Get Inspired By These English-style Gardens

Lush greenery, climbing ivy, gravel pathways and wrought-iron gates are just some of our favourite English-style garden features.

Achieve this classic look in your own backyard, and get inspired by these fabulous spaces from the pages of H&H. From perfectly manicured hedges to colourful flowerbeds, these serene retreats prove that formal English-style gardens never go out of style, and translate to just about anywhere in the world. Scroll down and get ready to turn your backyard into an English escape.

Raised Beds

In an English-style vegetable garden (sometimes called a potager), raised beds are common. They help control soil quality, maximize space, and improve drainage. Gardeners often enclose the space with a traditional fence and surround them with lush, overflowing flowers, as seen in B.C. designer Rosie Daykin’s garden.

Wicker

To accent the zinc table, Rosie bought two new wicker chairs for a graceful, traditional look on her patio. Synthetic resin wicker resists rot caused by rain, and is an alternative to natural wicker if you leave furniture out all summer long.

Greenhouses

Classic greenhouses are fixtures in English gardens, as they can sheild delicate plants from chilly winter temperatures, and act as a nursery in spring for getting a jump start on seedlings. Rosie Daykin invested in a petite greenhouse by BC Greenhouse Builders during the pandemic to fit neatly over an existing bed, and framed it by pea gravel paths.

Designated Relaxation Spots 

In English-style gardens, owners carve out spaces for a variety of functions, whether its entertaining or quietly reading.  This petite West Coast backyard is kitted out with a charming bistro set that’s a perfect spot to pause with a cup of tea while gardening. Ivy covered walls and moss-edge patio stones make the home feel like it’s straight out of the Cotswolds.

Obelisks

Structures like these obelisks, or tuteurs (tower-style garden accents) from Southlands Nursery add height and visual interest. Repeating the structures creates symmetry, exemplified by formal English gardens.

Naturalized Ponds

Grand English homes were often built close to lakes and ponds, or incorporated fountains to create a beautiful focal point. In gardener Thomas Hobb’s spectacular 8.1-hectare farm Bell’Occhio (or beautiful eye), a shady man-made lake is softened by spiky Acorus gramineus, which blends naturally into the landscape.

Strategic Seating 

In Elizabeth Macfarlane’s London home, she’s placed two sofas right in the heart of greenery in her back yard, so the fragrance and texture of the plants can be appreciated up close. Think of your garden as a series of ‘outdoor rooms,’ and use furniture to carve out different zones for relaxing, entertaining, or dining.

Manicured Shrubs And Lawns

Famous for intricate animal-shaped topiaries, English gardens embrace creative pruning. In this backyard, clipped conical conifers and boxwood hedges stay green all winter long, and don’t shed leaves. And manicured lawns, which absorb carbon and rainfall, emphasize the polished effect.

Pea Gravel Pathways

Stone walkways, or parterres, provide excellent drainage, are easy to walk on, and allows surrounding plants to spill naturally into the paths. Landscape designer Ron Rule lets the pea gravel tumble casually over the stone steps, and enhances the overall aesthetic with garden arches and herbaceous borders.

Trellis

English gardens are all about structure, where hardscaping like a garden gate, fences and pergolas provide the support. Choosing a material like lattice allows plants to climb up the structures.

Wrought Iron 

Treat garden furniture like sculpture. In Sharon Mimran’s Toronto home, handsome painted iron furniture mimics the lines of the trellis detailing. A holdover from the Victorian age, elaborate iron seating allows peeks of the garden through the slats, and is often painted white, black or dark green.

Soaring Trees

Tall trees take years to mature, so if you’re looking for a heritage look, options like cedars grow quickly to provide privacy and shade, while conveying an air of history.

Herbaceous Borders

English flowerbeds are known for bold, riotous colour — even clashing tones. The designers of this garden used a rocky border to separate the lawn from colourful malva, wild pansies and calendula blossoms.

Roses 

English roses are famous the world over. In this formal garden, a bed of roses across from the greenhouse offer colour and fragrance, and are reminiscent of a stroll through Kensington Gardens.