Medieval gardening

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Gardening during the medieval period had a primary purpose of providing food for households.

For the purposes of this article, the European medieval era will be considered to span from 400 to 1400 CE, though appropriate references may be made to earlier and later times. Gardening is the deliberate cultivation of plants herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables. The gardening article discusses the differences and similarities between gardens and farms in greater detail.

See also the history of gardening.

Contents

[edit] Historical evidence

Man's relationship with plants is as old as man as a species. The Neolithic Revolution began farming and gardening. The majority of our knowledge about the method and means of gardens in the middle ages comes through archaeology, surviving textual documentation, and surviving artworks such as paintings, tapestry and illumination.

[edit] Types of Garden

  • Hortus conclusus-Enclosed garden
  • Vegetable or cottage -primarily for food production
  • herber -primarily for herbs, culinary medicinal and craft
  • pleasure -nobleman's garden
  • orchard -fruit trees
  • nuthey -an orchard of nut trees

[edit] Garden Features

  • Fencing
  • Seating
  • Fountains
  • Fishponds
  • Beds
  • Gates

[edit] Primary sources on gardening

[edit] Other sources on medieval gardening

  • Sylvia Landsberg, The Medieval Garden 1995
  • Frank Crisp, Mediaeval Gardens
  • Richardson Wright, The Story of Gardening from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the the Hanging Gardens of New York 1934

[edit] External links