How to Create a Victorian Garden

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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The years between 1850 and 1890 are considered the height of the Victorian era, characterized by ornate decor and elaborate gardens. Victorian gardens were not simply beautiful outdoor spaces, they were considered outdoor parlors for both entertaining and impressing guests. If you would like to create your own Victorian garden, a few tips will help get you started.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Rolled grass or grass seed
Lawn mower
Lawn edging tool
Shrubery
Cast-iron fence
Garden ornaments
Flowers

Step1

Plant a fine blade grass for your lawn, the most important element in any Victorian garden. A picturesque Victorian garden will have a perfectly manicured lawn that looks and feels like soft velvet. For brand new lawns, have rolled grass installed by professionals, or fill thin patches in your current lawn with seed. Make sure you keep your lawn properly mowed and edged to create a sharp, clean Victorian look.

Step2

Plant shrubs along pathways, to define property lines or to hide the foundation of your home or porch. Carefully manicured shrubs may also be used to hide an unsightly fence or to frame doorways or large windows.

Step3

Consider an ornate cast-iron fence with an elaborate gate to accentuate the Victorian style of your garden. While picket and wood fences were common during the Victorian era, they were almost always hidden under shrubs or vines. Cast-iron fencing was definitely the most popular, and present in virtually all Victorian gardens.

Step4

Select a wide variety of garden ornaments to create a classic Victorian atmosphere in your garden. Typical ornaments included stone urns, birdbaths and fountains, gazing balls, sundials, fish ponds and of course, gazebos. Seating is also important in your Victorian garden, and might include stone benches or cast-iron furniture.

Step5

Plant classic Victorian flowers in your garden in neat flower beds, along walkways or in window boxes. Roses, tulips, pansies and snapdragons were some of the most popular flower varieties of the era. You might also consider a trellised archway with climbing roses.

Tips & Warnings

Popular Victorian era flowers and plants that will grow well in pots include acacia, aster, begonia, bluebell, calendula, chrysanthemum, dusty miller, fuschia, geranium, marigold, morning glory, nasturtium, petunia and zinnia.