The poems and plays of English author William Shakespeare are some of the most widely read and best loved pieces of literature ever created. They have been enjoyed for hundreds of years and live in on countless new forms; movies, paintings, sculpture, and other artistic works have been created to celebrate the Bard’s literary works. One of the most interesting interpretations of Shakespeare’s writing is what’s known as a Shakespeare Garden. This is a garden that collects together all the trees and plants mentioned in his body of work. A complete list of these plants would fill several pages and including each and every one in a garden is a feat attempted by only the most ambitious gardeners. However, many of these plants are very common and easy to grow. It’s possible to create your own Shakespeare Garden in just a few seasons. Here are a few of the plants mentioned in the works of Shakespeare and their characteristics.
The Flowers
Bachelor’s button – A hardy annual flower that comes in shades of blue, dark blue, and pink. {Sometimes called cornflower.}
Carnation – A bouquet staple, carnations come in white, red, pink, mauve, yellow, salmon, and striped varieties.
Cockle – Also called common corncockle. A pink flower that grows on a tall, stiff stalk that blooms in the summer months.
Columbine – A showy perennial flower that grows easily in woodlands and meadows. There are several dozen species and many more varieties; columbines can be white, yellow, light blue, light purple, dark purple, mauve, bright pink, and red-orange.
Daffodil – Also called narcissus. Grows easily from a bulb planted in fall; it will regrow and spread each year. Comes in yellow, white, and orange.
Rose – The queen of flowers, available in many varieties. Red and orange wild roses are often founds in traditional Shakespeare Gardens.
The Trees
Apple – A long-lived tree known for its blossoms and tasty fruit. Flowers in spring; ready for harvest in late fall.
Birch – A beautiful tree with delicate white bark. Often features in ornamental gardens.
Cedar – The name cedar is given to many different trees, some with no relation to one another. The cedar trees in the Pinaceae family are found in Cyprus, Turkey, and Siberia. Cedar trees in the Cupressaceae family can be found throughout North, Central, and South America.
Date – A fruit-bearing palm tree. Date palms have been cultivated in southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East for thousands of years. Mature trees can grow to be up to seventy-five feet tall.
Myrtle – Though the myrtle is sometimes referred to as a tree, it is actually an evergreen shrub that can potentially grow quite large. It has pretty white flowers and round dark blue berries.
Oak – A tall hardwood tree that makes frequent appearance in myths and fairy tales. There are many species of oak tree including those native to North America.
Sycamore – Though the name has been applied to many different species of tree, technically speaking sycamores are a member of the fig tree family. Some bear fruit while some do not.
Herbs and Spices
Bay – A very ancient species of tree cultivated for its aromatic leaves. Also called laurel, this plant grows well in moist, temperate climates.
Chamomile – A traditional medicinal herb that grows well in dry soil. Small white flowers blossom from feathery leaves; chamomile has a faintly aroma similar to apples.
Mace – This spice comes from the same tree as nutmeg. Nutmeg is collected from the seed itself while mace derives from the darker red outer coating of the seed. The nutmeg/mace tree is native to Indonesia and only grows in tropical climates.
Mint – A prolific and popular herb. Mint is a perennial plant that requires little encouragement to grow. Spearmint and peppermint are the two most popular varieties.
Food Plants
Barley – Used in many traditional European dishes as well as bread and beer. Recognizable by its fluffy seed heads.
Cabbage – An annual vegetable with a dense central cluster of leaves. Eaten raw or cooked, cabbage is known for its pungent flavor.
Grape – A vining fruit most famous for its use in the making of wine. Grapes have been cultivated in Europe, North Africa, and Asia for many thousands of years.
Potato – In Shakespeare’s day, the potato would have been a very novel food. Potatoes, tomatoes, and squash all come from North America, which was discovered not long before Shakespeare began writing.
These are just a handful of the plants, herbs, trees, and bushes mentioned by Shakespeare in his vast body of work. Adding a few of these plants to your next garden will certainly inspire your creativity.
Lauren Hill is a contributing author for The Growers Exchange, an online gardening company offering potted plants, herbs and accessories delivered directly to your home.
Rachel says
February 6, 2013 at 2:32 pmWow, what a great (and informative!) post! Thank you for sharing.
Loreina says
February 6, 2013 at 4:13 pmThat’s really neat! I would have never considered a Shakespeare garden before!
Susan Bewley says
February 6, 2013 at 6:14 pmThis is super neat and informative! I’m really hoping to have a garden this spring!
mitchelle says
February 6, 2013 at 7:15 pmIt’s only now I realize that Shakespeare was not only a poet but also a botanist. LOL
JennieIW says
February 6, 2013 at 7:20 pmI’ve never heard of such a thing, but it sounds awesome and very cool. I love the idea of trying this.
Anya@IW says
February 6, 2013 at 9:11 pmI loved this article and learned so much. Thank you, Lauren! Where’s Snickers?
I don’t have room for more trees (wish I did!), but I am excited to try the flowers, herbs and food plants.
I remembered this and had to share:
“And this, our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.” (As You Like It act 2, sc.1)
snickers says
February 6, 2013 at 9:59 pmAnya,
Catching up, this is just beautiful! I have many of these plants in my garden, but some of the tree’s will not grow in my area. What a beautiful idea to get started with a new garden. If any one does this, please let us know.
Ann@IW says
February 8, 2013 at 10:59 amBeautiful! I can’t wait for spring.
Roses!
Ladies, I am eyeing my forsythia and planning on clipping it early and forcing the yellow blooms indoors I am so ready for sun and blooms!
snickers says
February 8, 2013 at 11:36 amAnya,
My mail box has overflowed with seed catalogs! Always something new to plant. Looking forward to spring, but we sure could just some rain before the plants come up.
Lauren Hill says
February 18, 2013 at 10:35 amHi Everybody! I’m so happy you liked my post! It was fun to research and write. Gardening is a passion of mine and I love to write on the subject when I get the chance. Thanks so much for your kind words! Happy Planting! Spring is just around the corner!
Carol L says
February 24, 2013 at 3:45 pmAwesome and amazing. I have never heard of anything like this before. Thanks so much for this post. I love the idea and would love to try at least some of it.
Carol L.
Heidi says
March 3, 2013 at 2:09 pmThis looks so pretty and I learned so much from it. I hope to incorporate some of it in my own gardern this year.
tami s says
May 28, 2013 at 7:18 amI’ve never heard of this. I’m going to read up and ry o see how many I can include in a garden.
Sandra Beeman says
June 9, 2013 at 4:05 pmI never knew that Shakespeare was closely relating his literary works. I garden, however I know I am absolutely skilled enough now to grow a lot of the flowers or trees mentioned in your review.
Lily@IW says
October 28, 2013 at 9:27 pmI love the idea of this. I’ve never heard of anyone doing a Shakespeare garden. I used to enjoy growing herbs. As soon as I started reading, I remembered when Ophelia was going mad in Hamlet:
There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray,
love, remember: and there is pansies. that’s for thoughts.
There’s fennel for you, and columbines: there’s rue
for you; and here’s some for me: we may call it
herb-grace o’ Sundays: O you must wear your rue with
a difference. There’s a daisy: I would give you
some violets, but they withered all when my father
died: they say he made a good end.
Lauren Hill says
October 29, 2013 at 7:59 amI’m so happy to know this article is still bringing joy so many months after posting. I would love to hear about the gardens that have been planted using a Shakespeare theme.
Rosie says
June 4, 2015 at 12:16 pmoh, I love this and my heart skips a few beats! I would like to incorporate a special little section just for a Shakespeare literary garden!
Rosie says
March 21, 2017 at 1:00 pmI love this – so special! I’ve always wanted to see Claude Monet Giverny Garden in France – this is just as nice an idea!
Jeanna Massman says
March 25, 2017 at 1:13 amThis would be a great gardening project!
Melissa Storms says
April 11, 2017 at 5:39 amI love the idea of planting a garden based on this idea. I bought my husband a Mary statue many years ago and have been planning a Mary garden for years, I have a few roses planted but need to plant spme of the other plants around the statue.
Renee Rousseau says
April 19, 2017 at 5:48 pmI love this garden! I love the idea of this garden! I love the look, the color and the aromas of this garden! I hope I can successfully plagiarize this garden!!
Katy says
May 3, 2017 at 2:46 pmThis is such a cool idea! I love the idea of gardening with a theme like this. It’s amazing to have plants with such a history!