See the methods colonists used to help plants flourish in spite of the weather. Colonial Williamsburg gardeners Wesley Greene and Don McKelvey take us through the Colonial Nursery, located in the Historic Area across the street from Bruton Parish Church, to show us the 18th-century tools that enabled colonists to keep fruits and vegetables protected over the winter.
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Saturday, May 28, 2022
Gardening History : 18th century
In the 18th century gardens were laid out more naturally, without any walls. This style of smooth undulating grass, which would run straight to the house, clumps, belts and scattering of trees and his serpentine lakes formed by invisibly damming small rivers, were a new style within the English landscape, a "gardenless" form of landscape gardening, which swept away almost all the remnants of previous formally patterned styles. The English landscape garden usually included a lake, lawns set against groves of trees, and often contained shrubberies, grottoes, pavilions, bridges and follies such as mock temples, Gothic ruins, bridges, and other picturesque architecture, designed to recreate an idyllic pastoral landscape. This new style emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe. The English garden presented an idealized view of nature. They were often inspired by paintings of landscapes by Claude Lorraine and Nicolas Poussin, and some were Influenced by the classic Chinese gardens of the East, which had recently been described by European travelers. The work of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was particularly influential. Also, in 1804 the Horticultural Society was formed.
Gardens of the 19th century contained plants such as the monkey puzzle or Chile pine. This is also the time when the so-called "gardenesque" style of gardens evolved. These gardens displayed a wide variety of flowers in a rather small space. Rock gardens increased in popularity in the 19th century.
India: In India, in the ancient times, patterns from sacred geometry and mandalas were used to design their gardens. Distinct mandala patterns denoted specific deities, planets, or even constellations. Such a garden was also referred to as a 'Mandala Vaatika'. The word 'Vaatika' can mean garden, plantation or parterre.
Read more, here.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Flagstone : Early Sunset
This is a colorful addition to enhance your space. Patio 1"- 2", 1"- 2" Select
Sunday, May 22, 2022
Garden of the Month - Katherine Greenberg
Katherine Greenberg’s garden was inspired by the oak woodlands, grasslands, and chaparral of the surrounding valley and the redwood forests of the East Bay hills. She started developing the 1.3 acre garden in 1980 after building her home on a Lafayette hillside. Mindful of the need to conserve water, Katherine selected California native plants that are natural companions in the wild and suited to the climate and conditions of the site. Once established, the plants receive little or no supplemental irrigation...
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Gardening History : Cottage gardens
Cottage gardens, which emerged in Elizabethan times, appear to have originated as a local source for herbs and fruits. One theory is that they arose out of the Black Death of the 1340s, when the death of so many laborers made land available for small cottages with personal gardens. According to the late 19th-century legend of origin, these gardens were originally created by the workers that lived in the cottages of the villages, to provide them with food and herbs, with flowers planted among them for decoration. Farm workers were provided with cottages that had architectural quality set in a small garden—about 1 acre (0.40 ha)—where they could grow food and keep pigs and chickens.
Authentic gardens of the yeoman cottager would have included a beehive and livestock, and frequently a pig and sty, along with a well. The peasant cottager of medieval times was more interested in meat than flowers, with herbs grown for medicinal use rather than for their beauty. By Elizabethan times there was more prosperity, and thus more room to grow flowers. Even the early cottage garden flowers typically had their practical use—violets were spread on the floor (for their pleasant scent and keeping out vermin); calendulas and primroses were both attractive and used in cooking. Others, such as sweet William and hollyhocks, were grown entirely for their beauty.
Read more, here.
Monday, May 16, 2022
Friday, May 13, 2022
Garden of the Week - Amy Whitworth and Lora Price
This design is a close collaboration between designers Amy Whitworth and Lora Price. The homeowner is an advocate for maintaining a landscape style befitting her neighborhood, and appropriate to her 1967 ranch home. Gracious lawn spaces are part of that aesthetic.
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