Historically, the gardens that
tend to become long-lasting, beautiful landmarks are those that are grand,
expansive, and accompanied by an equally impressive villa, castle, or palace.
However, what interests me are the gardens in history that may no longer structurally
be around, but nevertheless impacted the act of gardening in structure,
practice, and utility. This is why I chose to look deeper in the monastic
gardens of the medieval times, not quite as ornamental or impressive as the
royal gardens, but just as crucial to the history of gardening.
It is said that monasteries
created the original herb garden, a practice which is still being used today.
The traditional structure of raised, single planted beds of the monastic herb
garden is typical of many modern herb gardens today because of the ease of
harvesting and moving in between each crop. Unlike many of the grand, royal
gardens we have studied so extensively, monastic gardens were to be harvested
with purpose, which is why they primarily grew herbs for medicine, as well as
spices, fruits and vegetables for cooking. These gardens were not a sign of
wealth or status, but one of a simplistic lifestyle which required complete self-sufficiency.
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Just as religion played a
significant role in a monasteries lifestyle, it also greatly influenced
gardening techniques. One interesting facet of the monk's philosophy is that they
believed completely in natural healing, which is why herbs were used as
medicine. However, illnesses were also generally seen as a punishment from God,
so although herbs were used, they were rarely accredited with healing powers. If
it was God’s will to heal, the herbs would only assist, and if the herbs did
not work, it was because God made it so. This led to herbalist practices that
were rarely reformed because the herbs were never seen as the direct problem to
death or disease.
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Of course, monks did see the
intrinsic value of gardening along with the utilitarian. They used flowers and
other aromatic plants to decorate the church, and used them in their homes as
well. I think monastic gardens are interesting and also important to study
because they used practices that are more personally relatable, and are on a
scale that is obviously much more realistic. These gardens remind me that I am
studying garden art not only because of the overwhelming experience of stepping
into a grand, royal garden, but because most of the wonder of gardening that I have
encountered has been through harvesting crops that are useful in everyday life.
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Interesting post. Also that the first botanic gardens were called physic gardens and were mostly a collection of herbs and other plants that were used as medicines and the gardens were basically an instructional tool for medical students. For more on utilitarian plants etc take a look at Dioscorides' de materia medica and Gerard's Herbal
ReplyDeleteMonastic gardens often included statues or features that reinforced religious ideas. Do you think these gardens were important within the greater context of garden design eovlution. That is what did the cloisters - monastic, religious, gardens - contribute to future garden design?
ReplyDeleteI think it was really important that you pointed out that these herb gardens used for medicinal purposes but only to "assist." Because medicine and science are so closely related it is important to recognize that these monks believed that God was the only one with the power to heal.
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