Every garden holds a story. This summer, 23 little gardeners opened the gates to theirs.

A secret garden can take the most wonderful forms, sizes and colours. It can be hidden behind an old stone wall, tucked beneath a great tree, or found at the end of a familiar path. It can be a grand French château garden, a patch of prairie, a corner of a grandmother's garden, or simply a beloved place you twirl, dance in or walk by daily. And sometimes, a secret garden exists entirely in our imagination.

This summer, we invited Charlotte sy Dimby families to share their own enchanted gardens with us for our Secret Garden photo contest, inspired by the beautiful garden of the artist Shari Ford and her love of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden book.

The competition took us around the world. From Provence to Paris, Texas to Utah, Australia to Japan, Canada to the American prairie, each family found a different way into the garden.

Some discovered roses. Some found fountains. Some wandered through grand historic gardens. Others simply opened a book, followed a familiar path, or stepped outside into their own backyard. And all taught us that there is no one way to find an enchanted garden. As Marcel Proust said : 'The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.'

So, before Shari chooses the winner whose photograph will become an original portrait, we wanted to pause and introduce you to the little gardeners who make our hearts bloom.

Please note that the sweet pictures are organised by date of entry and in no way representative of our preferences. Each one is a unique bouquet worthy of appreciation.

Emma — A Day in the Château's gardens

Dressed in her opalescent pink dress Emma looks as though she had wandered straight into a French fairy tale. With her brother, she enjoys nothing more than exploring the gardens of the majestic châteaux of our beloved country. Surrounded by beauty and history, the grounds feel like stepping outside of time. They are a true source of peace and serenity for the children.

A wicker pram, the joy of spending time together and a little imagination turn a simple afternoon into a magic kingdom adventure.

Ingrid — A Garden under the Sunlight

Ingrid found her secret garden in the beautiful Ashton Gardens in Utah. What a joy it is to travel the globe and discover enchanted gardens far beyond the old European castles and storybooks we usually associate with them.

With its shimmering sunlight, fountain and lush greenery, Ingrid reminds us not only to look for wonder but to pause long enough to appreciate it. A garden doesn't need to be secret to feel enchanted. Sometimes it merely asks us to keep our eyes wide open to the magic of nature surrounding us.

Olive — A Little Marie Antoinette in Provence

If there were one setting that could transport us straight into a summer afternoon in Provence, this would be it. Surrounded by rows of lavender beneath the warm summer sky, Olive becomes part of the landscape,  her white Marie Antoinette Vigée Le Brun-inspired dress and straw hat standing softly against the purple fields.

And in the distance, the old stone village gives the photographs an almost dreamlike quality. Feel the warm breeze blowing among the flowers, smell the rich lavender fragrances, listen to the chorus of crickets... Secret gardens beckon all our senses.

Scarlett & Theo — Their Own Secret Garden

Not every secret garden needs to be discovered somewhere far away. Sometimes it is right at home. Scarlett and Theo invited us into their own garden in Texas, where childhood unfolds in the most natural way : outdoors, together, and surrounded by the familiar places where so many summer memories are made.

There is something particularly precious about photographing children in a garden they know and love. No grand château required. Just their own little magical world.

Sterling — The Garden Between the Pages

Princess Sterling reminds us of something very important: Books are secret gardens too.

Here she is reading her mother's book, looking every bit the true Bohemian princess. We love the idea that while one sits in a garden, one may be discovering another one between the pages.

Books have always given us secret doors to walk into enchanted forests, forgotten houses, distant kingdoms and gardens waiting to be rediscovered. Perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts we can give a child: a book, and the freedom to disappear inside it.

Brooklyn —  An Angel among the flowers

Peonies are generous flowers : abundant, romantic and impossible not to notice. The same could be said of princess Brooklyn. 

Surrounded by vivid blooms, she stands in her beautiful white heirloom dress as though she has always belonged among them. Her smile radiates pure joy and childhood innocence. She blooms with grace, watching over the garden like a guardian angel and reading enchanted stories to the roses as they gently lean in to listen.

Caroline — Her First Paris Garden

For Caroline, the garden was part of a very special journey. On her first trip to Paris, she visited the Tuileries Gardens wearing a dress designed especially for her birthday trip.

A dress created for a particular moment, then photographed in a place that will forever be attached to that memory. Her first Paris. Her seventh birthday. Her first visit to the Tuileries. A secret garden becomes even more magical when it becomes part of a family story.

Madison — A Birthday Garden in Arizona

Madison's garden adventure took place in Arizona, wearing her birthday dress. In her shimmering gown featuring a dove, surrounded by greenery and sunlight, she looks like a delicate bird herself. The simplicity and beauty of these photographs remind us that every single second holds its own beauty. There is much joy in grand celebrations, but just as much in the little in-between moments.

Capturing childhood is part of this happiness. Years from now, the details may become hazy, but a photograph like this brings them all back.

Maisara — An Enchanted Rose Garden in Winter

Maisara found an enchanted rose garden in the heart of winter in Australia. It is such a beautiful reminder that gardens have their own seasons, and that magic doesn't disappear when summer does.

Finding roses when you don't expect them makes the discovery all the more delightful. May we never cease to keep our hearts wide open for wonder and believe that enchantment may bloom where we never thought it could.

Alina — A Rainbow Garden in Canada

Alina seems to have discovered exactly the kind of hidden corner we imagine when we think of a secret garden.

Surrounded by deep green foliage and colorful blooms, she stands among the leaves and kneels beside the flower beds in her beautiful pink dress, with just enough sunlight filtering through to make the scene feel almost otherworldly.

There is something wonderfully intimate about this portrait. It feels tucked away : a little place that belongs exclusively to the child who has found it. 

Reese — A Botanical Garden Adventure

Reese found her secret garden at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Bright blooms and layers of green make the perfect backdrop for her pale blue dress, elegant curtsy and gentle smile. Without words, she invites us to step into the garden, not just with our bodies, but with our minds and spirits too. 

There is indeed something particularly beautiful about the way children look in gardens. They seem to become part of the landscape rather than simply standing in front of it.

Rosie — A Little Garden in the Heart of Paris

For Rosie, her favourite secret garden is right in the heart of Paris. The Jardin du Luxembourg has a very particular kind of magic: grand enough to feel like a royal garden, yet full of the everyday rhythms of Parisian childhood.

There is something almost painterly about this setting: the soft light, the elegant garden, the beautiful dress and, most of all, the bright smile reflecting the innocent soul within. Perhaps the greatest secret of a garden is the child who blooms within it.

Elizabeth & William — Beauty in the Texas Heat

Elizabeth and William found a little oasis of beauty in the middle of a warm Houston summer. Two sweet children matching in blue, a formal garden, a fountain, lush greenery and most of all tender sibling love expressed in hugs and tender gazes.

Even beneath the Texas heat, their precious bond makes the garden feel cool and inviting. Nothing feels more refreshing than pure love.

Emma — Royal Garden Stroll

Emma had one very important condition for her garden adventure: the royal tiara had to come along for the stroll and twirls.. We couldn't agree more.

In her beautiful pink dress and sparkling crown, Emma looks perfectly at home among the clipped hedges and lush garden greenery. There is something delightfully self-assured about a little princess who knows exactly what her enchanted garden requires.

A tiara, a kind heart and a belief in magic! And perhaps every secret garden should have such a charming regal fairy of its own.

Nova — Among the Hydrangeas of the Netherlands

Nova takes us to the Netherlands, where another little corner of our enchanted garden came to life.

Surrounded by lush white hydrangea blooms, she pauses to smell the flowers : a tiny moment of curiosity captured beautifully. There is something utterly charming about this photograph because it isn't about posing. It is about discovery and gratitude.

The flower is right there in front of her. She leans in, and for a moment, nothing else matters. The whole world seems to be contained in that delightful fragrance. And who better than Mum to share such a little moment of wonder?

Gabrielle — A Japanese Garden

Gabrielle discovered her secret garden in a Japanese-inspired garden, one with a quieter, more contemplative rhythm and beauty.. It reminds us that an enchanted garden doesn't have to be overflowing with flowers. Magic also lives between the trees, the paths, the water, the light and a child quietly taking it all in.

And then there is the bridge : one of those details that makes a child feel as though she has stepped through a doorway into another story. Perhaps she is crossing into the next chapter of our Secret Garden. Magic can also be found within change and transition...

Hutton & Henley — A Garden Made for a Dress

Hutton and Henley are wearing our Ephrussi dresses in the very gardens that inspired them. The connection itself feels almost magical.

The Ephrussi gardens, with their roses, clipped hedges and Mediterranean light, were part of the inspiration behind the dresses. And now the princesses are wearing them in this exact location : turning inspiration into a real family memory.

It is one of those rare moments when the story behind a dress and the story of the child wearing it meet in exactly the right place. Two sisters. Two beautiful dresses. And a garden truly waiting for them.

Eliza — Across the Prairie, into the Wild

Eliza' Secret Garden is not enclosed by walls. Hers stretches across the prairie, from South Dakota to Nebraska. Instead of hidden paths and clipped hedges, there are open skies, endless green and the vast landscape of the American heartland.

An enchanted garden doesn't always need a gate. It isn't just a place you arrive at. Sometimes it is the journey itself. In her butterfly dress, the garden fairy invites us to spread our wings and dream beyond what the eye can see.

Elle  — A Garden by the Beach

And then, from the prairie, our Secret Garden travels all the way to the French coast. Elle found hers along the Brittany coast, where the garden gives way to sandy paths, wild grasses and the sea.

There are no formal flower beds here. No grand fountain. No garden walls. Instead, there is the wild beauty of the French coastline : the kind of landscape where a princess can run, wander and imagine that the path ahead leads somewhere entirely unknown.

In her floral dress, Elle is perfectly at home between land and sea. A secret garden doesn't always end at the garden gate. Sometimes it opens onto the ocean.

Mary Carter — A Little Lady by the Fountain

Mary Carter brings another little corner of our Secret Garden to life.

She looks as though she has wandered into a garden from another time. In her pale blue dress, standing beside the old stone fountain with a little basket at her feet, she brings an almost storybook quality to the scene.

With her gorgeous blue eyes, she looks intently at the garden as though she has just arrived to see whether the garden is ready for the day's adventures. It was, and Mary Carter held the very key to its gates. Children simply have a way of unlocking the magic around them.

Jasmine & Milana — Two Little Gardeners

A secret garden is all the more enchanting when discovered with a sibling. Jasmine and Milana found theirs beneath a beautiful garden pavilion, surrounded by clipped hedges, flowers and the warm light of summer.

Every secret garden has its whispers… The most special are the kind shared only between sisters, in darling twirls beneath the sunlight. For childhood gives us many treasures, but few are more precious than growing up with someone who remembers all your secrets.

Cate — A Beloved Corner

Cate's secret garden is perhaps the most personal of all. It is her favourite far corner of her Grandma and Grandpa's garden.

Childhood magic doesn't always take place somewhere spectacular. Sometimes it happens in the places we return to over and over again, the corner you know, the tree you've climbed, the flowers you've watched grow.

Every family has its own beloved place. Cate has found hers.

Juliette — A Favorite Tree

And then there is fairy Juliette. Her garden isn't somewhere she travelled to. It is a tree she passes every day on her walk.

We find this especially beautiful. The greatest secret gardens are sometimes hiding in plain sight. The tree we pass every morning, the path we know by heart, the little corner we have walked past a hundred times without stopping to really see it.

Juliette stopped. And suddenly, an everyday tree became part of an enchanted garden. It became a place to climb, to read, to sit and dream. She found the magic in something she already knew. And perhaps that is the most secret kind of garden of all...

And Now, We Wait…

Looking through all of these photographs, we are reminded that there is no single definition of a secret garden.

It can be a French château. A Parisian garden. A rose garden in the middle of winter. A botanical garden in North Carolina. A Japanese-inspired landscape. A grandmother's backyard. The prairie. A garden in Texas. Or simply a tree you pass every day. And perhaps it doesn't even need to contain flowers. Because the real magic of a garden is what happens there.

A book is opened. A birthday is celebrated. A tiara is insisted upon. A brother and sister play. A new place is discovered. A favourite corner becomes a treasured memory. A child pauses beneath a tree. And, for just a moment, the ordinary becomes enchanted.

We are so grateful to every family who opened their garden gate to us this summer and shared a glimpse of their world. Each photograph is a little piece of childhood, and each one has found its own place in our Secret Garden. Every child who entered has already given us something very special: a little glimpse into their world, captured forever.

And perhaps that is the loveliest kind of garden there is.

Read all about our previous contests.