26 Secret Garden Ideas That Will Transport You Inside Your Favorite Book

Pique Curiosity With a Wall and Door

In The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Mary Lennox discovers a hidden retreat behind a garden door. As a little nod to this concept, add your own garden door and wall at the entrance of your garden. It will spark a little joy every time a visitor opens it for the first time.

Install a Freestanding Door

Installing a wall with a door may not be realistic budget-wise. However, a stand-alone door can achieve the same enchanting and mysterious look, especially if it looks a little timeworn. This garden door staged by Long Barn Gardens is the perfect example.

Plant Some Allium Giganteum

Allium giganteum is an onion species that’s native to parts of Asia. It produces large, round clusters of purple flowers that look like a plant straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. Adding a few bulbs alongside a garden path can help you chase that storybook aesthetic.

Shape Your Topiary Bushes

It is pretty amazing what shapes you can form out of topiary bushes. It’s definitely an art that may require some outside help, but you can always take on the job of maintenance to keep them looking their best.

Grow Fragrant Flowers

The smells of certain blooms have the power to bring you back to specific moments in time. When choosing the flowers for your garden, think of the blooms that you have a strong positive association with.

For example, if your grandma always kept roses and lavender in her garden and you loved smelling them as a child, plant a row of both.

Install a Vintage Gate

To achieve a secret garden look, you’ll want your outdoor space to look like it’s been there for decades. A vintage iron gate will do just that.

Grow Trumpet Vine

Any vining plant that blooms will instantly add some whimsy to your yard. Trumpet vine is a great example, and it’s a fairly low-maintenance plant.

Plant Wisteria

Wisteria is another example of a whimsical vining plant. The feather-shaped leaves will still look lovely growing on an arbor long after the blooms fade.

Install a Fountain

Fountains also channel a historic style that mirrors the time period of The Secret Garden. If it’s not in the budget to invest in a functioning fountain, you can achieve a similar look with other cement lawn ornaments like statues and bird baths.

Choose Plants That Re-Bloom

The key to a storybook garden is ensuring there’s always a little bit of color around. When selecting your landscaping plants, opt for perennials with a long blooming period, such as hydrangeas.

Consider the Seasons

Another way to ensure there’s always a colorful flower around is to select plants that bloom during different times of year. For example, daffodils, Lilly of the valley, and grape hyacinth show off in the early spring, while peonies and Iris start to take over in late spring. Come fall and summer, zinnias, sunflowers, and cone flowers show off their glory.

Add Some Cute Lawn Art

Alice in Wonderland is another classic storybook with a strong garden theme. To invite some of that magic into your own backyard, look no further than lawn ornaments like little mushroom figurines. If you want to take it a step further, you could even make a fairy garden.

Add Mood Lighting

Lighting is such a powerful tool for curating an enchanting ambiance. The key is to create small pockets of light, which is easily achieved via path lights and stringed lights.

Install an Arched Arbor

Arched arbors instantly add an inviting touch to your garden. Plants like roses or ivy always look beautiful growing up an arbor, and you can also install some stringed lights for an extra special touch.

Add Height With Plants

To really channel the feeling of a secret garden, you want the space to feel a little secluded. One way to achieve that is by adding height via towering plants. Dahlia plants are a great choice for this because some varieties can grow as tall as six feet. You can also increase their height by planting them in an elevated garden bed.

Decide on a Focal Point

One way to spark a sense of wonder in your garden is by staging a focal point. This spot will be where guests naturally focus their attention when they first enter your garden. This could be a feature like a fountain, gazebo, or greenhouse.

Choose Vibrant Flowers

Flowers with muted tones are beautiful in their own right, but there’s something extra captivating and magical about bright ones. So go ahead and go bold with a field of pink and red tulips.

Use Contrasting Colors

In addition to vibrancy, contrast is another way to infuse some whimsy into your garden’s color palette. Contrasting colors sit opposite from one another on the color wheel and really stand out when you pair them together. Violet-blue and yellow-orange are examples of contrasting colors that look gorgeous together in a garden.

Choose Victorian-Inspired Furniture

The Secret Garden takes place at the tail end of the Victorian era, so selecting Victorian-inspired decor and furniture will help you lean into that look. Cast iron furniture sets with floral motifs are fairly easy to find secondhand.

Install Pea Gravel

If you’re going for a bit of a fairytale look for your garden, pea gravel is a great way to achieve that. When you take a look at the gardens at English cottages or chateaux in France, you’ll often notice this material in abundance.

Scatter Wild Flowers

For a garden to feel truly secret, you don’t want it to seem too manicured and human-made. One way to add an organic, natural look is by planting a wildflower field.

Create a Whimsical Outdoor Light Fixture

Materials like stringed lights and twigs give off a woodland fairy look, especially when you pair them together. We absolutely love this outdoor lighting fixture DIYed by @avigail.adam.

Let the Ivy Trail

When you think of a story book cottage, ivy growing along the side of it often comes to mind. Planting some in your own backyard will help you achieve the same effect.

Surround Seating Areas With Flowers

Chances are, you spend the most time in your garden where there’s seating. Enclosing the seating area in your garden with tons of flowers will make it feel like an enticing escape.

Put a Dining Area Under a Tree

Once you put forth all the effort into curating a magical outdoor space, a dining area will help you get the most use out of it. Under a tree makes for an extra enchanting place to host a tea party.

Line a Trail With Tall Shrubs

If you’re lucky enough to own a decent amount of land, installing a winding trail or garden path is always a great idea. A canopy of tall blooming shrubs, such as Pacific rhododendron, will really lean into a storybook feel when planted beside it.