Harry Potter Inspired Gardens
Whether you dream of a formal English garden, complete with squared hedges and perfectly lined bulbs popping up in spring, or a wild edible plot, hopping with mischievous gnomes or maybe a forbidden forest hosting mysterious plants and creatures that are excited to help – or eat – you, Tallahassee is the perfect place to create a most magical garden.
With over 100 plants mentioned – from food to potions to wands to character names – the Harry Potter series lends itself quite nicely to garden planning in Tallahassee. Take note of your favorites and add a Dumbledore wink to your garden or work with our award-winning Landscape team to design an immersive, magical green space that you can enjoy for years to come!
The Dursley's Garden
You don’t have to have someone living under the stairs to appreciate a traditional English garden. The muggles at number four aren’t great humans, but they do have a pristine, envy-worthy garden, complete with hydrangeas under the windows and colorful annuals. Plus, they live on Privet Drive (ligustrum) and the cross street is Magnolia. See where I’m going with this? Classic, traditional, perfection.
Mrs. Weasley's Garden
This woman. As a mom, she’s the most relatable character for me. She and I share an insane temper, overwhelming sense of worry (where do I get that clock?!) and an unbreakable bond with the people we love. But! Relevant to plants...her garden is life. Growing food, cooking with the kids and having big family dinners in the garden. What could be better?
Professor Trelawney's Garden
If you’re a mysterious maximalist, this is the garden for you. Obviously, you’ll need lots of camellia sinensis (tea) for brewing and reading. Imagine a colorful Victorian home, covered in creeping fig and ivy with a postage stamp garden full of heavily scented herbs and flowers springing up between the tea hedge, dappled with candles (or fairy lights), orbs, chimes and all things needed for literal and spiritual reflection and observation.
Plants: Ligustrum, Roses, Hydrangeas, Petunias, Magnolias
Design Elements: brick, clean lines, symmetry
Plants: Camellia sinensis, Apples, Potatoes, Cabbage, Garlic, Honeysuckle & other veggies and herbs.
Design Elements: gnomes, dining space, hoop houses, chickens, cold cellar
Plants: Camelia sinensis, Lavender, Roses, Mint, Vines, Honeysuckle
Design Elements: water features, chimes, creative lighting, overstuffed poufs for seating & funky scarves for shade cloth
Professor Sprout's Garden
Let’s get a little creative with the head of Hufflepuff. She has multiple greenhouses, so you can play outside of our hardiness zone to include some tropicals and porch plants. And while many plants in her greenhouses are not entirely “real,” they are derived from reality.
Neville's Garden
Imagine Hilton Carter, but awkward. This guy has every rare, unique and exotic plants mixed in with reliable classics and everything is thriving...in a hip apartment in the city with floor to ceiling windows for his tropical houseplants and rooftop access for veggies and herbs.
Professor Snape's Garden
It’s a terrible idea to publish a list of poisons and potions, however, I imagine this garden is very lush and well cared for. And contrary to the dark vibe he gives off, the space is quite sunny and loved deeply and meticulously. He’s probably the Monty Don of the Wizarding World.
Plants: Ficus (Mandrake), Aloe (Bubotube), Elderberry, Coffee, Exotic Fruits, Mushrooms, Herbs
Design Elements: greenhouse, veggie beds, badger statuary, plant description labels, warning signs, potting bench, stacks of pots
Plants: Houseplants, Herbs, Funky Cacti (Mimbulus mimbletonia)
Design Elements: tons of lighting, clean lines, few tripping hazards, greenhouse, propogation stations
Ollivander's Picks for Your Tallahassee Garden
Plants: Holly, Hornbeam, Hawthorne, Ash, Willow, Elderberry, Cherry (Taiwan), Cypress, Yew, Birch, Mayhaw
Remember, it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, so get outside and start living your garden dreams!
*This article was written by Jeri Glaze
Sources: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
