Episode 53 18th Century Gardens - For Use or Delight

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Listen to "053 18th Century Gardens - For Use or Delight - 7:19:22, 2.48 PM" on Spreaker.

 Link to the Episode:

Like American food, there will never be one sort of American Garden.  We have too many influences and imports at our fingers.  But looking back at some early sources will always be interesting.


The prominent sources of garden ideas in 18th century were traditional European knot gardens, Islamic sectioned gardens (though the central water pool or fountain was less common) and the naturalistic gardens depicted on imported Chinese porcelain.


Knot gardens often make use of hedges to outline other plants,
but are always made of geometric shapes
and are arranged symmetrically on at least one axis.


 

Islamic gardens were walled, and typically arranged around a central water feature.
Trees - fruit, nut and flowering - along with palms
are included along with plants and hedges.
The use of walled beds was typical


Garden scenes on Chinese porcelain - especially the naturalistic and
asymmetrical arrangements started new gardening trends in English and American gardens

The 18th century seed and plant catalogs released by an English nursery owner, Robert Furber - and engraved by Henry Fletcher.  These designs drew heavily on the Dutch tradition of flower paintings for the design of the catalog pages.

Furber was most famous for his "12 Months of Flowers" that he issued in 1730.  The original printed catalogs were black ink prints of engravings - available for 25 shillings.  But hand painted versions that emphasized the variety and striking arrangements of the flowers were available for 2 and a half guineas.  And they were a must have for the smart set in 18th century society on both sides of the Atlantic.




While the fashionable set were importing and arranging flowers from around the globe
a more practical sort of landscaping was happening - as New England farmers were clearing
the granite lumps out of their fields so they could start to use
the metal tipped plows - instead of hand hoes and medieval wooden harrows 


The restored garden of John Bartram - outside Philadelphia
As a nurseryman and "curious gentleman", he would have preferred 
the ordered knot garden style 

These gardens were oriented to watching and comparing different varieties








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