This past summer, your writer had the privilege of traversing the English countryside experiencing and documenting fine English gardens. All manner of gardens were observed at stately manors, small cottages, medieval monasteries and public parks. 

Climates, style, architecture, and setting varied throughout the country, but there were several elements that were incorporated into gardens both large and small.  The following travel journal abridgement lists these elements and their possible application in an American landscape.

Perennial Border
Perhaps the most popular and commonly used elements to emerge from the English School are perennial borders which are simply low colorful plant groupings usually along bed edges where lawn and plant beds meet. A successful perennial border employs the use of many different species of flowering perennials with brilliant color combinations and varied bloom cycles.

Camellia Walk
As the name implies, this feature consists of a walking path that winds naturally through a generous planting of camellia shrubs. In our area, using Camellia sasanqua and Camellia japonica in such a way creates striking fall and winter interest when little else in the garden blooms. A camellia walk showcases a gardener’s collection of camellias from which there are tens of thousands to choose.

Arboretum
An arboretum is similar to a camellia walk in the fact that it is a rather informal arrangement of a gardener’s collection of trees. I suspect that a gardener’s collection of different tree species was one yardstick used in comparing gardens.  The British colonization of the world facilitated several centuries of exotic plant imports that apparently fueled this fashionable trend. 

Statuary
There is a bust of a Greek god or goddess to fit every personality and classical sculpture (or fine reproductions), and they will never go out of style.

Orangery
Similar to a greenhouse, an orangery is found on the grounds of fashionable residences and houses a gardener’s citrus collection and other tender plants.  However, an orangery may have fine architectural detail and double as a space for entertaining outdoors.
History, climate, and culture have fortuitously converged on the British Isles to create a verdant gardener’s paradise that we former subjects across the pond can emulate in our own landscapes.