6 architecturally unique gardens to take cues from
Posted by MOHIT BHATNAGAR

Serene landscapes, soothing greenery and lush hues of nature surrounding one can prove to be a truly enchanting experience. An elaborate garden helps create just that effect. A well crafted garden can help radiate a feeling of positivity and freshness in one’s mind while bringing them closer to nature. Above all a garden is an architectural feature that can uplift the aesthetic of any place with ease.
A garden by itself too can just as easily be nothing short of an architectural wonder. Infact, the importance of garden’s as architectural landmarks is one that has been recognised throughout history. There are a number of different gardens around the world, each with their own unique approach to landscaping and architecture. The result? Some of the most enchanting and stunning gardens.
The overall aesthetic appeal of each of these places is rather high. From the features to the materials, every little thing has its place and purpose. The designs are impeccable and rather great ones to take cues from even for your own garden spaces.
Here’s a roundup of some of the most architecturally unique gardens across the globe that you can look to for inspo:
THE GRAND TRIANON, VERSAILLES

Leading the batch is the Grand Trianon gardens situated in Versailles. This architectural garden is something straight out of a fairy tale. It is a historic installation that stands strong and beautiful to this day.
Amidst the beautiful gardens lies the equally beautiful architectural beauty known as the Grand trianon. Set up in 1687, the Grand trianon and its garden together form a historic ensemble of beauty. The overall theme and architecture of the garden is mostly inspired by Italian architecture. The palace attached to the garden is a celebration of Italian architecture in romantic hues of pink.
The entire structure has recurrent features of pink marble giving it a magical look. The flat one story roof overlooks the gardens built with similar precision and beauty. The overall layout of the garden is very neat and geometric with stone pathways leading to and around the periphery of the place. The landscaping and architecture of the garden was done mostly with an orangery in mind, with lots of trees and aromatic flowers.
Terraces and sections have also been built throughout the premises, riddled with the colorful flowers so as to portray a grand welcome of nature. This garden is a symphony of architecture and colors done in an elegant way, and a must see if simplistic beauty is your pick.
SUMMER PALACE, BEIJING

The summer palace gardens of Beijing are rather unique and scenic. It is regarded as a UNESCO world heritage site and defined as a “masterpiece” by the organization and for all the right reasons. The summer palace is a merger of a lot of different garden concepts woven into one beautiful architecture.
The palace garden has been afflicted with destruction twice, and then restored to it’s beauty. The gardena architecture has a theme of spirituality and serenity in mind. To begin with there are pavilions, terraces and greenery covered corridors around the place integrated into the garden. These are made with gritty stones to maintain the natural element of the garden.
The overall architecture underlines the beauty of nature in every way possible. Further, there are a lot of features of oriental architecture that shine well in the garden. The main east gate has brass sculptures and stone carved dragons set alongside the staircase. The moon pond following it has been crafted in a bow shape so as to give it a unique look.
Even the stones set into the garden's walkways pay homage to the culture with engravings of Chinese zodiac animals. The garden, temples and palaces together form an oriental beauty honoring nature’s serenity with water bodies and a lot of greenery and colorful flowers blooming to glory.
LITTLE ISLAND, NEW YORK CITY

The little island garden on Pier 55 is a modern take on architectural garden. Situated in New York City pier over the hudson river, the little island is a landmark garden architecture.The idea behind creating the little island is much like a retreat.
The aim was to create a paradise of greenery amidst the concrete jungle as a break from everyday life. Since the pier was idle as is, the architecture was planned to transform it into a resourceful garden atop the river bank. The garden thus has a stunning view of the river as well. The garden’s architectural layout also draws from nature itself.
Instead of a simple flat design, it is built in a unique high-low format created to mimic the pattern of a leaf floating on water. The garden has been made to rise way above the water level to look much like wooden pikes existing in the water which act as spots of protection for marine life.
With hundreds of indegenous trees and shrubs the entire garden is filled with hues of green. The decks, walkways, and sections of the park are all built to fit soothingly into one design which is truly amazing.
MIRACLE GARDEN, DUBAI

The garden of miracles is one of the most recent additions to the list of architectural gardens, and one that is rather magnificent. Spread over nearly 18 acres, the garden of miracles opened its door to visitors last year. It is regarded as the largest flower garden of the world with over 50 million flowers of over 120 different variants planted on the premises.
The garden of miracles is a spectacular celebration of earth’s beautiful fauna, but what makes it even more special is its architecture designed perfectly to complement and accentuate it. To begin with, the entire periphery of the garden when looked from the top is extraordinary and has almost a poetic look. The entire architecture has been planned around the floral displays that are situated in the garden.
Some structures such as that of a house, or that of an airplane too have been created only to be adorned heavily with flowers. A simple stone walkway runs around the premises of the garden, against a rather colorful backdrop offered by the displays.
From seating areas to walkways, a lot of spots around the place also have an archway of flowers and greenery placed above it, making every part of the experience truly magical through the architecture.
MONET’S GARDEN, FRANCE

Drawing its name from its creator, the monet garden of France was a creation of the impressionist painter and horticulturist, Oscar Claude Monet. Monet had an eye for scenic landscapes featuring nature. He brought his vision to life by assembling this garden over time taking cues from Japanese gardens.
The garden is built with a manor overlooking it which compliments the garden painted in hues of mermaid green to compliment the greenery of the garden. The garden is often regarded for its beauty, garnering appreciation for the painter who is said to have composed it just like a painting.
The garden is full of eye-catching and bright plants. It also houses an artificial lake with a simple wooden bridge going over it. Throughout the garden, archways adorned with greenery can also be found. The walkways too have been kept simple with pebbles and no elaborate flooring attempt. The garden also has water bodies accentuating the presence of nature.
The attached manor is equally beautiful with a mansion-like exterior with gorgeous flowers leading up to it. The garden is nothing short of picturesque and has been a source of inspiration for even simple homeowners to experiment with different colors and textures of plants with an overall serenity.
TAIYUAN BOTANICAL GARDEN, CHINA

The taiyuan botanical garden of china is rather different form all the other places in the list, for it has been artificially made throughout. The idea behind the botanical garden was to set up a serene space around it which mimics a natural pleasant environment while giving space for the different species to flourish in a positive ecosystem through creation of greenhouses.
The entire garden is an ecosystem created through architecture. The entire premise is actually built in place of a former coal mine. The garden is created with trees, and hills flowing around the main structure with a stone walkway over it. The most important feature of the garden is the three greenhouses built in it. These greenhouses are where biodiversity is meant to flourish.
They have all been made with a dome shaped exterior alongside an artificial lake. The greenhouses are a modern marvel. The roofs of the greenhouses have been built with a laminated wooden lattice. There are three domes ascending in sizes each with heir own unique purpose.
The biggest dome houses a tropical garden, followed by the second dome which recreates a desert ecosystem. The smallest dome alongside the lake is a display of aquatic plants.
The architecture of the domes, including the lattice roof, has been built to make the most of solar energy to create an environment that is truly remarkable and positive.
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