One of my favorite parts of designing landscapes is constantly learning. Not just from books or other designers, but from actually experiencing other gardens. Recently, I had the opportunity to travel and visit a few absolutely gorgeous Roman gardens, and I came back with a completely different perspective on how I approach garden design.

What I was reminded of when exploring the gardens of Rome was something I’m inspired to bring through to my clients’ yards…

It’s not about having perfect plants or the most impressive color palette. It’s about how a space makes you feel when you’re standing in it.

How to Experience Gardens When You Travel

Before I share what I discovered at these incredible gardens, let me talk about how to approach visiting gardens when you’re traveling. Because if we’re being truthful, most people walk through them the way they walk through a museum by checking off boxes, snapping quick pics, and then moving on. But that’s never where the magic happens.

The key to enjoying and truly experiencing a garden for what it’s meant to be is to slow down and engage with the space like you’re a student of design.

Notice how the pathways curve and where they lead. Pay attention to what you can and can’t see from different angles. Use all your senses. What do you smell? (Lavender? Citrus? Damp soil?) What do you hear? (Fountains? Birds? Gravel crunching underfoot?

Roman gardens are specifically designed to engage more than just your eyes, and once you start noticing these details, you’ll see why they’ve influenced garden design for centuries.

Here’s what to focus on:

• The bones: Hardscaping, pathways, structural elements, how trees are positioned, what creates shade
• The flow: Are you discovering something new around every corner, or does the space reveal itself all at once?
• The comparison: How does this compare to what you love about your own yard? What elements could you bring home? Not necessarily the same plants (we live in DC, after all!), but the feeling.

By the time you leave, you’ll have a completely different understanding of what makes a garden work, and you’ll be able to apply those lessons to your own backyard.

Stop 1: Villa Borghese

When I walked into Villa Borghese in Rome, I understood immediately why Roman gardens have been studied and replicated for centuries.

This garden, created during the 17th-century romantic period, isn’t designed to impress you with a single view. It’s designed to invite you on a journey.

What shocked me the most, though, was that the flowers are barely the focus in these Roman gardens.

Instead, Villa Borghese showcases the relationship between organic, natural forms of trees and shrub with architectural elements like statuary and marble pieces. The way these elements blend together creates a sense of timelessness that, simply put, amazed me.

Standing there, I realized: this is what I’m trying to create in DC backyards. Not a garden that screams “look at me,” but a space that invites you to experience it. A place where you want to spend an afternoon wandering, where every corner offers something new.

Stop 2: The Myrtle Botanical Garden – A Different Approach to Roman Gardens

Unlike the historic Roman gardens you might imagine, the Myrtle Botanical Garden in Sainte Maxime was developed much more recently, in the 1990s. What struck me here is how similar the feeling is to Villa Borghese, even though the purpose is completely different.

This garden was created as an educational space focused on native Mediterranean plant species, ecology, and biodiversity. Every single plant is labeled, and I mean every.

The approach is scientific, intentional, and deeply rooted in understanding what grows naturally in this region, and yet… it still has that same sense of discovery. The style is curated but relaxed and organic. You’re learning while you’re wandering, but it doesn’t feel like a classroom.

Here’s my favorite discovery from Myrtle Botanical Garden: Cercis, what we call Redbuds in DC, are native to the Mediterranean. These trees were thriving in this garden, and seeing them in their native habitat gave me a whole new appreciation for how I use them in my designs back home. It’s a reminder that understanding where a plant comes from, what it needs, and how it naturally grows is just as important as its appearance.

Bringing Roman Garden Principles Home to Your DC Landscape

So, how do you take what you experience traveling and apply it to your own yard? The answer is about understanding the “why” behind Roman gardens and translating those principles into your own space.

Start by creating discovery. Don’t reveal your entire garden from the front door. Use pathways that curve, trees that create canopies, shrubs that block sightlines…

Make people want to explore, and then prioritize experience over perfection. A garden that makes you feel something, whether that’s peace, curiosity, or aliveness, is more valuable than a garden that looks perfect, but doesn’t invite you in.

Understand your plants deeply. Know where they come from, what they need, how they naturally want to grow. It’s about respecting the nature of each plant and working with it, not against it. And don’t be afraid to blend structure with softness. Whether it’s a stone pathway with flowering perennials or a marble accent surrounded by organic shrub forms, the contrast creates magic.

The most important thing is to slow down. Even in your own backyard, slow down. Spend time noticing and experiencing your garden the way you’d experience Roman gardens while traveling, with curiosity, all your senses engaged, and an openness to discovery.

Taking Inspiration from Travel to Create an Experience Back Home

I came home from this trip completely inspired, not because I want to recreate Roman gardens in DC (we can try all we want, but it will never be the same!), but because I understood on a deeper level why certain design principles work.

Why meandering pathways feel better than straight ones, and why mystery and discovery matter more than grandeur.

Your backyard doesn’t need to be historic or world-famous to create that same sense of magic. It just needs to be thoughtfully designed with the principles of Roman gardens and good design in mind. Prioritizing engaging the senses, moments that invite exploration, plant selection, and the experience itself will make it feel all the more inspirational every time you step foot out the door.

At Lanier Landscapes, this is exactly what I have in mind when I collaborate with homeowners on their spaces.

If you’re dreaming of a backyard that feels like a personal escape, inspired by the beauty of historic spaces yet perfectly suited to your life in DC, I’d love to work with you on that vision.