Garden Design Philosophy

Views of the interrelationships between God, man, and nature have evolved through the
centuries in Europe and the Near East. Prevailing philosophies and cultures have had a
great impact on garden types and styles. The following list gives examples of these
relationships and the types of gardens that they represent.

Relationships
If gods control the natural world, they should be propitiated
through ritual and sacrifice.
If it is natural for kings to become gods after death, they
should be provided with temples and gardens for use in the
afterlife.
If the gods of nature intervene in our daily lives, sacrificial
offerings should be made in a sacred place, such as an altar
in a wood.
If the natural forms have a godlike existence in a perfect
world, they should be incorporated into architectural and
garden design.
If the nature of the world is revealed to mankind through
religion, then gardens, as places for contemplation, should
symbolize the perfection of nature.
If the best knowledge of nature comes from the ancients,
then modern gardens should be made in the style of ancient
gardens.
If the natural order is revealed to man through reason, then
gardens should be based on mathematical ideas and
perspective.
If nature is best interpreted through empirical science, then
gardens should exhibit a great range of phenomena: natural,
artificial, and emotional.
If nature is best understood through scientific analysis, then
gardens should be based on the principles of abstraction.
If our understanding of nature depends on our conceptual
framework, then concepts should have a central place in the
design of gardens.

Garden Types & Styles

Religious and astronomical
compounds
Temple and pyramid
compounds in the Ancient
World
Sacred groves, classical
temples, domestic garden
shrines
Greek, Roman, and Islamic
sacred geometry in garden
layout
Medieval gardens and
Cloisters
Renaissance gardens

Baroque gardens

Romantic gardens

Modern and abstract gardens

Postmodern and conceptual
gardens

Based on Tom Turner (2005), Garden History: Philosophy & Design 2000 BC-200AD. Spoon Press.

Illustrations of Garden Types and Styles

For a more complete style guide with diagrams of these garden types and styles, please visit:
http://www.gardenvisit.com/history_theory/garden_landscape_design_articles/historic_design_styles