The plantings reinforced atmosphere in garden architecture. Hamilton was the most dramatic designer of his generation. The Mausoleum with 'sombre yews'; Hermitage with 'darkest greens'; Bacchus area a sense of gaiety and revelry'. The western end is the nearest to direct imitation of natural scenery. The ability of garden-makers to evoke landscapes depended on the range of exotics available. He may have been influenced by Southcote at Woburn Farm near Weybridge.

In the mid 1750's the shrubbery emerged as a distinct feature. Hamilton could have obtained plants from Gray's nursery which specialized in exotics and from a syndicate of Peter Collinson who exchanged plants and seeds from John Bartram in N.E. America.

Correspondence with Abb Nolin of Paris provides details of plants probably cultivated at Painshill. The plantings were a complex blend of aesthetic and symbolic and horticultural qualities serving the overall design of the park. The vineyard would have been an example of 'wakeful industry' giving a moral value as well as aesthetic and productive content. Wasteland into cultivation.

Amphitheatre
The planting plan for this area was created following extensive research by Mark Laird, Associate Professor at Harvard University and involved with Painshill Park from the early days of the restoration.  It is based on plans made by contemporary garden designers, including Lord Petre, who designed a similar series of borders for the Duke of Norfolk.

Six tiers of evergreen planting, mixing European and “exotic” trees and shrubs are arranged in a semi-formal rhythmic pattern which reminded Sir John Parnell of an amphitheatre in 1763.  The limited palette of plants gives the border a unity and attention is paid to the shape and growth habits of each tree or shrub in its position to keep the tiering. 

The shrubs are pruned once a year in August, using only hand tools to keep the naturalistic outlines, and to retain a softer outline to offset the formality of the tiering.

Chinese Bridge Peninsula
Serpentine Lawn: the larger of the two lawns follows the style developing in the mid-18th century, with a soft, serpentine line to the border edges, and a looser planting style than for the more formal Amphitheatre.  Evergreen and deciduous shrubs tend to be separated in the fashion of the time, but each side keeps the same sort of tiering shown in other garden areas.

European End

American End

The plantings are roughly divided between those introduced to England from Europe and Asia –
- and those from North America.  Many of these form part of the John Bartram Heritage Collection.
The lawn specimens are all trees and shrubs introduced from North America and are part of the National Collection.
The main flowering period for the shrubs and trees is from May to early July.
In the autumn, the American trees and shrubs put on a spectacular display of colour.

Beautiful Autumn Colours

American Shrub with Flowers

Berry Walk: The smaller lawn is planted with a similar mix of trees and shrubs, but on a smaller scale, and with the emphasis on plants which will produce fruits and berries as well as good autumn colour.

Elysian Plain: Temple of Bacchus
The planting in this garden area reflects the developing style of the English Landscape Movement, with irregular-shaped island beds, informal border merging into woodland, specimens of trees and shrubs in the lawns, and flowers.
The borders and large island beds mix evergreen and deciduous shrubs in a more informal way than in other garden areas, but the tiering of the shrubs working back to a central spine of trees is maintained.  The emphasis in the front row is on flowering shrubs, with main season being May to July.
Trees, grouped or as single specimens in the lawns, include some from the John Bartram Heritage Collection.
The largest of the four flower beds contains mainly perennials, with a backdrop of shrubs.  The main flowering period is from May to mid-October.  Annuals are added as the season progresses to extend the floweing period and fill gaps.
The other larger bed has recently been re-developed to increase the number of shrubs in the front row, with an emphasis on some of the new North American species.
The two small flower beds are planted each year with a selection of annuals grown from seed, all of which would have been available in the 18th century.  These will flower from mid-June to October.
Away from the Temple of Bacchus, the island beds become less vibrant, with cooler colours and more evergreens.