Movie Gardens

Photo credit: Melinda Sue Gordon - Universal Studios

Amy Stewart over at Garden Rant posted about the reality of Meryl’s Streep’s garden in the new movie, It’s Complicated. As the LA Times article said, this garden was not planted or tended in situ. It is a movie set. The plants for this ‘potager’ were grown in a greenhouse and laid out when it was time for the scene to be shot. Tomatoes were wired to the plants.

Some people have complained that this fantasy of a garden is laid out to seduce would be gardeners, and even experienced gardeners to such a degree that they will be disappointed and discouraged at not being able to create such a thing themselves. For myself, I cannot believe there are too many people who look at any house or garden in a movie who do not understand this is fantasy. It is a set created to establish character, and to entertain.

However, for those who are inspired by sets Amy passed along Remodelista’s posting on stealing the look with similar items that are available to us all. For a price.

Even before this movie came out, with its seductive garden, I’ve been thinking about making up a list of movies with beautiful or interesting gardens. I’ve come up with the recent documentary The Garden about a community garden in LA which is moving and frustrating and wonderful; The Secret Garden which heals; The Garden of the Finzi-Continis which I barely remember; Enchanted April with its glorious landscapes;  and Under the Tuscan Sun that has a fantasy house and garden. Surely there are other movies with notable, unique gardens or landscapes. What would you add?