[Diana in Wisconsin]

English Garden Follies: Enchanting and Enduring

Whether it is an Asian-influenced pavilion, a faux crumbling medieval ruin, or a domed neoclassical temple (picture the one in the rain where a drenched Lizzie Bennet meets up with Mr. Darcy during the climactic scene in the 2005 remake of Pride & Prejudice), garden follies have dotted the British landscape for some 300 years. Despite the not-so-serious-sounding name, these architectural creations are more than just pretty faces.

“They had meaning over and above just being delightful,” says Emile de Bruijn from the UK’s National Trust. Think of follies as a sort of three-dimensional 18th-century Instagram—a way for landowners to share their interests in other cultures or in literature, or to make a political statement, suggests de Bruijn: “The structures needed to be attractive and amusing, but there was always a message somewhere.”

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I had no idea there were names for these structures. So gorgeous!

More info at link: https://flowermag.com/english-garden-follies/

If you ever have a chance to read ‘Flower’ Magazine, it is a real treat for the eyes.

[FamiliarFace]

*** Think of follies as a sort of three-dimensional 18th-century Instagram—a way for landowners to share their interests in other cultures or in literature, or to make a political statement, ***

If I had a follie, it would be like a tiki hut of some sort. It wouldn’t at all go with anything around here, but I have always wanted to have one someplace. Maybe I will make a fairy garden planter with a tiki theme. That way it would be small enough not to be a terrible distraction.