RHS the Garden Anthology by Ursula Buchan

Author:Ursula Buchan [Buchan, Ursula]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781781011607
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Part Two: 1804–1854

“The characteristic of the age was the chopping up of grass into small beds of doubtful shape, and the planting of these in a way similar to that of a child with sudden access to a box of paints”

The three adventures in the layout and ownership of gardens by The Royal Horticultural Society itself approximate to the early part of each half-century of its existence. There is first the simple scientifically planned orchard gardens at Chiswick (1824); then comes the astonishing architectural adventure in Kensington in 1862; and finally the acceptance and opening of Wisley in 1904, which may properly be said to be a cross-section of all gardens and gardening taking place contemporaneously in the country. The Chiswick garden is perhaps symbolic of the fact that below the fluctuating surface of the fashionable and well-to-do gardens, the kitchen garden and the ordinary cottage garden continued without much change. [William] Cobbett, who was trained as a gardener, paints a realistic and beautiful picture of rural England not only in his Rural Rides, but in less known works such as The English Gardener, first published in 1827. The cottage garden has been a consistent characteristic of England. It is significant that when England finally became a land primarily of town and slum dwellers, the love of nature was only temporarily suppressed, and in due course created the garden suburb and the New Towns, themselves based on the individual home and garden. With the knowledge of this secure and common-sense background we can explore the tumultuous course that landscape design as an art has taken from 1804 to the present day.

Up to Trafalgar and Waterloo there is little sign of confusion. It is true that architecture had already become divided within itself with the advent of the Gothic Revival, but [John] Nash and [Humphry] Repton were sweeping on in a combination of classical architect and romantic landscape architect in a way unequalled before or since. Kew had been opened in the previous century for the scientific study of trees, and in fact in 1810 contained 11,000 species; but the import of plants generally from abroad, while on the increase, had been absorbed in the same way that foreign architectural styles had always been absorbed. Then came the full impact of flowers from all parts of the world, and it was as though the increasingly wealthy country had consumed an artistic feast it was unable to digest. People called for more and more flowers, and to lengthen the period of colour, as well as to harbour tender and exotic plants, the greenhouse became an essential for every garden. Bedding out as an element of garden design was paramount until about 1880.

One likes mischievously to think of Humphry Repton endeavouring to grapple with this urge for flowers, for they formed little or no part in his scheme of things. It is interesting to note his use of tubs and great baskets, for the intention is to suggest a transitory vase which is

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.