Chasing an English Garden in Florida—Because Why Not?

Traditional English Garden

A Floridian’s Attempt at an English Garden—What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

My wife and I had a bold idea—or maybe just a ridiculous one. We transformed a living room-sized patch of our tiny half-postage stamp lot into a classic English butterfly garden. Think winding stone paths, lush blooms spilling over in every direction, and that charmingly untamed look that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a Jane Austen novel.

Of course, there was one small problem: we live in subtropical Southwest Florida.

Still, optimism (and maybe a little delusion) kept us going. The real challenge, though, was trying to explain to each other what we envisioned. Words failed, and hand gestures didn’t help. So, in a moment of modern-day brilliance, I turned to AI. If I couldn’t paint the picture in my wife’s mind, maybe technology could.

After many prompt tweaks, adjustments, and a few outright AI-generated hallucinations, I landed on this image. It’s not perfect, but close enough to be our shared reference point. A dream garden plucked straight from the English countryside—minus the Florida humidity, hurricanes, and lizards sunbathing in the flower beds.

Realistically, our little patch of dirt will never look exactly like this. But who cares? With a bit of imagination, a lot of patience, and maybe a few Florida-friendly plant substitutions, we can create something just as beautiful—our version of an English garden, Southwest Florida style.