While for some of us gardens are just landscaping, for others gardens stand as a refuge and a retreat from the stresses of daily life as they epitomise abundance, beauty, and relaxation. A fast-growing concept of gardens—Paradise Gardens—realises this sentiment and, as its name suggests, acts as a reminder of heaven on Earth.
Paradise Gardens
Have you ever stepped into a rectangular garden divided into four sections (which are bursting with a carpet of fragrant and vibrant flowering plants)—with the help of rills of water and/or paths of gravel—with a circular garden pond in the centre? Welcome to the Paradise Garden!
The very phrase ‘paradise garden’ conjures up the image of an Islamic garden, a heaven replete with water, plants, and the irresistible fragrance of lemons or jasmine. While the layout of this type of garden leans towards being formal and symmetrical, it is the planting that softens it and lends it an ambience of peace and tranquility.
A point worth noting for newcomers is that, as the word paradise originally stands for ‘enclosure,’ the paradise garden is invariably an enclosed space. Hence, it is an enclosed garden.
Elements that Forms the Paradise Garden
Here, we have paradise garden elements that make it so beautiful.
1. Water
Featuring as one of the most significant elements of the paradise garden, water can spill over in the form of ponds, canals, rills, or even fountains.
2. Sound
This is a niche quality of a paradise garden. The objective is to stimulate one’s senses. All forms of water need to have a sound, and fountains win hands down, as they fulfill this condition to the T by emanating the gentle sound of splashing water.
3. Symmetry
Symmetry rings in harmony, so paradise gardens are frequently divided into four sections, symbolising the four rivers of the Garden of Eden.
4. Fragrance
Fragrance is another imperative element of the paradise garden. While citrus and jasmine fulfil this element in Mediterranean climates, in other regions, one can also opt for roses and other scented flowers.
5. Tranquility
This is an innate feature of the paradise garden. Well, there’s no sure-shot solution for capturing this; you just need to ensure that this garden doesn’t become a ground for your domestic squabbles and professional frustrations!
6. Enclosure
The very definition is ‘enclosed garden’ so an enclosure is a mandatory element to keep out unwanted plants and block the outside world from view.
7. Geometric Motifs
Geometric motifs, specifically rectangles and squares, are common stylistic features of paradise gardens.
8. Contrast of Cultivation and Wilderness
While the layout of the garden is meticulously planned, the plants are free to grow as they please within their plot. So, common features of paradise gardens comprise meandering paths, shady spots, and ample sitting room.
Most preferred Plants to Use in Paradise Garden
Well, we have a lot of creative freedom in this particular segment, as paradise garden plants are of all varieties, be they tall, medium, or flowering!
Among the tall plant varieties that befit a paradise garden, you can opt for citrus trees (that’s where they’ll get that attractive fragrance from!), palm trees, and Italian cypress trees, while the medium plant segment for starters could house roses (especially the strongly scented genre) and jasmine, whose shining green leaves and fragrance are both simply out-of-this-world, and dahlia in the flowering plant category could ensure a perennial summery look for your paradise garden. These gardens have exotic plants.
Examples of Famous Paradise Gardens
- The Taj Mahal in India
- Alhambra in Spain
- The Gardens of the Palace of Versailles
- The Gardens of the Louvre
- The Jardin des Paradis at Cordes sur Ciel
- Mount Carmel in Israel
Variations of Paradise Gardens
The best feature of paradise gardens is the flexibility that they offer, the only precondition being capturing tranquility and the concept of a peaceful, otherworldly space. Some of the variations that have come up are:
- Persian gardens, which comprise a rectangular pool and a viewing platform in the centre of the garden, while fragrant fruits, trees, and plants peep out from the garden, which is based around the central reflecting pool.
- Mughal gardens are another adaptation of the paradise garden theme. Heralded as historical sites across Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, these were erstwhile innate features of the infrastructure of the Mughal empire, and alike, the objective of all gardens was to provide entertainment, food, pleasure, and relaxation to the ruling class. In fact, some Mughal gardens were so large that they could even accommodate the passion for hunting of the ruling class!
A Peep into The History of Paradise Gardens
The word ‘paradise’ has its roots in the Persian word ‘paradeisoi’ meaning a ‘walled garden’. It is broken up into two parts: pairi (meaning around) and deaza (meaning wall). This word was initially used to describe large hunting parks and later for rectangular walled gardens in cities or in the countryside. The garden of paradise then was a serene sanctuary from the deafening and dusty external world, as it encompassed water channels, pools, garden fountains, and cascades to cool the air; flowers, which provided an inviting fragrance and a dash of colour and vibrancy; and fruit trees to lend shade.
Who Added What?
The original paradise garden had four square parts separated by water channels making it a charbagh or quadripartite garden.
- The Greeks added the concept of four elements: earth, water, fire, and air
- The Koran (xxv.15) describes paradise as a garden of eternity (Arabic jannat al-khuld) with four rivers: water, milk, wine, and honey
- The Persians (sixth century BC), the Arabs (eighth century AD), and the Mongols (from the sixteenth century until the eighteenth century) then made strict rectilinear gardens with squares and rectangles demarcated by water channels.
Did You Know?
- The walled enclosures of Paradise Garden during the erstwhile era doubled up as reserves for the exotic plants and animals that comprised the war booty brought back from military expeditions.
- Palaces of ancient times were situated inside hunting parks, and smaller walled enclosures were made for the king’s residence and his orchards.
- The word ‘paradise’ from paradise garden gets its present-day meaning of ‘heaven’ after the Greeks adopted it.
To wrap up, the best advantage of paradise gardens is that they are not weighed down by the necessities of climes or expertise. Any green-fingered soul can create them, so long as they have time and dedication. Just go ahead and gather aromatic and lush plants from any climate; use stone, wire, or wood fences as enclosures; and, hey, don’t forget to add in a pond or a potted fountain as the water feature. Just three simple steps, and voila, your paradise garden is ready to welcome your friends and family into its inviting, peaceful, and aromatic fold!
Also, read
8 Different Types of Japanese Gardens That Enhance Beauty and Serenity
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Author Bio
Huta Raval – An English Literature and Journalism Topper, Huta Raval has graduated from the L D Arts College, Ahmedabad. Post serving for 23 years in the NBFC and Public Library Sectors her desire for ‘writing the unwritten’ brought her to the creative field of content writing. Her clientele comprises of NGOs, Blogging Platforms, Newspapers, Academic Institutions, et al.
