Most of my gardener friends, both in person and online, have been all a-flutter about recent movies featuring to-die-for gardens. The uber-cool vegetable garden in “It’s Complicated” and the other-worldly phosphorescent plants in “Avatar” have us fantasizing about our ideal garden while we’re bundled up inside by the fire. But here’s the deal on movie gardens: they’re not real. We sorta know this because we’re gardeners. Theresa Loe from Garden Fresh Living wrote an article on the subject this past week, and even I didn’t guess that tomatoes were wired on to movie plants to make them look more lush!
That being said, movie gardens do have value in that they inspire us in our own gardens. I know I’m going to have grubs and aphids from time to time, and that some of my plants will be frost-bitten or wilting from forgetting to water. I know that I’ll plant an aloe in more sun than it can take and I’ll be sorry. Movie gardens will never have these issues, but that’s okay–they help me to envision what I want, like beautiful seed/plant catalogues and pictures in garden magazines. So I’ve compiled a list of some movie gardens to whet your appetite and get you going:
- “Just Like Heaven”– 2005. Mark Ruffalo’s character is a landscape architect who falls in love with Reese Witherspoon. He creates an amazing rooftop garden for her that had me alternately weeping and wondering what the heck did it cost to do that?? Rose covered gazebo with wooden plank walkways, gravel, luscious potted plants…I have to admit, this one’s my favorite.
- “Enchanted April”– 1991. A couple of unhappily married women rent a villa in Italy for a month, and reflect on love and the men in their lives. The garden is courtyard-ish with lush roses, hydrangeas and potted flowers–I’m just sayin’, if I’m going to be in an Italian villa like this for an entire month, I’m not bringing my best galpal, Kellie. I’m taking a hunky man with me for that.
- “Edward Scissorhands”–1990. An artificial man named Edward has scissors for hands, and is taken in by a suburban family, falling in love with their daughter. He learns how to cut hair with his scissors, but the topiary gardens he creates are really cool! And I don’t care if he’s artificial and doesn’t have hands, Johnny Depp is hot.
- “Alice in Wonderland”–comes out in spring 2010! The trailer is awesome and the scenery awesome-r. As one would expect from a Tim Burton movie, the garden appears slightly dark and goth, with clipped evergreen shrubs and foreboding hedges, with explosions of color that somehow defy any sense of sweetness.
- “Avatar”–Okay, so I admit I haven’t seen this one yet, but I’m told there are other-worldly primeval forests-bordering-on-jungles with towering trees, ferns, mosses, amazing phosphorus plants and sparkling rivers laden with lily pads.
There are a number of other movies that feature incredible gardens (“Green Card,” “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,” “The Draftsman’s Contract,” “Lord of the Rings”), just remind yourselves when you begin your botanical salivation that while these gardens are designed to wow and inspire, they are not gardens that can realistically be achieved. But, like all great art, when we are inspired to re-create beauty in the world around us, we make it that much more difficult for violence, baseness and ugliness to thrive. Because more than just loving plants and sinking our hands into soil, gardeners are an instinctively hopeful and generous bunch, and there isn’t anything more beautiful than that. Well, that and Johnny Depp.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
LOVE THIS! And thanks for the mention of my blog post.
I agree that as long as we remember that it is not real, we can enjoy the illusion..and Johnny Depp of course. I think we, as gardeners, “get” that.
I do worry that non-gardeners or newbie gardeners will not understand the illusion. I would hate for them to run out and “try this at home” only to be disappointed. But you know…we are grown ups and we should understand that when we go to the movies, it is an escape. It would not be as much fun to see a garden with spent plants and bug bites. Right?
And don’t you just love that more movies are including gardens at all? How cool is THAT?
Almost as cool as….well, Johnny Depp! LOL
Yeah, I worried about the same thing with garden newbs, but I guess if we can figure out that movie romances aren’t really real, then we should be okay! And about Johnny…what can we say? GAH.
I’m SO glad you mentioned Edward Scissorhands…one of my all time fav movies (and, uh…yes, actors). It’s because of him that I love topiaries…
And I love that movies are including more and more gorgeous gardens…great for whetting the ‘gardening’appetite of the general public!
I’ve been amazed at the response to my blog post about the It’s Complicated garden. It really struck a chord. But I too, was one of those all aflutter in spite of knowing the work involoved to fake a garden like that. Love the list of other garden movies as well.
Thanks, Rhonda! I’ll check out your post, too!
Thank you Jenny for your wonderful suggestions! I will have to see some of these now, and add another movie-garden goodie to the list. Every year when I catch Spring fever and I can’t wait for gardening season I watch the Secret Garden. Besides the gorgeous foreboding moors and other English castle landscaping, the magnificent rose garden, which is surrounded by tattered stone walls cascading with mounds of English ivy, I am reminded that in the magic of a summer garden, anything is possible.