10 Stunning Landscape Designs Inspired By History’s Greatest Gardens

Humans love their gardens. Since the early days of civilization, we’ve cultivated green spaces to help us relax, socialize, and reconnect with nature.

But how have our gardens evolved over time?

The researchers from HouseholdQuotes.co.uk decided to find out by digging into some historical horticulture. They then created these 10 stunning designs inspired by history’s greatest gardens.

1400s BCE: The Garden of the Pharaohs

The first design is based on a 19th-century painting of the ancient Egyptian garden belonging to Pharaoh Amenhotep II. High stone pillars, a stylish central water feature, and abundant papyrus and palm trees make this green space fit for royalty.

400 BCE to 550 CE: Graeco-Roman Courtyard

High-stone walls supported by classical Greco-Roman pillars surround this classical garden. Flower beds brimming with roses, violets, and saffron add the dashes of vibrant color and life.

500s BCE to 1700 CE: Chahar Bagh

The Chahar Bagh is an Indo-Persian garden inspired by the gardens mentioned in the Quran. It was designed to inspire a sense of transcendent perfection – that little glimpse of paradise on earth.

1000 to 1450: Town or City Garden

Gardens were a status symbol among the aristocratic and merchant classes of the Medieval Era. And less did not equal more. Instead, the well-to-do competed to build the most luxurious green spaces. It’s why this medieval-inspired design resembles a miniature forest.

The early 1600s: Knot Garden

Cute, quaint, and very English; that’s the best way to describe this next garden based on the Tudor era aesthetic.

1600s: Jardin à la Française

The Jardin à la française (or garden in the French manner) uses clean lines and symmetrical design to express power, order, and the power of reason. Epitomized by the great Gardens of Versailles, the Jardin à la française it’s an earthly manifestation of luxury and magnificence.

Early 1800s: Gardenesque Style

Developed by Scottish botanist John Claudius Loudon, the late Georgian Gardenesque Style blended horticulture and landscaping with high art and philosophical contemplation. Strolling through these lush green spaces refreshes the body, mind, and soul.

1800s: Early American Period

The rugged individuals of the USA’s early pioneering days didn’t have much time for aesthetics. The garden wasn’t for contemplation or relaxation. It was fertile ground for growing the seasonal veg and medicinal plants. After all, the nearest store was probably a hundred miles away.

1870s to 1920s: Arts & Crafts Garden

Victorian designers reacted strongly against the 18th-century trend for naturalistic landscapes. They preferred to bring houses and gardens into a stylistic synergy. They used long stone pathways and symmetrical flower bed designs to create a framing effect, making the garden appear like a natural extension of the house.

1900s to Today: American Suburban Front Lawn

White picket fences, raised porch, and a combination of dogwood and magnolia trees have defined the average North American suburbanite’s front lawn for the last 70 years. And this classic design symbolizing the middle-class American Dream remains as popular as ever.

A garden is more than just a garden. It’s the oasis we need to escape the frenetic pace of the modern world. Or as Victor Hugo once said, “A garden to walk in offers an immensity to dream in. A few flowers at your feet and the blue sky above. It’s pure perfection.”