A style that we have seen soaring in popularity, what are ‘New Victorian’ gardens?
With a romantic notion threaded throughout their design, a naturally wild yet refined aesthetic has surfaced within the New Victorian composition. Encompassing elegant pastel planting schemes and heavenly garden features, New Victorian gardens are typically formed from a design of classic historic florals, to create an idyllic cottage garden feel. From fragrant roses to vibrant hydrangeas, let’s uncover the beauty behind New Victorian Gardens and find out how they have become the on-trend garden design of 2023.
New Victorian garden features
Victorian gardens were originally designed to include elements that reflected the innovations and passions circulating at that period of time. Travel, botany and scientific discovery were especially prominent during this era, so we can see a range of exotic plants and vanities included throughout multiple Victorian garden designs. Therefore, shaped and striking beds full of colourful blooms are frequently spotted in Victorian gardens, as these spaces became a way in which they could celebrate their discoveries of new and exciting planting varieties.
Elegant garden structures, glasshouses were a popular innovation in the Victorian ages and therefore have been carried forward into many New Victorian garden designs. With many Victorian explorers returning to England with exotic plant varieties, glasshouses were usually packed full of rich and diverse species. So, to re-create your very own traditional Victorian glasshouse, the colour scheme must contain a blend of dark foliage, contrasted by the rich colours of heliotropes and fuchsias.
The Hidcote greenhouse from the National Trust greenhouse collection by Alitex. This greenhouse is powder coated in Wood Sage. Image courtesy of Alitex Greenhouses and Conservatories
Planting palettes and schemes
Designed to radiate a light and airy ambience, New Victorian gardens are typically filled with dreamy, romantic planting schemes. Including gorgeous pastel palettes of pinks and purples to the purist white’s, Victorian gardens are enhanced with delicate planting choices to frame a collection of truly elegant scenes. Most commonly spotted in these gardens we find glorious varieties of rosa and hydrangeas. Bold yet humble blooms, these plants diffuse a delightful fragrance and burst of repeated colour throughout the garden. Enriching spaces with dreamy textures and magical visual impact, these blooms craft captivating gardens, brimming with clouds of floral perfume that you cannot help but fall in love with.
Continuing a refined and luxurious landscape, sculpted and extravagantly shaped topiary is another essential Victorian garden feature. Vast hedging was mostly found in expansive estate gardens and was therefore considered a marker of status. Enhancing your garden with a pristine and precise aesthetic, topiary is a New Victorian attribute that guarantees to add a splash of luxury to any landscape.
Delightful Decor
To enhance your senses and create a feeling of paradise, Victorian gardens would often include large statement water features such as fountains or bird baths. Usually tiered and made from sculpted stone, the sounds of gently trickling water awaken your senses whilst reinforcing the whimsical garden aura that you would find within a traditional Victorian garden. Dotted throughout the garden to create further focal points, sundials, statues and obelisks were also incorporated in many Victorian designs. After a leisurely stroll around the grounds, wrought iron benches were also found on neighbouring pathways, giving you a glorious place to take a breathe whilst you take in your surroundings. A subtle way of guiding your eye to explore the garden, we’ve seen these features re-appearing throughout a number of New Victorian Garden designs.
Walled Kitchen Gardens
Walled culinary gardens were another area in which the Victorians adored to display their recent technological discoveries relating to horticulture. Impressive spaces, filled with rows of fresh vegetables and fruits these sheltered areas were often included within the grounds of large stately homes. A charming area to grow scrumptious homegrown produce, kitchen gardens can be seamlessly slotted within a variety of landscapes and have proven a popular choice in New Victorian Garden design as more of us opt towards sustainable lifestyle choices.
Interested in transforming your garden into a New Victorian garden design? Tell us all about your design ideas today.
