This is the
latest of the theme gardens to open in the park known as Hamilton Gardens, and
I visited it yesterday. The Picturesque
Garden Movement became popular in the 18th Century and reflected a new
appreciation for wild romantic landscapes.
Formal symmetry in the garden gave way to ‘natural’ overgrown gardens
that were deliberately cultivated to appear to be wild.
The new
garden-style was intended to appeal to the heart and mind as well as the eyes,
and so the features in the garden often made reference to a story from
antiquity. The story chosen for Hamilton’s
new garden is Mozart’s opera, The Magic
Flute.
Personally,
this style of gardening would not rank among my favourites. I love the colour of flowers in a garden and
love scent even more. Overgrown green
wildness to me looks like someone has forgotten to love their garden, or that
they have shut the area up as a hay paddock.
But perhaps I am being unfairly judgmental as the garden does have a
restricted site that it must fit within, and may perhaps look better if it was
made on a larger scale.
I hope you
enjoy the following pictorial walk
through this new Picturesque Garden.
Be sure to
add a couple of artificial ruins and rustic bridges to your garden!
Margaret.
That is an unusual garden. It combines natural with the "ruins". I suppose it still would be pleasant to walk through. I wonder what the creation in the last picture is supposed to be?
ReplyDeleteI think they are meant to be the Three Flutes that the garden story tells.
DeleteI'm never really sure what I think of some of the sculptures some gardens put in place nowadays...I mean the ones that don't really look like anything but have these over inflated and imaginative names...Doesn't quite apply here, but there are some odd ones that do fit.
ReplyDeleteI do like green, but like you I also like scent and colour, so it would be hard to say what I prefer.
Whilst it is a nice garden it is not my style, not neat enough (I know!!) and no colour, but my sister would love it.
ReplyDeleteI find this style of garden very appealing, far more so than manicured lawns and rectilinear flower beds. I am sure it attracts a good deal more wildlifel.
ReplyDeleteYes I am sure wild life would love this style of landscaping, but I would still call it more a wilderness than a garden.
DeleteIt is so nice and interesting to follow you on your visits to the gardens. I think that it's good with variation.
ReplyDeleteThe garden has a naturally grown in look to it that I like. How lovely to be able to explore such an area. What would it be like in the summer I wonder?
ReplyDeleteI would love to visit this place...it really appeals to me.
ReplyDelete