Though we still have several months to go before we can start gardening or even thinking about gardening, it’s always fun to start planning your dream garden or mini-garden on your balcony/terrace. We took a look at some beautiful gardens, with equally beautiful histories, from around the world.
So have a seat, and be prepared to be amazed:
Japan
We’ve talked about the old Japanese religion, Shinto, and how it considers natural forms to be sacred. Many pieces of architecture in Japan pay homage to the old religion, it’s reflected in old and modern buildings and institutions. It should then come as no surprise that the gardens in Japan are some of the most beautiful green spaces ever. Many of these gardens have been walked in, taken care of and cherished for hundreds and hundreds of years. Some examples of beautiful gardens in Japan include the “stroll gardens” on the grounds of Katsura Imperial Villa and Sento. In this article, the writer describes them as “narrative gardens, filled with sequential delights: exquisite stepping stones; charmed arched bridges; dark, limpid pools.”
France
Many gardens in France are just as beautiful as you’d imagine them to be. The magnificent, and very big Jardin de Tuileries, created by Queen Catherine de Medicis in 1564, is located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde. It once used to be private, meaning that only a select few got to experience its majestic beauty. It wasn’t until after the Revolution in 1667, that the park was opened to the public. The garden was initially created to mirror the beautiful gardens of Florence, where the Queen was originally from. To create a garden in Paris to look like a garden in Florence, she commissioned a landscape architect from Florence, Bernard de Carnesse to bring the Italian Renaissance across borders. It was once the most beautiful and largest garden in Paris with clusters of trees, and lavish flower beds. Though it’s now not as nearly as beautiful as it once was, French landscape architects are working hard to restore the garden to it’s true beauty.
Canada
Canada is a beautiful country, though maybe not as old as both Japan and France! We have quite a few beautiful outdoor spaces and gardens to take pride in as well. Take the Butchart Gardens in British Columbia, created by Jennie Butchart over a century ago. The lovely gardens have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada and it all started with limestone deposits. Back in 1888, Robert Butchart began manufacturing cement near Owen Sound, Ontario but left for rich limestone deposits in the West Coast. It’s ironic that we mentioned Japanese gardens in this post, because it was in 1907 that a 65 year old garden designer from Japan came to design a garden for his son. Jennie loved it and commissioned these gardens for the estate. The Gardens still remain a part of the family – now being maintained by their great-granddaughter.