When designing a garden, the possibilities are endless. This can often be a barrier to getting started on your next garden project. A way to narrow it down is by selecting a theme. Themed gardens are designed around a central idea with all elements working together to support that theme. The concept of themed gardens has been around since humans started gardening. The first gardens were often spiritual, symbolizing paradise. Today, common themes are based on hobbies, color, food, purpose, or style.

One of my favorite themed gardens is English gardener Monty Don’s Jewel Garden. The Jewel Garden is the center of his home garden, Longmeadow, a two acre garden in Herefordshire, England. Monty and his wife Sarah ran a successful costume jewelry business in the 1980’s. The Jewel Garden was installed in celebration of the good things related to the business. The plants in this garden have rich jewel tones or are metallic in some way with bold textures and character. It is full of tulips, alliums, dahlias, zinnias, cannas, bananas, and crocosmia. This garden is intense and extravagant, an homage to the jewelry business. 

Garden planning is a fun and creative outlet for gardeners to do in the fall and winter when their gardens have been put to rest. Themes are a great way to create cohesive designs that reflect the gardener’s personality. When choosing a theme, be creative and personal. A few ideas are listed below.

Water garden at the JC Raulston Arboretum.

Moon Garden: A moon garden is intended to be observed at night. White or light colored blooms and silver foliage reflect moonlight and create a magical experience. Night blooming and scented plants are a great addition to a moon garden especially if they attract moths, bats, or other nocturnal pollinators. A few plant ideas for a moon garden include Caladium bicolor ‘Florida Moonlight’, Iris x germanica ‘Immortality’, Phlox paniculata ‘David’, Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’, Trachelospermum jasminoides ‘Madison’, and Gardenia jasminoides ‘Belmont’.

Tea Garden: A tea garden can be a one stop shop for the gardener that loves tea. A tea garden could feature Camellia sinensis, the plant from which black, green, white, and oolong tea is made. It can also include herbs commonly used in teas such as mint, lavender, chamomile, calendula, and lemongrass. Yaupon holly, a common ornamental evergreen shrub and the only US native plant that has caffeine, would be another good addition to the  garden. The leaves were used by native Americans to create a ceremonial drink, and later by the colonists for a homegrown tea. To support the tea theme there could be a tea pot, cup and saucer placed amongst the plants. 

Pollinator Garden: A pollinator garden has the purpose of providing food, shelter, and nesting sites for pollinators. Plants are chosen to maximise bloom time with different colors and flower shapes to attract desired pollinators. Having a water source for pollinators to drink from is ideal. It’s important that the water source is shallow so pollinators don’t drown while they drink. A good variety of plants for a pollinator garden include anise hyssop, common milkweed, blazing star, bee balm, black-eyed susan, purple coneflower, and goldenrod.

Chocolate Garden: This garden can be created by using plants that smell like or resemble chocolate. Use dark reddish-brown blooms and foliage with cocoa scented plants to create a chocolate lovers get away. Plants that would suit this garden are Cosmos atrosanguineus ‘Chocolate’, Solenostemon scutellarioides ‘Dark Chocolate’, Heuchera x villosa ‘Mocha’, Lysimachia congestiflora ‘Persian Chocolate’, and Berlandiera pumila ‘Chocoholic’ which actually smells like chocolate.

 Bookworm Garden: This is a garden designed for someone who loves to read. A space to get lost in a story and have themes of their favorite books. The garden should feel cozy and can include plants that are named after authors or books. There is a beautiful English rose named after Roald Dahl, the creator of beloved books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and  James and the Giant Peach, called ‘Roald Dahl’. For readers that like fantasy, consider whimsical plants such as foxglove, irish moss, climbing hydrangea, weeping willow, or snapdragons as they resemble a dragon’s snout. 

Themed gardens are an easy way to show personality and create a unified garden. Other ways  to create unity are through balance, repeating elements, and scale. Simple design with consistent elements often result in a more unified and visually pleasing garden. When talking about how he creates a garden Monty Don said “I know many people select their plants because they love them and will find a place for them. But no individual plant grows at Longmeadow just because we like it. It must also work towards a collective end so that the sum of the plants is greater than their parts. What you leave out is just as important as what you put in.” For more resources on garden creation contact North Carolina Cooperative Extension- Richmond County Center at (910) 997-8255. Follow us on Facebook and Eventbrite to stay informed about upcoming workshops and events.