14 Gardens Straight Out of Fairy Tales

In fairy tales, gardens and forests are the playgrounds of princesses, fairies, witches and mythical creatures. Take a moment to step away from the everyday and wander these beautiful and dreamy garden landscapes, which evoke the classic stories and settings of storytellers such as the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Shakespeare.

1. The Secret Garden. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved story about a neglected girl who discovers a beautiful hidden garden illustrates the power of hope, faith and the fantastical. Step through a hidden threshold into a sanctuary where the imagination is given free rein, as in this Atlanta garden.

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2. Cinderella. The Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault captured the story of the destitute beauty who foils her evil stepsisters with the help of a fairy godmother and goes on to marry a prince. This globe-shaped seating pod in a lush U.K. garden evokes the pumpkin-turned-carriage in which Cinderella rides to the prince’s ball.


3. The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Through locked doors and past a passageway of trees, the princesses escape from their kingdom each evening to dance the night away. One day a soldier follows them and uncovers their secret by bringing back branches from the massive trees the princesses pass when entering the dancing world. Although the soldier spoils their fun, the draw of secret passageways and entrances, such as this garden door in San Francisco, remains as thrilling as ever.

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4. Rapunzel. It doesn’t take much to imagine Rapunzel locked up in this tower — which stands solemnly in the woods of in Devon, England — her long hair streaming down from the top window once she hears her prince call, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”


5. Alice in Wonderland. The whimsical placement of mirrors on this tall London hedge — coupled with the mismatched frames, glittering chandelier and colorful seat covers ready for a tea party with the Mad Hatter — evoke Lewis Carroll’s famously surreal story of a girl who fell down a rabbit hole.


6. The Nightingale. Hans Christian Andersen’s melancholic tale of an emperor in the Far East who has a love of the nightingale’s beautiful song evokes soft summer evenings and the harmony and serenity of an Asian garden, such as this one in Denver.

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7. Snow White. A lonely cottage in the forest is a trope in fairy tales and can represent both danger and safety. In the case of Snow White, by the Brothers Grimm, the fairest of them all finds refuge in the home of the seven dwarfs in the middle of the forest after her stepmother attempts to murder her. Mysterious and beckoning, this cottage in the Wyoming forest has an undeniable draw.


8. Beauty and the Beast. In the gardens on the Beast’s mighty and vast estate, Beauty’s father was tempted by the luscious roses and thus fell into the Beast’s clutches, leading Beauty to follow him. Sprawling gardens and maze-like paths, such as these in a Scottish castle, contribute to a mysterious atmosphere like that in the story.


9. The Snow Queen. Hans Christian Andersen’s ultimate beauty with a heart of ice keeps her kingdom in a permanently frosty state, thus creating a melancholic and icy, but at the same time ethereally beautiful, world.


10. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. You can just see a mischievous Oberon and Puck dashing among the trees, plotting and planning in this foggy, mysterious and slightly sinister forest scene. The Bard’s comedy of feuding fairies and love-struck Athenians couldn’t ask for a better, otherworldlier setting than this garden in Portland, Maine.


11. Hansel and Gretel. Hidden deep in the Philadelphia woods, nestled among the trees and flowers, a gingerbread hue and a flash of brick reveal a small cottage not unlike the one the hungry Hansel and Gretel stumble upon in the classic tale by the Brothers Grimm.


12. Sleeping Beauty. When Sleeping Beauty falls into a cursed sleep after pricking her finger on a spindle, a well-intentioned fairy makes the kingdom overgrown with roses, brambles and trees. A beautiful rose-covered sanctuary, such as this one in Los Angeles, seems fit for any princess — or prince — to rest in.

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13. The Frog Prince. In the Brothers Grimm tale, a princess drops a golden ball into a pond and promises a loquacious frog that she will befriend him if he retrieves it for her. She regrets her promise and rejects him, but he later reveals himself to be an enchanted prince. This beautiful, serene pond in a meadow in Sussex, England, is certainly a flawless setting for any pond gazing.


14. Little Red Riding Hood. No matter how pretty the flowers on the side of the forest path may be, if a big wolf suggests you take a detour to pick them, you’re probably in trouble. Little Red Riding Hood found this out the hard way when she couldn’t resist the wolf’s suggestion and the siren call of luscious, abundant flowers, such as these in southeast England.

Tell us: Does your garden have an air of mystery and magic? Share your photos in the Comments!

URL: 14 Gardens Straight Out of Fairy Tales http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-25502.html