The History of Landscape Design in 100 Gardens

July 16, 2018
Master gardener Chisholm, who teaches the history of landscape design at the New York Botanical Garden, conducts a tour of 100 gardens, mostly Western, in this ambitious, profusely illustrated history of landscape design. Chisholm provides a satisfying intellectual history as she highlights popular features, trends, and concepts in gardens and parks. She notes how Italian gardens of the Renaissance era, such as the Villa d’Este in Tivoli, exhibit the concept that “the measure of mankind is man”; rather than being a celebration of nature, the stones, trees, and shrubs are used as furniture for outdoor salons. Chisholm credits renowned 18th-century British garden designer Capability Brown, who designed parks throughout England, with originating the concept of the landscape park with its large lawns and views. The book is studded with facts: colorful annual flowers became a standard feature of gardens because of the affluence of 19th-century Victorian England, while the invention of the steamship made it easier to transport plants from around the world. Readers interested in non-Western garden designs, however, will be disappointed; Japanese and Chinese gardens are so cursorily treated they might as well have been omitted. Despite this, Chisholm’s mix of history and landscape design will find a welcome spot on many garden enthusiasts’ bookshelves.