21 Fabulous Garden Facts Every Plant Lover Would Love To Know

A garden is a designated area, usually outdoors, for the cultivation, display, and pleasure of plants and other natural forms.

Garden design is the way of designing layouts for the planting of gardens and landscapes. It has evolved throughout the years, driven by shifting goals and current styles.

Follies, statuary, trellises, dry stream beds, and water features such as pond waterfalls, or fountains are common design elements in gardens. Color blending and contrast of flowering plants add aesthetic value to gardens.

Historical Facts

For thousands of years, civilizations throughout the world have been developing gardens, usually for the delight of the wealthy and powerful. Ancient Egyptians usually cultivated medicine and fruit plants like pomegranates, grapes, dates, and others.

A garden belonging to an Egyptian high court official at Thebes is the earliest surviving precise garden layout, dating from around 1400 BC. Around 1500 BC, the first ornamental plants appeared in Egypt.

Emperor Tiberius enjoyed eating cucumber every day, therefore the first greenhouses were built on his orders in Rome in 30 AD. Andrew Faneuil of Boston built the first greenhouse in North America in 1737.

Tulips were valued at more than gold in the s17th century, and they were even adopted as currency causing the Dutch economy to crash.

The history of gardening can be traced back to Alexander the Great, who was supposedly amazed by the splendor of Babylon's hanging gardens and their symmetric form.

Types Of Gardens

Gardens are of different types like flower gardens, kitchen gardens, orchards, Japanese gardens, tea gardens, botanical gardens, greenhouses, hanging gardens, and rock gardens.

Around 600 AD, the first Japanese gardens were established on the island of Honshu highlighting the serenity of nature.

Kew Gardens in London is an exotic garden founded in 1840 that contains over 8.5 million preserved plant and fungus specimens.

Keukenhof is one of the world's largest flower gardens, covering over 80 acres. Each year, around seven million are planted for beautiful spring bloom.

The current landscape of the Château de Versailles, which was planned by André Le Nôtre, spans almost 2,000 acres and attracts almost six million people each year.

The Sava district in Madagascar is the largest vanilla-producing region in the world with almost 50,000 producers.

Uses

Gardening has many benefits, including providing natural medicines for humans.

Gardening allows us to stay in touch with nature and living things.

A personal garden helps cultivate fresh vegetables and fruits.

Along with improving physical strength, it aids in the stabilization of our mental state as well.

Gardens & The Environment

Gardening has a significant environmental impact. Gardening aids in the mitigation of global warming.

Gardening is good for the soil because it replaces and protects it. Plant roots help to bind the soil together, preventing it from washing away after heavy rains.

Insects attracted to colorful blooms are beneficial to a garden, even if some can be harmful. Transfer of pollen is necessary for plant reproduction.

Grafting is a known process of attaching two sections of different plants to form a joint, this helps with repairing injured plants. For example, a branch of a nectarine tree can be grafted onto a peach tree.

Other Miscellaneous Facts

It is also important to know about the science and biology behind gardening.

In 2018, total gardening sales climbed by 10%, with garden spending exceeding $52 billion.

The flavoring substance of vanilla beans is derived from a pod of an orchid varietal.

Torenia flowers, commonly known as 'bluewings', have wing-shaped burgundy petals which are grown in acidic soil of pH 6.0 to 6.5.

Tomatoes are the world's most popular fruit, with over 60 million tons produced each year.

FAQs

Q: Which country has the most beautiful garden?

A: The flower garden of Keukenh, located in the city of Lisse is the world's biggest.

Q: What is a trophy in garden?

A: It's a multi-tiered arrangement of colorful potted plants centered on a focal object, such as a pillar.

Q: What is a garden of flowers called?

A: A garden of flowers is called a botanical garden where different plants are displayed for tourists and scientific purposes.

Q: What does a garden symbolize?

A: Gardens symbolize happiness, salvation, and purity.

Q: What do we call a garden full of fruits?

A garden of fruits is called an orchard.

Q: What are the types of gardens?

A: The different types of gardens are zen gardens, flower gardens, orchards, botanical gardens, tea gardens, and more.

Q: What is landscape gardening?

A: Landscape gardening is an artistic area of horticulture that entails the placement of attractive plants in a charming manner.

Q: What is a vegetable garden called?

A: A vegetable garden is a place separate from the rest of the residential garden, used to grow vegetables.

Q: What is the largest garden in the world?

A: The Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England, are home to the world's greatest collection of vegetation and are recognized as the world's largest botanical garden. 

Q: Where is the biggest garden?

A: The Dubai Miracle Garden is located in the North West Quadrant of the Arabian Ranches, United Arab Emirates. The 775,000 sq ft (72,000 sq m) paradise, considered the world's biggest natural flower garden, is home to 100 million blooming flowers.