Other interpretations suggest that dreams of gardens express a desire to be closer to nature or your natural self. Sometimes, dream gardens are symmetrical with a central point; this mandala symbol represents the inner wholeness of your true self and to dream of a garden that reproduces its form may indicate inner healing after a period of unease or even illness.
If your dream garden is beautiful, this suggests creativity and abundance in your life, whereas an overgrown neglected garden warns that you have neglected your personal growth. It is time to clear away the weeds and start nurturing your talents.
The garden is also the symbol of the feminine attributes and the qualities of wildness that need to be tamed in order to create order. Closed or walled gardens, in particular, have this significance and can represent virginity. Freud saw the garden as an image of the female genitals, with the dreamer perhaps facing the carnal temptations associated with the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
If your dream garden is square or circular in shape, this suggests unconscious wisdom and insight.
If there is a pool in the garden this refers to memories of childhood or hidden, unexpressed emotions.
If you are gardening in your dream, this indicates that you are in the act of creation; the dream may be referring to your psychological growth and increasing emotional maturity. To see a vegetable garden symbolizes increased prosperity will come your way through diligence and care; it also suggests stability and inner growth. To see a flower garden in your dream foretells of tranquility, comfort, true love and a happy home in your future. To see a sparse, weed-infested garden indicates that you have neglected your emotional and spiritual needs. A garden gate may represent a welcome invitation to a more natural environment for those detained awhile by city life. Walking through a garden gate may represent moving into a new phase of life; new opportunities await you. An open gate represents changes for the future; a closed gate means problems or obstacles ahead
A conservatory or hothouse full of exotic plants symbolizes the unconscious being kept under tight control. A fountain in the garden is a symbol of encouragement, renewed hope and a release of creativity. A well in the garden may stand for your most valued talents and inner resources, but if the well is dried up and you cannot draw water from it, this suggests frustration at being unable to find an outlet for your talents. To see a neat and wellkept yard reflects your ability to maintain and organize aspects of your outside life, such as work and your social activities. To see a messy and neglected yard denotes those aspects of your life that are out of your control.
See also Plants entry in NATURE AND THE SEASONS; TREES.