If you’re looking for some garden design inspiration, a new guide to enhancing your outside space by Roofing Megastore has revealed the stunning colour palettes of the most photographed gardens in the world. Providing the first step for anyone hoping to emulate the look and feel of these far-flung locations in their own garden, or even inside the home.
After analysis of almost 2 million Instagram snaps, the most photographed gardens include the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo with its delicate cherry blossom shades of pink, all the way to Yves Saint Lauren’s garden in Morocco with its mesmerising and unmistakable cobalt blue. However, it was Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay that took the crown as the most photographed in the world, with over a million snaps of the garden shared on Instagram so far.
The colour palettes of each garden are also revealed in new eye-catching imagery. Each photograph showcases the key colours that make each garden so recognisable, whilst also highlighting the softer shades that help to complement the bolder colours on show.
1. Gardens By The Bay, Central Region, Singapore: 1,067,717 Instagram Photos
One of the most popular tourist attractions in Singapore that has seen well over 50 million visitors since its creation, brings nature right into the bustling city. Spanning some 250 acres that consist of waterfront gardens, the largest glass greenhouse in the world and its instantly recognisable ‘Supertrees’, the garden forms part of the nation’s plan to transform Singapore into a ‘City in a Garden’.
Awash with colour, the palette includes vibrant pinks and standout greens that include lush lime colours to darker marshy hues.
2. Majorelle Garden (Yves Saint Laurent’s house & garden) Marrakech, Morocco: 209,050 Instagram Photos
The world-famous cobalt blue of La Jardin Majorelle takes centre stage amongst the 300 plant species, from five continents that make up this psychedelic desert garden design. French fashion designer Yves Saint Lauren was entranced by its beauty and bought the site in 1980, living there with his partner Pierre Berge, and the garden is now Morocco’s most visited tourist attraction, pulling in 900,000 visitors a year.
This is a rich and hypnotic colour scheme, with the electric blue and vibrant mustard yellow sitting aside the grey-green of the cactus and the bright turquoise of the water and the arches.
3. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Tokyo, Japan: 140,142 Instagram Photos
One of Tokyo’s largest and most popular parks, Shinjuku Gyoen turns a subtle shade of candyfloss pink as cherry blossoms envelop the landscape in spring. From late March to early April, more than 400 Somei Yoshino trees explode in a celebration of the beloved pink hue.
The park originated in 1603 and it features three different types of garden – the oldest is a traditional Japanese landscape garden, and the other two are a formal French garden and an English landscape garden.
A subtle range of cherry blossom shades dominates the colour scheme here, complemented by the darker colours in the water, and the fresh greens of the grass.
4. Gardens of Versailles, Versailles, France: 96,575 Instagram Photos
These exquisite gardens are situated to the west of the Palace of Versailles – dating back to the time of Louis XIV, the gardens feature a mosaic of meticulous lawns, sculpture and fountains, and in total, they span around 800 hectares of land.
The colour palette here is one of earthy sand tones from the pathways and buildings, combined with a variety of exciting greens – from the deep shades of the trees to the lighter grass, topped off with the eucalyptus grey-green of the water in the middle.
5. Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands: 71,918 Instagram Photos
Said to be ‘the most beautiful spring garden in the world, Keukenhof is the world’s largest and most famous flower park, boasting more than 7 million flowers in bloom between April and May, including tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, orchids, roses, carnations, irises and lilies.
Visitors are said to be overwhelmed by a spectacle of colour and perfume, and the colour palette here is a glorious riot of colour – from punchy pinks to glorious greens, layered with yellows, blues and reds on top.
6. New York Botanical Garden, New York, USA: 48,983 Instagram Photos
Located in Bronx Park, the New York Botanical Garden was established in 1891 and is home to over 1 million living plants. Spanning more than 250 acres, the gardens feature 50 acres of old-growth woodlands, a wetland trail, an azalea garden and the internationally renowned Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, which is home to more than 650 different varieties of roses.
The crisp whites of the dome contrast with vibrant blues and greens to create a fresh and relaxing colour palette that would work beautifully in any garden.
7. Monet’s Garden, Giverny, France: 46,040 Instagram Photos
Claude Monet’s iconic garden is a Japanese-inspired water garden that sits beside his Giverny home that he bought in 1883. When designing the garden, he is said to have not liked the organisation of constrained gardens, instead of arranging flowers according to their colours and letting them grow freely.
We know many people are planning to transform their gardens this year, be that with a garden room a new conservatory, or simply redesigning the borders and planting some new flowers. So, if a holiday abroad is still off the cards this summer, what better way to evoke the atmosphere of somewhere more exotic, than taking inspiration from the world’s most beautiful gardens?”
To see the full garden inspiration guide, visit https://www.roofingmegastore.co.uk/garden-colour-palettes where you can get advice on which plants and flowers fit within each colour scheme, as well as each colour’s hex code for paint matching.
