Monty Don's Top 5 Magical Gardens Around the World

Rousham: A Timeless English Masterpiece

• 💡 Rousham in Oxfordshire, designed by William Kent in the 1730s, is celebrated for its absolute simplicity and historical significance.
• 🌿 It was one of the first gardens to incorporate the surrounding landscape, featuring follies and eye-catchers that create glimpses of the countryside.
• 🏛️ The garden's lack of color and focus on classical mythology transport visitors to the 18th century, marking the beginnings of the landscape movement.

Ninfa: A Ruined City in Bloom

• 🌸 Ninfa, located in Italy, is a magical garden growing amidst the ruins of a medieval city abandoned in the 1380s.
• 📜 Originally a significant town with a papal connection, it was left to decay due to plague and warfare before a family began creating a garden among its structures in the 20th century.
• 🥀 The juxtaposition of a vibrant garden with the haunting romance of a ruined medieval city makes it a unique and enchanting destination.

Kyoto's Temple Gardens: A Cultural Immersion

• ⛩️ Monty Don recommends exploring the temple gardens in Kyoto, Japan, rather than a single specific garden.
• 🍵 These gardens, ranging from tea gardens to dry and stroll gardens, are beautifully maintained and reflect a combination of Zen and Shinto philosophies.
• 🌳 They offer a cultural education, showcasing exquisite placement of plants, pruned trees, and raked gravel, providing a different perspective on garden design.

Vaux-le-Vicomte: Grandeur and 17th Century Order

• 👑 Vaux-le-Vicomte in France, designed by André Le Nôtre before Versailles, is highlighted as the first truly great French garden.
• 📐 Created in the 1640s-1650s, it exemplifies order, rhythm, symmetry, and grandeur, with early use of water features and eyelines.
• 🌳 The garden represents man's attempt to contain and impose order on the natural world, offering a powerful sense of 17th-century French aesthetics.

The High Line: A Modern Urban Oasis

• 🏙️ The High Line in New York City, designed by Piet Oudolf, transforms an old elevated railway into a unique public park.
• 🚶‍♀️ This linear garden subverts traditional garden concepts by being a walkway high above the streets, featuring trees and diverse planting.
• 🌱 It serves as an inspiring example of urban regeneration and the creative reuse of abandoned industrial sites, making green spaces accessible within a busy city.