My New Garden History Course

I am delighted to announce that I am launching a new on-line course entitled Garden History.  Under the auspices of My Garden School, the course is a four-part introduction to global garden history.

Below I've briefly set out my stall in terms of my view on garden history, my approach to the course and how it is structured.

I would be delighted to see you on the course and should you know anyone who may be interested in it, please do pass on this post or the course link.  Thank you.

I believe that ornamental gardens are complex, three-dimensional, and overlooked works of art.  Ever since the first garden was made in Ancient Egypt some 4,300 ago gardens have acted as cultural barometers.  Down the millennia and across continents every civilization and nation has developed its own garden styles which evolved in tune with the cultural, artistic, social, economic, technological and political landscapes.  Thus, garden art and culture have always been profoundly interactive – at one and the same each shapes the other.  As a result of this unique relationship garden art is an intrinsic, integral and influential component of the zeitgeist.  

The course therefore takes an interdisciplinary approach.  Artistic analysis of individual garden styles will reveal design principles and aesthetics, and the garden form will be deconstructed to display the style’s constituent elements, their configuration and the planting.  Simultaneous cultural analysis of the garden style will identify and interpret its interactions with the zeitgeist, provide insight into the garden’s role and purpose, and explain how the garden style impacted the cultural spectrum, both nationally and on a global level.

 The four lectures are:

1:  Of the Ancients and the East.   

2:  Man, God and the Garden.

3:  Turning the Wheel of Fashion.

4:  Art, Craft, Nature and Modernism.

Please visit Garden History for information about the course and how to join.