 | Victorian Garden style
The quintessential Victorian garden encompasses two distinct styles; the formal and the naturalistic cottage garden. Both are characterised by the abundance of planting and use of flowers and evergreens.
Using carefully chosen garden structures can help build a Victorian style in an instant while you wait for the planting to catch up.
Even if your home is not in the typical Victorian style, you may still incorporate arches, or benches in the Victorian style to recreate the effect of the romantic Victorian garden.
The Victorians loved their plants and some, like the Monkey puzzle tree (araucaria arucana), have become synonymous with the style. So too roses and climbers like Clematis, Ivy, Wisteria, Morning Glory and Honeysuckle.
Fern-collecting was incredibly popular they were often grown in a stumpery or kept in specially designed glasshouses known as ferneries. The cast iron work of the Coalbrookedale fern bench perfectly captures the Victorian feel and is similar to originals, which would cost several hundreds of pounds nowadays.
The Victorians liked to ornament their gardens with many types of garden structures including urns, statues, sculptures, gazing balls, birdbaths, sundials and seating. Gazebos and pavilions were used as focal points - a statement of wealth and elegance
Get the look
Plants, plants and more plants - be generous, this is not the best choice of garden design if you have little time to spare. However the following list includes some of the easiest to source and to grow;
Climbers
Clematis, Ivy, Wisteria, and Honeysuckle.
Fruit Trees
Espaliered or natural, fig trees were a particular favourite.
Shrubs
Spotted laurel, magnolias, camellias.
Perennials,
Dicentra spectabalis (bleeding heart) and Japanese anemones and almost any hardy fern especially in a stumpery.
Bedding
Cannas, dahlias and pelargoniums. The use of box (buxus sempervivum) or even tiles on edge around a formal bed can help to set the tone for a formal Victorian flower bed.
Structures
Choose from a huge range of Victorian style benches, arches, pergolas and gazebos. Traditionally made from cast or wrought iron modern versions remain faithful to the design inspirations but are made of lighter weight metals. Of course they also benefit from powder coated finishes, either pure colour or aged metal effects.
Prefer something more contemporary? Try fashionable blue garden furniture |
