Colorado Shakespeare Gardens
self-guided tour
calendula3.JPG

The Canon Gardens

Knot gardens first appeared in England in the reign of my Queen Elizabeth. They take their design from shapes in mathematics, limned by paths with edges of boxwood, cotton lavender, and germander. The design of Tudor gardens was made to mirror the design of the magnificent buildings around them, and was meant to be viewed from the building’s upper windows.

The Canon Gardens

 

Along the West wall, you’ll find gardens representing many of the comedies and tragedies from Shakespeare’s canon. These tiny plots are bursting with plants mentioned in his plays, from the fruit trees of apple, pear, and pomegranate to common herbs, and many, many roses.

Take special note of the flower Shakespeare calls marigold, which we know as calendula. Calendula was one of the most common apothecary herbs of Shakespeare’s time, and his many mentions of the plant reflect the familiarity his audiences would have had with it. Nearly every garden along this wall has at least one calendula flower amongst the others.