LANDSCAPE DESIGN - IX

Assignment - 1

History and Evolution of Landscape gardens

Submitted by-
Elisha
17001006021
The History and Evolution of Gardens
Gardens, in the way we understand them today, which is to say as either food sources or ways to
beautify and/or protect our property, do historically date back quite a long time. One way to define
gardens is as the cordoning off of outdoor space, which began in prehistoric times – historians
estimate this was in about 10 000 B.C. – along the overgrown river banks and the wet foothills of
monsoon regions in India and Asia.
Food and Protection
When gardening was first used in those ancient times, families primarily wanted to improve their
personal environment, firstly, in a practical way, by growing food close to where they lived, and also to
protect themselves from wild animals and sometimes people.
Food, as it always will be, was then, as now, always on the minds of our ancient forebears, and so the
primary function of gardens was just that – grow food, and lots of it. Pre-historic people eliminated
everything that didn’t produce food (ie. weeds). Staying alive was a peoples’ number one goal,
moreso at this time, when everywhere was essentially “wild” and there was less protection offered in
every way you can imagine. So, gardens were quickly becoming a big deal to our ancient ancestors,
just as much as the strength of your home itself or whatever dwelling you lived in was at the time.
Eventually, these gardeners of yore incorporated new (to them) species of fruits and vegetables into
their gardens, adding a variety new species to their garden, and then, to their table.
Beginning of
Landscape
Architecture
Garden construction
and design was the
beginning of what is
known as “landscape
architecture”. It
began in West Asia
and spread westward
into what is Europe
today. By the way,
the word, “garden”
comes from the Old
English word, “geard”,
which means
“enclosure”. In 27 BC,
a Roman author and
engineer by the name
of Vitruvius, wrote a
book called, “Ten
Books on Architecture”.
He talked about design,
landscape, engineering
the environment, water, and the importance of public gardens. He introduced ideas such as beauty,
convenience, and utility.

Gardening for Aesthetic

Purposes
With the emergence of the
first civilizations, wealthy
influential leaders in societies
began to create gardens
purely for aesthetic purposes.
Evidence of this can be found
in Egyptian tombs, where
paintings from the 16th
century BC, presented
ornamental horticulture. Lotus
ponds surrounded
symmetrical rows of acacia
and palm trees. More
evidence of people thinking
that gardens should be
beautiful came from Persia
with “Darius the Great”.
It was said that he had a “paradise garden”. This type of garden comes from the old Iranian culture
where land was enclosed inside a wall for many reasons. The paradise garden has an enclosure
wall of some sort around cultivated land. The land could be wild. It could be well tended and fussed
over. It could also be a watery greenery. But it was all done for a purpose and thought about by its
owner for a long time. The idea of the paradise garden wasn’t just to go food. This garden concept
had a much more philosophical purpose. An axis of symmetry was very important to a
Persian/Middle Eastern garden.

Refugeforfor
Refuge thethe Educated
Educated
The
ThePersian
Persiangarden
gardenideas
ideas eventually
eventually spread
spreadto to
Greece after Alexander the Great.
Greece after Alexander the Great. In 350 BC, In 350 BC,
gardens
gardenssuch suchasas these
theseappeared
appearedat at the
thegreat
great
schools
schools in Athens. Scholars wrote about aa
in Athens. Scholars wrote about
new
newtopic:
topic: botany.
botany. Gardens
Gardensbecamebecameaarefuge refuge
for the well educated. Places where
for the well educated. Places where “higher” “higher”
learning
learningand andreflection
reflection took
took place.
place. The The most
most
influential
influentialancient
ancient gardens
gardens in in this
this part
part ofofthe
the
world,
world,were
were Ptolemy’s
Ptolemy’sgardens
gardensin in Alexandria
Alexandria
Egypt.
Egypt. Lucullus
Lucullusvisited
visitedPtolemy’s
Ptolemy’sgardens
gardensand
took the garden ideas back to
and took the garden ideas back to Rome. Rome.
Evidence
Evidenceof ofthis
this can
can bebe seen
seen inin Pompeii
Pompeiiby by
studying the wall paintings there.
studying the wall paintings there. Gardens Gardens
were
werebecoming
becoming veryvery elaborate,
elaborate, andandaa status
status
symbol.
symbol. Rich Romans built extensive villa
Rich Romans built extensive villa
gardens
gardenswith with water
waterfeatures
featuressuchsuchas as fountains,
fountains,
rivulets,
rivulets,topiary,
topiary, roses
rosesandandshaded
shaded arcades.
arcades.
International Styles
International Styles
Thisparadigm
This paradigmshift
shiftiningardening
gardeningspreadspreadquickly
quickly to China and Japan, where
to China and Japan, where aristocratic aristocratic
gardens
gardens featuring miniaturized and
featuring miniaturized and simulated natural simulated
natural landscapes.
landscapes. Water and Water andbecame
rocks rocks becamevery
very important to the design of gardens
important to the design of gardens at this time. at this
time.
Natural elements symbolized power and and
Natural elements symbolized power
religious thought. Zen gardens appeared, and
 emphasized the concept of using a garden for reflection and increasing one’s own wisdom.
By the 13th century, many people in Europe began to understand the importance of the garden,
and, soon enough, everyone wanted their own little piece of paradise. Every significant Roman or
Parisian villa had to have a garden. The formal “garden a la francaise” can be witnessed in the
Gardens of Versailles in France.
The English loved the idea of a “wild garden” with lots of perennials. The Italian Renaissance
garden appeared in the 15th century. The Spanish Royal Family introduced public parks. All these
new garden ideas were spreading to America and the New World.
religious thought. Zen gardens appeared, and
Modern Times
The concept of “modernism” in the art world influenced gardens of the 20th century. Clarity, bold
colours, form, design, were concepts now filtering into gardens in America. Gardens today are about
many things and the topic of gardening has become very complex. Primarily, gardens are for
growing food such as the concept of a “community garden”, or gardens are an extension of the
owner’s personality and creativity. During World War I at the turn of the 1900’s, food production was
at a low in both the United States and Europe. Food prices in America soared and meatless and
wheatless days were introduced to cut consumption. More food was needed so, the National War
Garden Commission was formed and Americans were encouraged to grow food. This was a way the
people back home could contribute to the victory of the war …. thus victory gardens emerged. This
victory garden phenomenon returned during World War II as well under the National Victory Garden
Program.
The Garden City Movement
The industrial revolution
brought more than half of the
world’s population into cities.
People always had to deal with
floods, storms, drought, air
pollution and natural disasters,
but now, with populations
growing larger and faster, and
congregating in close quarters,
the world’s environments
would be challenged even
more. City officials were
given the challenge to reduce
human’s negative impact on
the world around them. As a
result, the “garden city”
concept game into fashion at
the turn of the 20th century.
Large cities like London, Paris,
Rome, and New York, were
dirty and polluted because of
industry, inadequate housing,
and the lack of healthy open
spaces. It happened in Asian
megacities and now it is
beginning to happen in Europe
and the Americas. A British
urban planner by the name of Ebenezer Howard had a vision to design and plan cities that offered a
peaceable, livable environment, replete with nature and open space. He encouraged wide
boulevards and sprawling suburbs. For him, it was time for the countryside to invade the cities rather
than the city to spread into the countryside. The Father of Landscape Architecture, Frederick Law
Olmsted created famous gardens such as New York’s Central Park. Little did he know that the
automobile would drive right over his vision in the years ahead.
 21st Century
Today, in the 21st Century, the Industrial
Revolution has been replaced with the Information
Age. Gardens of all kinds are everywhere.
Cities are growing with some having a population
of over 25 million residents, such as Cairo and
Mexico City. The world’s population is at 7.6
billion.People are starving everywhere. People
are killing people everywhere. More than ever
before, we need gardens that grow food. More
than ever before, we need “green space” with
vegetations to fight the World’s carbon dioxide
problem. Education is a powerful solution to
today’s problems, and gardens might just be the answer. People are becoming more educated and
computers (the World Wide Web) in particular, are allowing people to have more free time. As a
result, the world’s population has more leisure time. Why not get into local green spaces and
gardens? Why not produce more gardens of every kind and visit the ones that are already made.

Conclusion
In closing, hopefully you know a little more about where the idea of a garden came from, and
maybe you agree that gardens are part of the future of our planet Earth. A new generation of
gardeners is before us, so let’s connect. New garden ideas are just a click or a search away.
Garden ideas are endless and free if you just look in the right places.
BeachBabyBob once said, “Gardens are our teachers. A single flower, grass, or tree is geography,
science, mathematics, art, economics and more. There is a gardener in all of us, especially when
tragedy is at our doorstep.”
John O’Donohue once said, “The human soul is hungry for beauty. We seek it everywhere – in
landscape, music, art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion, and in
ourselves. No one would desire not to be beautiful. When we experience the beautiful, there is a
sense of homecoming.”