A strongly patterned ground plane, freestanding vertical screens, and a defined overhead plane that was articulated by mechanical or architectural means, these are three of the defining characteristics for the post war landscapes designed by Robert Royston.

The post war landscapes designed by Robert Royston are in many ways a reflection of their time. There was an energy and experimentalism in the design of these gardens that echoes the prevailing mood of mid century America. The effects of the dramatic revolutions that had occurred in the visual arts can be seen in these gardens. So too can be seen the new lifestyle that came about as a result of a society that had endured economic depression, population shifts, the trauma of war, and then dramatic prosperity in short order. What follows here is an exploration of the formal aspects of the post war landscapes designed by Robert Royston. It is an attempt to define those characteristics that define them and set them apart.

The early work of Robert Royston was often residential in scale. There are exceptions to this of course, the Standard Oil Rod & Gun Club in Richmond, Ca. and Mitchell Park in Palo Alto, Ca. being significant examples of larger scale projects done early in his career. Residential gardens however, were a mainstay for most landscape architects at that time and the smaller scale of these projects was a natural extension of the work that Royston had been doing in Thomas Church's studio before the war. The residential garden provided him with the opportunity to explore and develop a unique design vocabulary. Three of the important components of this vocabulary were a strongly patterned ground plane, freestanding vertical screens, and a defined overhead plane that was articulated by mechanical or architectural means.

Patterns on the ground are a basic element of landscape design. The means of achieving and the scale of ground plane patterns span a broad spectrum: dappled shade on an expanse of lawn is one end of that spectrum and the pavement stripes that define a pedestrian crossing at a busy intersection are the other. In his design work, Robert Royston made good and original use of the ground plane pattern to define and enliven spaces. The strong character of his post war gardens is frequently based on this design element. While many of these early gardens were organized around rectilinear patterns, the use of free form, biomorphic shapes and irregular geometry is also common. Royston's approach to ground plane patterns clearly bears some similarities to the contemporary work of Thomas Church, his early mentor. Where Royston's work differs from Church is in terms of the regularity and combination of patterns.

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