Gardens are lovely, healing, and a plentiful source of food and flowers. Gardens and even garden screening have been immortalized in literature from the lush Gardens of Versailles to the ancient (and maybe legendary) Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Continue reading to discover some well-known literary gardens or to discover how to plant a garden.

The Garden That Is Hidden The Secret Garden, maybe one of the most well-known gardens in literature, was initially released in 1911 (having been serialized in 1910). When Mary Lennox, a little orphan, is taken to live with her uncle in chilly, depressing Yorkshire, she finds a garden that is shut. A beloved children’s book on generosity and loss.

Rebecca Rhododendrons and other cultivated flowers abound in the walled garden of the stately Manderley estate in Cornwall. The aroma of azaleas and the appearance of scarlet rhododendrons serve as constant reminders to the current Mrs. de Winter that the late Mrs. de Winter will never be forgotten.

Wonderland Adventures of Alice There is disagreement on the walled flower garden Alice attempts to enter’s significance. Is it a metaphor for beauty, or is it something else entirely, like the Garden of Eden? Warning: once Alice watches the gardeners painting the flowers, how do you think of the garden now?

Lost in Paradise First published in 1667, John Milton’s epic poem is a masterwork that narrates the account of the Fall of Man and portrays the Garden of Eden, a paradise.

In Tom’s Midnight Garden When the clock strikes thirteen—yes, you read correctly—Tom stumbles out of bed to discover a garden of enchantment that only he can explore. Originally released in 1958, this Carnegie Medal winning novel

Pride and Discrimination Gardens were a social status symbol when Jane Austen lived. The wealthy upper class, whose vast, planned gardens and landscape parks were utilized for pleasure, is contrasted with the working class by a smaller kitchen garden. The heroine, Elizabeth, is won over by Mr. Darcy’s surroundings at Pemberley, and it is there that she starts to change her mind about what she once thought of him. Study up on gardens from the Regency era.