Like the springtime buds on the lilac bush outside my window, my mind is near to blooming with garden dreams...
As the days grow longer and warmer, ideas spring to life as I imagine what new flowers I might add to my garden bed, and perhaps even a few special garden features like a birdbath or a trellis for trailing vines that may someday boast colorful, fragrant blooms.
When it comes to garden inspiration, we need look no further than the life and art of the beloved Beatrix Potter. Which is why I'm sharing some of my favorite Potter inspirations to set your own imagination alight. What lovely garden ideas might they bring for you?Â
Beatrix Potter's country home, Hill Top Farm, is a gardener's paradise, and served as the charming backdrop for several of her children's books. At Hill Top, Potter's garden was her canvas where she brought to life her uniquely enchanting imagination. Her garden style is welcoming and informal, perhaps even at times slightly wild and untamed. As we peruse garden plans and plot out plantings, Hill Top can serve as a reminder to also allow room for a touch of wildness and rambling beauty within our arrangements.
In the photo below, Beatrix Potter shelters under the awning of her front porch at Hill Top. Don't you just love the trailing plants that grace the stone walls of her cottage? I wonder what garden tasks she might have attended to after this photo was taken...
(Beatrix Potter at Hill Top Farm, 1913)
This letter adorned with Potter's sweet illustrations inspires one to find whimsy in the world around us, even in the smallest creatures...
(Letter dated August 21, 1892)
If you're looking for ideas for what to plant in your own garden, the National Trust offers a wonderful sneak peek into what's growing at Hill Top Farm. Let your imagination bloom as you take a virtual tour of Beatrix Potter's garden!
Did this post sprout ideas of your own? Leave me a comment and let me know! I'd love to hear what you're dreaming up!
Hi Anna, you need to watch the DVD called Miss Potter, if you havenât seen it. Its all about her life.
Oh, Iâm so happy to see you post about Beatrix, I always think of her in the spring time. Her lush English garden with rabbits just suits the season so well!