Ever since the legend of the Garden of Eden and Hanging Garden of Babylon, people from the Western civilization have longed for the gardens from the East. After the Age of Sail, various “Plant Hunter” brought back the seeds of magical plants from the Far East, trying to grow on their own land. Between 18th and 19th centuries, many European poets, writers and painters, using their imagination to depict the legendary gardens from the East. At that time, they were able to create all sorts of Oriental Gardens in their own botanical gardens and private gardens. These gardens were filled with exotic flowers and plants they brought from the Far East, and were carefully designed according to their imagination about Chinese and Japanese gardens. These Oriental Gardens of course were very different from those found in China and Japan, because they were just a product of imagination and desire. 

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“…And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,

Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;

And here were forests ancient as the hills,

Enfolding sunny spots of greenery…”

“Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 

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That was a time after the Age of Sail, when “Plant Hunters” brought back the seeds from the Far East and allowed those ancient oriental flowers to flourish in other foreign countries. Orange blossoms and freesias intertwined with the woody scent, if you smell carefully, you might find this royal scent can be as beautiful as a jasmine.