Thursday, 5 November 2009
Is it essential to have a knowledge of garden history to be a good garden/landscape designer?
I suppose the answer is "No, not really", when you consider that most garden designs are for personal places of beauty and pleasure for the clientS... and yet, and yet...
Designers such as Kim Wilkie and Tom Stuart Smith both often work within historical settings, either re-creating a period garden or introducing contemporary design into
one. They need to know about garden history, it is their trade. But I often wonder when I go on garden history courses or garden trust outings, why am I the only garden designer there? And why, when I meet other garden designers, they may talk about contemporary designers they admire or historical gardens they love, but follow-up conversation about those gardens often show only a vague interest in the story of the garden, the past owners, the culture of the times. Have I just been unlucky? Or do I expect something beyond talent, plant knowledge and the ability to put elements together into a practical design?
I cannot help feeling that a curiosity about gardens of the past should be there in all garden designers. Not just a curiosity, but a desire to learn. A desire to look at plans, to see what designers of he past did; why they did it and what influenced them. To see how the same spaces were altered by designers through centuries; how each designer saw the same space differently. How they borrowed from each other, or deliberately did things differently to draw attention to themselves. Surely thereare lessons of all designers there of spatial relationships if nothing else. I like to read about their backgrounds, their other interests; their politics and those of their owners.
Nothing to do with the gardens? I think not.
I am reading a book by Tim Richardson, ‘The Arcadians’, which link the landscapes of the time of William and Mary, Queen Anne and the Hanoverians to the politics, culture and art of the time. This book is right up my street; it enables me to see the garden plans more clearly, and the gardens too, where they exist or have been restored. And, talking of restoration, it is the understanding of all the things behind the garden which can solve problems arising from a drawing. There is no question why Richardson did not call his book ‘Arcadian Gardens’; the gardens are part of the people, they are the outward sign of people’s beliefs as well as their aesthetic judgement. So, actually, are contemporary gardens, although it is rarely discussed.
When people used to say to me, "I like the music of Beethoven but I don’t understand it". I said that they didn’t have to understand it, just to enjoy it; so I suppose I should take the same line in gardens. Yet, I know that the best musicians know about the background of the music they play. You only have to switch on Radio 3 to know that.
Yes, I do feel that designers should know their history...
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Hear, Hear! A knowledge of Garden History should be inextricably bound up in garden design studies and research to inform the designer of what has gone before and why. A designer can learn so much from studying the past - not just in a purely chronological way, as to when and where, but ideally in a totally historiographical manner as to when, where, who, why and how did the politics and society of the day intertact with the designed gardens and how indeed, did they influence the design of such gardens?
ReplyDeleteUnderstanding why gardens were made as they were can give designers great insight into the forces at work when gardens are created - an aid to getting inside the mind of the client and the site - this is perhaps where genius loci is to be found / established?
Of course, historic gardens can be just viewed for what they are in physical appearance and layout but delving into their origins and purpose can give the designer of today so much more insight into their symbolism, the use of metaphor and the iconographical intent of the garden.
In my teaching of garden history to garden design graduates, we did start off with a basic chronology to set the scene but, after that introduction, we then concentrated on studying garden 'themes' using garden examples from different ages, continents and cultures.
Such themes are:
'The Garden as Paradise', 'Gardens as Enclosures and retreats', 'Gardens to evoke a Spriritual / Religious message', 'Gardens for Recreation' etc etc. Studying garden history in this manner makes it relevant and can give the contemporary designer the opportuniy to take ideas from a selected theme and apply it, in a contemporary manner, to their current design commission.
Garden history does not need to be dry and dusty - a knowledge and understanding of it should be an integral part of any designer's repertoire!
Note: Love the new book Bella - read the extracts on this site and have it on order from Amazon. Right in my interest zone as I have also made a study of the Italian gardens attached to palaces and villas (35 plus visited so far) and am intrigued as to how they influenced garden design over the next few centuries. Also, Harry Inigo Triggs is a great hero of mine and I had the wonderful opportunity to restore the last garden he created before his death (rill included!).
If you are restoring or recreating gardens in an historical setting then of course garden history is essential, in a very practical sense, even if you give it a contemporary twist.
ReplyDeleteHowever most of us work on more mundane modest gardens with properties probably dating back to no earlier than the late Victorian period. By the time we have taken into consideration the ‘genius loci’, client’s requirements and preferences, site conditions and budgets then any historical influences often take a back seat. In reality I believe most clients are more concerned with appearance of a garden and the opinion of their peers than anything with deeper meanings. Their ‘Grand Tour’ influences of today are more likely to be TV programmes or gardening magazines
As much as I enjoy the Arcadian Friends book and that period of history and whilst nothing could be more enjoyable than a trip around Rousham or Stourhead that is for weekends. Monday to Friday I need to put my commercial hat on and come up with practical solutions for a drab 1980’s house with a 30 x 10m garden fenced on 3 sides, or a detached house of the 1930’s period where there is a mostly established garden. Here I would need the knowledge of more recent history with the styles of Gertrude Jekyll or John Brookes.
So, yes a knowledge of garden history is important but recent 20th C history is more relevant than Kent or Brown.
But can the downside of too much historical knowledge and influence stifle original thought and creativity? Are we taking the easy way out by looking for an historical solution?
With Modern Art being so ‘in vogue’ at present should we not be looking forward for opportunities to create the future gardens and consign garden history to the weekends?
Colin Knapman BSc
"Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it". I think a knowledge of history is as important as a knowledge of plants, and therefore teach it on even my beginner gardening courses, as well as continuing myself to scratch the mere surface of what there is to know...
ReplyDeleteIf you are restoring or recreating gardens in an historical setting then of course garden history is essential, in a very practical sense, even if you give it a contemporary twist.
ReplyDeleteHowever most of us work on more mundane modest gardens with properties probably dating back to no earlier than the late Victorian period. By the time we have taken into consideration the ‘genius loci’, client’s requirements and preferences, site conditions and budgets then any historical influences often take a back seat. In reality I believe most clients are more concerned with appearance of a garden and the opinion of their peers than anything with deeper meanings. Their ‘Grand Tour’ influences of today are more likely to be TV programmes or gardening magazines
As much as I enjoy the Arcadian Friends book and that period of history and whilst nothing could be more enjoyable than a trip around Rousham or Stourhead that is for weekends. Monday to Friday I need to put my commercial hat on and come up with practical solutions for a drab 1980’s house with a 30 x 10m garden fenced on 3 sides, or a detached house of the 1930’s period where there is a mostly established garden. Here I would need the knowledge of more recent history with the styles of Gertrude Jekyll or John Brookes.
So, yes a knowledge of garden history is important but recent 20th C history is more relevant than Kent or Brown.
But can the downside of too much historical knowledge and influence stifle original thought and creativity? Are we taking the easy way out by looking for an historical solution?
With Modern Art being so ‘in vogue’ at present should we not be looking forward for opportunities to create the future gardens and consign garden history to the weekends?
Colin Knapman BSc
Surely,as with any subject, it is important to have a knowledge of what has gone before and why to understand the trends and fashions of today. Most artists have a thorough knowledge of art history, and although that doesn't mean that they work in an historical context, it gives an understanding of the community in which they work. Surely for a good designer this must be the same. It cannot be possible to create for example, an herbaceous border, without understanding where that concept came from, why it appeared and how it has changed through history. That is not to say that every herbaceous border should look the same, but that the knowledge of what has gone first is invaluable when trying to work within or set trends.
ReplyDeleteI personally feel that it is a real shame that garden and plant history is not a more recognised subject in its own right as in many cases it has played an important role in history, particularly the history of the sciences and it also has very much influenced the landscape that surrounds us. Many trees and shrubs that are just a part of our everyday lives, Rhodo ponticum, Douglas Firs to name a couple, wouldn't be with us if it wasn't for explorers whose stories are fascinating and an important part of British history. Surely to know the history of a plant makes it far easier to work with and ensure its correct usage.
Sara - could you contact me directly to discuss plants history?
ReplyDeleteBella
a knowledge of garden history is a good thing for designers. There are few original ideas in garden design, thye get recycled in a new way through the centuries. If a designer has a knowledge of what has been done before to overcome a problem at least that can be used as a starting point.
ReplyDeleteAs a garden visitor though, an understanding of garden history is a bonus. Looking for dseign influences and knowing the stories behind the plants makes for a more rewarding experience.
My personal interest is the history of plants and their uses. My specialist period is medieval, but I have gone backwards and forwards from there, like you do once an interest gets hooked into you.I give lectures and displays on early plant use and people are always surprised to learn how even the commonest weed has a story to tell.
Old gardening books showing how gardens and plants have been maintained in the past is a rivetting subject and many of the ideas are as valid today as then. I now prune my species roses the moment they cease flowering. Often there is a second flush of flowers (very wether dependant)and the following season's display seems better than when they are pruned in the autumn to spring period.
So yes, garden history is very useful for garden designers and the icing on the cake for garden visitors.
Bella-I have sent you an email to the address @gardensand people. Really hope to hear from you soon.
ReplyDeleteI agree you do need to have looked backward to be able to move forward. Also I believe plants can combine well with their own historical context. We had a very good presentation at our Palmstead workshop last year on this subject from Clive Mayhew based on the work of Maggie Campbell-Culver.
ReplyDeleteThe proposal was that to plant in context with the history of the architecture use plants that were around at the same time. Therefore you would use Georgian era trees with Georgian properties and arts and crafts introductions with that era and so on. It can be a way of helping to reduce the tens of thousands of plants species we can grow and what works with what.
Also so many of our plants have a rich history which can add so much to the enjoyment of gardens and planted spaces. People remember the story behind a plant's introduction and it enriches the experience even for the non gardener.
Yes we need to be aware of history even if it is not directly relavent to properties built in the last 100 years.