says: “Humans love order and repetition. There is symmetry to it. They like the illusion of reflection – whether it is mirrors or still ponds. And they have an abiding desire to control outdoor space: to clean it and to level and decorate it with familiar lines and shapes.”

While many formal gardens were designed to be viewed from a distance, to create grandeur by using geometric shapes, this vista cannot be easily transferred to suburban gardens because of their less even shapes and sizes.

Aspects of formal gardens in Britain have been copied by many amateur gardeners on much smaller scales, achieving formal style with ferns or grasses, or simply by using just one colour of flowers.

Gavin says: “You can create your own sense of drama and theatre within the boundaries of the plot by laying out grids using evergreen shrubs.”

Some plants are particularly easy to manipulate and clip into shape year on year, including box, yew (Taxus baccata), privet (Ligustrum lucidum), juniper, holly and berberis. You can make little formal hedges that may be no more than 20cm high, or you can clip hornbeam or species of lime (tilia) into very unnatural but pillar or column-like structures.

In smaller spaces, such as courtyards, many gardeners place some sort of ornament in the centre of the space, such as an aquatic feature like a small fountain or bowl of still water, or an architectural plant.

Containers can also create a much more formal feel to a small garden. A parallel row of containers can be introduced to reinforce the geometry of a scheme, guiding the eye to a focal highlight or in the direction of a stunning vista.

Gavin says: “Pots of beautifullytrimmed evergreen shrubs or those brimming with cascading flowers can illuminate paved courtyards, as well as being used to enhance formal entrances or walkways.

Ornate pots and those of aged stone suit a formal garden, while traditional terracotta is classic in any garden setting. Keep the different styles as limited as possible – a single style has the greatest impact.”

Plants synonymous with formal gardens, including box and privet, create structure, shape and form in pots, while topiary specimens can be made to look the same through clipping – pyramids, spheres and columns are favourites.