Our forebear's gardens ranged from formal garden planters to high end planters to decorative planters. The typical 19th century garden was a sanctuary - a secluded romantic piece of soft lawns, statuary and beds of European favorites. By the early 20th century, labour shortages had contributed to the rise of the smaller private garden which includes indoor plants and the popularity of gardening as a national pastime.

Bedding out of hothouses annuals became too expensive and labour-intensive and keen gardeners embraced hardy, easy-to-grow plants in window box plants. Gardens dominated by lawns bordered by flowerbeds like decorative plants became popular in the 1920s.

The 1930s was a golden age of garden design, with poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West's creation of linked gardens at Sissinghurst Castle, England, the gardens of Edna Walling and Paul Sorrensen in Australia and those of Alfred Buxton and Edgar Taylor in New Zealand. Variations of some of these themes probably already exist in your garden. You could highlight those you have, or introduce more, to bring the tranquility of a bygone age to a modern garden with outdoor planters.