Last summer, travelling through the Provençal countryside by train, I pondered the fields of sunflowers and groves of olive trees – planted in neat rows and pruned to perfection – and marvelled at how different it looked from our own landscape.

The real eye-opener had comeearlier, however: how dramatically man’s imprinton the land appeared to differ as I left Britain, then emerged from the Channel tunnel amid all things Gallic.

Be it agriculture or horticulture, how each nation tills and tends the soil is as much of a giveaway as the British propensity for wearing socks with sandals, and the irritatingly innate elegance and enviably thin ankles of the French.

We had travelled through British suburbs where our temperate climate allows for corridors of greenery. Lacking the orderliness of the French, our gardens are a hotchpotch: an endearing mix of lawn, flowerbeds, hanging baskets, sheds, trampolines and the gaudy plastic detritus of family life.

I love the way we Britons garden.

What you see here, you don’t see anywhere else. We are eclectic – even eccentric – and celebrate diversity. Nautical themes, Mediterranean courtyards, tropical jungle gardens and sleek modernity sit cheek by jowl with blowsy herbaceous borders, gardens given over entirely to the obsessive cultivation of one plant – dahlias, sweet peas or whatever – jokey topiary and intricate Elizabethan knots.

It is all one glorious celebration of gardening for its own sake. We don’t particularly care if our garden is tasteful, rarely feel the need to prove anything and aren’t afraid to embrace something foreign. Just look at the average British provincial high street, which offers Indian, Italian, Greek, American and Chinese cuisine, with a smattering of Japanese, Thai, Spanish and French thrown in for good measure. In any small town outside Paris, however, the food on offer is likely to be not only French, but specific to the region.

In much the same way, French gardens always look like French gardens. They are masters of formality and control, tending always towards symmetry: pruning, clipping, pollarding and making the plants work for them. The natural form is tamed. I always feel that French gardeners don’t take no for an answer from mother nature, whereas she senses that most Britons are a bit of a pushover.

Formality and symmetry are common to many countries, but there are marked differences, nonetheless. English formal gardens lack the necessary ruthlessness needed to achieve the cleanest lines and the greatest impact. The French are not afraid of scale, or of sticking to a plan without wavering. By comparison, our efforts are always a little fuzzy around the edges. And, when it comes to grand schemes, I think we tend to lose our nerve and wonder whether it couldn’t do with a bit of softening. It is partly our love affair with plants – a more-the-merrier approach – but it is also to do with having a dread of appearing to take it too seriously.

I’ve picked on the contrasts between the British and the French because the love-hate relationship that exists with our closest neighbour is a perfect illustration of how much national garden styles can differ, even over small distances. There are, of course, exceptions, and one must try to avoid cliché and the temptation to ignore the diversity of styles to be found in every country.

We admire and often emulate each other’s gardens: the English style is highly praised and popular in Japan, just as Japanese gardens are compelling to us. What looks familiar to one is exotic and unusual to another. But underlying, deep-seated tendencies and preferences – governed, perhaps, by national character, lifestyle and climate – show through, just as they do in art, costume and music. If we are the result of our upbringing and the influences of our immediate surroundings, our gardens are a reflection of that – and are all the more intriguing as a result.

OTHER NATIONAL STYLES

Italian

Italian gardens are weighed down with a wealth of history. Even in the mid-20th century, many of its citizens were still peasants, concentrating on growing vegetables in order to survive, rather than creating leafy groves in which to wander. Those were the preserve of the wealthy – so it’s no wonder that ancient columns, sculpture and other elements of classical decoration jostle with Renaissance, baroque and rococo ornament.

In Italian gardens, formality incorporates magnificent figurative fountains and stonework, but is softened by exuberance in the planting. If you’re looking to create a similar effect, don’t try to do it on a tight budget. Italian-style gardens constructed with inferior stone substitutes and dodgy faux-classical sculptures always look naff. To achieve the desired look of timeless quality, you have to use good materials.

The extreme heat of summer in Italy means that planting styles rely more heavily on evergreens than we have to, thanks to the temperate British climate. But terracotta pots filled with flowers or fruiting specimens will be in keeping with the Italian look and will provide just the right amount of extra colour.

Japanese

Asia is home to some of the world’s most enigmatic gardens. In Japan, the garden is a place of refuge and meditation, a haven in which to contemplate nature and one’s place within it. Serenity and simplicity are the order of the day. The natural landscape is reflected in the shaping of the ground and the careful placing of stones or raked gravel. Plants often have a distinct purpose, being used to create elegance of line or a shapely silhouette. Foliage and bark are as highly prized as flowers, and less is generally more.

If you long to achieve the same sense of clarity, go for high-quality hard landscaping and place the emphasis on one or two choice individual specimen plants. Acers may seem too obvious, but they are ideal for the job. Give them plenty of space and let them shine.

Moroccan

This style is frequently used in show gardens, and it works well in small, enclosed spaces, emulating the courtyards of a North African medina. Such gardens need the intensity of a Mediterranean sun to come to life – or at least a south-facing aspect. Rich colours are displayed on walls, floor tiles and mosaics. Similarly, intricate patterns and small repetitive friezes or borders instantly suggest a Moroccan influence, as do symmetrical water features – a key part of Islamic gardens, which often have a small fountain.

American

This is where the popular new prairie planting style really took off. It involves mixing flowering perennials – many native to North America – with grasses in vast, naturalistic swathes that melt into the landscape. The look works best when space is not an issue. Achieving this sense of expansive colour and movement is difficult in the back garden of the average British semi, but you can enjoy a similar feel in a sunny position, using a slimmed-down palette of the same plants.

Further reading: In Search of Paradise: Great Gardens of the World by Penelope Hobhouse (Frances Lincoln £25)

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