In the Beginning...

My idea to turn our front yard into a garden really sprang from our frustration that we don't have enough room to grow food. And, since it will be a while before we can afford a farm, it only makes sense to use the land that we have right now. Since our back yard is pretty much maxed out, that leaves the front. Our front yard is almost 1,000 square feet of prime garden space: South-facing and full-sun.

I've been reading a lot of books on history of gardens. In a very brief nutshell, formal Western gardens (not the landscaping movement that began within the past few centuries) are said to be based on the Garden of Eden. According to the Book of Genesis, a river flowed into the garden and split into four. So, Western formal gardens often had a central fountain, pond, or pool with four arms or paths radiating out. This style is most easily traced back to Persia, but could be found all over the Mediterranean and thrived through the dark ages in monasteries, medieval times, and the Renaissance (and the symbolism kept piling on, too). Today, we know it best as a French kitchen garden, or Potager

Here's a picture of a random existing Persian Garden:

And a picture of the archetypal French potager, the gardens at the Château de Villandry:

I like a design with dep roots in history, so I think I'll go with a design with a central water feature, that's symmetrical and has sharply defined borders, and raised beds (which have many advantages, not to mention they've have been used for millenia). The other option I'm considering is a more of a wild cottage garden, less hardscaping and more wandering paths.