First published in 1667, Paradise Lost gave the modern age its most famous vision of Eden — for many, the original garden. And while Milton’s experiences of gardens at home and abroad shaped his vision of Eden — “A Heaven on Earth”, filled with all species of trees, flowers, and “blooming ambrosial fruit/ Of vegetable gold” — his literary creation had a profound influence on landscapes and garden design from the 18th century to today.

The influence of Paradise Lost is still being felt on today’s garden designs. Perhaps the most recent to cite the poem as inspiration is the writer Olivia Laing. In The Garden Against Time, Laing describes moving to a house in Suffolk with a garden designed by Mark Rumary, which had been left neglected for years. During the pandemic, as Laing painstakingly restored the garden, she read Milton’s epic. “The first thing I planted was wallflower seed,” she writes, “a variety called ‘Blood Red’, followed by plugs of ‘Fire King’. Miltonic names for a plant that makes a paradise of the driest wall.” Recreating Eden is her aim.