English Gardens during the Reign of Edward I
The reign of Edward I allowed landowners to turn their attention to something other than defense and safety. As within the castle the wealthy lord sought to embellish the great hall, which often took the place of the ancient keep, with fine tapestry, richly carved furniture, magnificently carved... More...
Gardens During The Crusades
The Crusades had a marked effect in developing the gardens of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In the peaceful intervals of their stay in the Holy Land, Crusaders were often kindly received by their adversaries and given many opportunities to study Oriental luxuries and add them to their... More...
Gardens in Post Norman England
The end of internal warfare in Norman England permitted the precincts of the castle to become less restricted without loss of security. At the close of the thirteenth and the beginning of the fourteenth century the connection between France and England was very intimate. The French language was... More...
Special Valentines Day Gift Basket
In the recent times, Valentines Day Gift Baskets have gained tremendous popularity. A gift basket loaded with the goodies your friends shall always love to be gifted is both appealing and exciting. This is more because a specially wrapped gift basket shall add a touch of uniqueness to any gift... More...
About Pond Algae
Some Basic Kinds of Algae Algae is natural in your pond. And it is beneficial. But to a point. As noted by Kasco Marine, there are several basic kinds. Planktonic algae are essential, single-celled plant forms occurring worldwide. A healthy pond needs this form of algae as... More...
English Pleasure Gardens
Above all, the pleasure garden was intended for the diversion of the chatelaine. As early as 1250 we learn from a contemporary record that Henry III, to gratify Eleanor of Provence, ordered his bailiff at Woodstock "to make round about the garden of our Queen two walls good and high with... More...
Fishponds and Fountains in English Pleasure Gardens
As the cultivated ground of estates grew in size, it gradually came to be divided into compartments. These subdivisions were usually formed of latticework with square or diamond-shaped apertures, more or less ornamental as during the classic era. There were beds for plants raised several inches... More...
French and English Gardens of the Middle Ages
The Roman de la Rose gives the best possible idea of both the French and English gardens of the Middle Ages. It was chiefly written by Guillaume de Loris, in the first half of the thirteenth century, and was probably well known in England before it was translated by Chaucer into English. There... More...
Homes and Pleasure Gardens of England
Under Edward I the mediaeval prosperity of the English may be said to have culminated. It declined under the weak or warlike reigns of his successors, until during the Wars of the Roses much that civilization had gained seemed to have been lost. The Tudor accession brought the Wars of the Roses... More...
Orchards in English Pleasure Gardens
The orchard in the Middle Ages was practically indistinguishable from the garden or pleasure garden. The orchard in those days contained, besides a variety of fruit trees, herbs for medicinal and culinary purposes and a few flowers, also fountains, seats, and the other architectural features of... More...
How The Medieval English Planned a Home and Gardens
Andrew Borde is the first writer who gave directions in English about how to plan a house and grounds. Much of his advice was practical, although often he saw fit to drag in a somewhat irrelevant quotation from the Bible, or a passage from some classic author to which we should not attach much... More...
The Gardens at Hampton Court
There was no abrupt transition from the style of the Middle Ages to that of the Renaissance in English gardens. Many Gothic features were long retained, of which remnants are still in evidence: the carved stonework, the conduits, the walks, and arbors. Trelliswork, as used to surround the beds,... More...
Plants in English Tudor Gardens
The intermingling of ornamental with useful plants continued to be common in Tudor gardens. As an innovation, Andrew Borde recommended that there be two divisions separated by a broad-hedged alley. One of these sections was to be devoted to pot-herbs, the other to "quarters and pulse together... More...
English Tudor Gardens
The Tudor garden was a homely enclosure, like the living room in a simple house containing few, but good-sized, apartments. Sometimes one large enclosure answered many purposes. First of all, it contained the medicinal herbs. Then it answered the purpose of the pleasure garden, providing alleys... More...
Arbors in English Tudor Gardens
Every Tudor garden contained one or more arbors. One type had a square-topped roof, while the other type was arched. Both were constructed of willows or osiers. Fragrant rosemary, jasmine, and roses of various sorts, especially the sweetbrier or eglantine, were also trained over the trellis,... More...