Ideas for Two Low Maintenance "Rooms"

We have two "rooms" which we have planted perimeter hedges around. They are just shaggy rough grass at present, but we keep kicking ideas around as to what we will do with them once the hedges start to be tall enough that it makes sense to plant them.

Currently our thinking is to try not to add hugely to the maintenance work we already have (no lottery win yet, sadly, but I do plan on buying a ticket real-soon-now!). Near the house we have two large borders (one Shrubbery, the other Herbaceous), and you have to go through one of those to reach the new rooms, so low maintenance would be ideal, and "less impact" would be fine too.

There was a garden of box topiary - higgledy piggledy shapes - surrounded by a circular hedge - in The Garden recently (Nov '11 Pg 33). I'll try to find a picture online. That seemed like a good idea.

For the second room we were thinking a Pergola. There is basically a central path through the middle, the larger room has a cross-path in the middle too. So it would have to be an open Pergola, so you looked out on the "interest" along side it - but what would that be? and how might it be low maintenance?

The rooms are 14 yards wide, the first room is 20 yards long, and the second room 40 yards. If I had planned a "walk" I wouldn't have made them that wide ...

(The Garden article refers to Crec'h ar Pape, which is not open to the public, so not much in the way of pictures online. The Garden has this spread:



and the "humps" are part of what I like, the other part is a circular area, surrounded by hedges, with topiary shapes

Later: found some small images:

 

Kristen, I like the idea of the pergola, do you intend to have seating in it? If so, I'd be inclined to have plants with colour and perfume.

I'm not sure about the topiary, for the simple reason it's colour-less, also surrounded by a hedge as in the pictures above I think it makes it look 'dull'. But it's each to his own, I'm one who can't live without colour, wherever in the garden I plant.

 

Hadn't thought about seating, as its a path-to-somewhere, but could make a crossroads and then a dead-end and a seat.

Or just some seats dotted along one side - sort of "arbours" in the "wall" of the pergola, that would be fun with some specific scented plants.

Those photos (the only ones I could find) are MUCH flatter than the ones in the mag - I reckon it was dull and overcast that day. And the grasses etc. provide shape and form, and they have different colour-shades of foliage, so I don't think it would be as bland as it maybe seems. We've got plenty of colour in the main borders - particularly the herbaceous that leads to Room 1 as that is not designated a "Red" / "Hot" theme But you point is well made, and I'll keep it in mind, thanks.