About Gardening -History and Styles-: #3 The History of Gardening

A vision of forest gardening

Gardening began as “forest gardening” in monsoon areas in prehistoric times. It is a food production system and way to preserve some useful plant for later. As time was passed, some wealthy people in Egypt began to make beautiful gardens. By the way, the modern words of “garden” or “yard” came from old English word “geard”, which means fence or enclosure.

In Egyptian tombs from 1500 BCE, there are paintings of symmetrical trees. It is said the evidence of gardening's being existed in ancient times. One of the most famous gardens in ancient times is “the Hanging Gardens of Babylon”. Then, there are some literatures about it but no firm evidences of its existence. So, it is said one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Gardens became more popular status for high classes of ancient Egyptians as larger garden he or she has, bigger wealth he or she has.

A painting of the ancient tomb

As into Middle Ages, gardening spread into west, Greeks, Spain, Britain, etc. In addition, aesthetic theme of gardens, which was a main purposes of gardening in ancient times, were declined. Instead of it, European started on growing useful plant, medical herbs or plants for decorating church. By the 13^th century, the rich of European began to make gardens for make vegetables and medical herbs. Gardens in the 14th and 15^th century are closer to modern gardens; they work on planting lawns and making flowerbed. In the 16^th and next century, there appeared symmetric gardens. It seems trees in the garden are formed by humans or gardens are divided into blocks by hedge. Even today, the opposition of ‘symmetrical’ and ‘asymmetrical’ gardens is continued; The Garden of Cosmic Speculation, that is I showed before, is ‘symmetric’ garden and most of tropical gardens are ‘asymmetric’ ones. Then, in 18^th century, asymmetric gardens; gardens without walls, sometimes with lakes (English gardens generally have lakes), or small livers.
Lastly, I’ll show you some styles of traditional gardens in brief. Japanese gardens are intended to remind natural landscapes. Most of them are intended to see from insides of houses (Japanese traditional houses are so opened to see around). Mesopotamian gardens have so long histories but there’re many mysteries. The Hanging Garden of Babylon and Garden of Eden are some example of them. To say European gardens, they are very different among each era. But in modern times, I said before, ‘symmetric’ and ’asymmetric’ are great theme of them.