Garden Culture Research Articles

A Brief Discussion on Mr. Congzhou Chen's Thoughts on Garden Art

The role and significance of Mr. Chen multiple identities, personal practices, and academic history in the formation of his personal thoughts and theories on the art of gardening are discussed to explore Mr. Chen's inheritance and innovation of Chinese thoughts on landscape gardening. Analyzing Mingxuan, Yuyuan, and Nanyuan from the perspective of poetic and picturesque aesthetics, we discover the course of Mr. Congzhou Chen's gardening ideas and his inheritance and innovation of traditional garden culture. As Mr. Chen said, Mingxuan is an imitation with some new ideas, Yuyuan East is a continuation with some new ideas, and Nanyuan is an independent design, which is a concrete embodiment of his garden theory. The process of gardening is a perfect combination of practice and Concept of Garden Design.Mr. Congzhou Chen's theoretical topics on traditional Chinese gardens are widely spread and far-reaching.

New study explores the formation of vernacular garden culture in province of Kainuu in northeastern Finland

New study explores the formation of vernacular garden culture in province of Kainuu in northeastern Finland

Incorporation mechanism of traditional Chinese garden elements in modern urban landscape design: an exploratory analysis based on grounded theory

ABSTRACT Following China’s reform and opening up in 1978, the image of European and American city construction has shaped China’s modern urban environment, but the creation of Chinese cities’ original intrinsic cultural landscape has been neglected. This leads to a break in the inheritance of garden culture in contemporary public and open urban landscape design. This study investigates the process of integrating traditional Chinese gardens into contemporary landscapes using grounded theory. In this study, In Vivo Coding is utilized to conduct a thorough analysis of textual materials through a three-step process: Open Coding, Axial Coding, and Selective Coding saturation test. The identified data are meticulously coded and summarized, culminating in the construction of a theoretical model. The study revealed that the incorporation of traditional Chinese garden elements in contemporary urban landscape design involves several key aspects: firstly, employing the traditional layout and spatial form of the entire design site; secondly, integrating modern public landscape design scenes with traditional garden design concepts to evoke a distinct Chinese ambiance; furthermore, utilizing both modern technology and materials alongside traditional techniques to create multi-dimensional elements within the site. The present study systematically synthesizes and examines the incorporation of traditional Chinese garden elements in contemporary urban design across six dimensions. This research offers a theoretical framework for the preservation of traditional garden culture and its integration into modern landscape, as well as furnishing mechanisms and methodologies for integrating traditional culture into contemporary landscape design practice. This research provides a valuable reference for preserving and practically implementing traditional garden elements in contemporary urban landscapes.

A Comparative Study of Chinese and Western Garden Culture: From the Perspective of Garden Elements

Gardens refer to natural environments and places where people play through certain artistic design methods. There are completely different concepts and expressions in gardening methods between China and the West. This article mainly conducts an in-depth comparative study of Chinese and Western garden culture from the perspective of garden elements. The article first outlines the development process of Chinese and Western garden culture and analyzes the influence of multiple factors such as historical development and ideological culture on its style formation. Then, by comparing and analyzing the landscape elements of Chinese and Western gardens, the article reveals the differences and characteristics between the two in design concepts, spatial layout, artistic decoration, and other aspects. Finally, based on existing literature, the article summarizes the phenomenon of the integration of Chinese and Western garden cultures and explores the trend of how Chinese and Western garden cultures can learn from each other, integrate, and innovate in the context of globalization.

한중일의 정원에 나타난 자연주의 사상과 반영성

The purpose of this study is to explore what the views of nature and gardens of Korea, China, and Japan are, how naturalistic ideas are expressed and projected in gardens, what their characteristics are, and what their aesthetics and message are to modern gardens. It was conducted using a literature review research method, and the results are as follows. First, Korea, China and Japan have a view of nature that humans should be in harmony with nature. Second, the views of nature and gardens in Korea, China, and Japan were influenced by shamanism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Zen. Third, Korea has created nature-friendly gardens that minimize human interference, China has created a somewhat artificial garden culture that creates another nature by reconstructing natural objects, and Japan has created symbolic garden art that brings nature into the house and contemplates it. Fourth, the gardens of Korea, China, and Japan all aimed for natural landscapes and gave symbolism to garden compositions, making it a mechanism to transform garden appreciators into a private world.

Exploring Strategies and Approaches for the Inheritance of Traditional Chinese Landscape Garden Culture

With the development and changes in social background, usage demands, technological levels, and aesthetic preferences, the inheritance of China's classical landscape garden culture is inevitable. Currently, research on the inheritance and practice of Chinese landscape gardens often starts from the traditional gardening techniques, describing and summarizing their characteristics. This paper explores the cultural connotations of Chinese landscape garden, combining them with the current era's background, to investigate the inheritance strategies and pathways of Chinese landscape gardens. It aims to enrich the theoretical content of the inheritance and innovation of Chinese garden art, adhering to the path of garden construction with Chinese characteristics. The goal is to provide references and guidance for promoting the inheritance of traditional Chinese garden culture and the construction of modern gardens.

Application Research on Integrating Digital Garden Culture into Exhibition Space Design of Science and Technology Museum

Application Research on Integrating Digital Garden Culture into Exhibition Space Design of Science and Technology Museum

Research on the Application of Jiangnan Garden Culture in the Design of “Pine” Sofa

Research on the Application of Jiangnan Garden Culture in the Design of “Pine” Sofa

An Analysis of Visual Preference and Characteristics through a Woodland Garden Perception Survey

Background and objective: Woodland gardens, or gardens designed to emulate the aesthetic and environmental characteristics of forest vegetation, can assist in resolving various environmental and societal problems. However, research regarding woodland gardens in a Korean context has been insufficient, as the concept has only recently been introduced to Korea. This study was conducted to investigate the Korean public's perceptions of two types of woodland gardens and to suggest future directions for the popularization of woodland gardens in Korea.Methods: This study was carried out based on a survey. The respondents were provided with a questionnaire on three sets of images representing two types of woodland garden (naturalistic and urban) and a typical formal garden. The questionnaire was designed based on the semantic differential method to gather information on the general public's recognition of the concept of woodland gardens, and their preference and perception of each type of garden. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 29.Results: The results suggest that the majority of the respondents were familiar with the term "woodland garden." Of the types of gardens, preference for naturalistic woodland gardens (NWGs) was the highest. Landscape adjectives associated with each type of garden were natural, harmonious, comfortable and simple for NWGs, and organized, artificial, simple, poor, and comfortable for urban woodland gardens (UWGs). A factor analysis on the adjectives identified four factors for each type. Of the identified factors, comfort and stability were found to have particularly greater effects on preference.Conclusion: Preference for NWGs was greater than UWGs, due to the perception that they provided greater comfort and stability. It is expected that designing woodland gardens based on the finding of this study would aid in the popularization of woodland gardens, and the advancement of garden culture in Korea.

Spatial Syntax Analysis of the Evolution of the Water System and Garden Distribution Relationship in Suzhou: 13th–20th Centuries

In the present study, we used the axis model in the spatial syntax approach to analyze the evolution of the water system in Suzhou, China, from the 13th to the 20th centuries and its relationship with the distribution of gardens in the city. The distribution of the authoritative mainstream gardens appeared to be directly affected by the water system, and the gardens located in the areas with high water integration in each period were well preserved. From the 13th to the 17th centuries, gardens in areas with high water integration were all owned by the government and the class with social authority. This was consistent with the patterns for the hierarchical distribution of traditional urban space in China. However, in the 19th century, the gardens in areas with high water integration were owned by the class with social authority and the merchant class, reflecting characteristics different from the traditional pattern. The temple gardens in commercial areas with high water system integration were well preserved. Given the disruption of the surrounding water system, their original isolation from the water system was averted, turning them into public areas for social and public activities. In the 13th and 17th centuries, gardens located in areas with high and low water system integration took advantage of the surrounding water systems for landscaping, demonstrating the gardening principle according to local conditions. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, the water system decreased sharply in many areas, and gardens built in areas with high water system integration were no longer thus situated. Traditional techniques for diverting water into gardens gradually disappeared. This study revealed that the preservation of gardens in Suzhou was largely due to the pattern of their distribution in the urban structure, and the gardens preserved to date have benefited from their location relative to the urban spatial structure of the 19th century. Private gardens, which embody the elegant taste of the literati, strongly resisted the aesthetic invasion from commercialization, however, and were also developed and preserved. Their social and spatial attributes were transformed by commercialization, presenting a contradictory yet complementary relationship between traditional garden culture and commercial development in Suzhou.

Isparta’da Doğal Olarak Yetişen Tıbbi ve Aromatik Bitkilerle Oluşturulan Bir Şifa Bahçesi Örneği

With the development of thematic parks, the garden culture, in which people turn to nature and where they can get rid of their daily stress and provide mental and physical relaxation, has shown itself as healing gardens. These gardens, which were used for the rehabilitation of patients in church or hospital gardens, have now become areas where people's mental fatigue is relieved in urban areas, and they have become more functional with the use of medicinal and aromatic plants. From this point of view, within the scope of the study, a healing garden was designed with the use of medicinal and aromatic plants that grow naturally in Isparta province. The area, with a total area of 2.21 ha, located on 275th street within the borders of Çünur neighborhood was determined for the design of the healing garden. Thirty-five medicinal and aromatic plants that grow naturally in Isparta are included in this land. As a result of the study, a design that takes its theme from natural elements was realized, and the use of areas suitable for healing gardens has been suggested.

Promote Chinese traditional garden culture and explore the beauty of classical gardens and Qinghui Garden

In traditional Chinese architecture, classical gardens are unique and have major achievements. Classical Chinese gardens are a rich world cultural heritage and the culmination of oriental aesthetics. Chinese gardening art takes the pursuit of the spiritual realm of nature as the ultimate and highest goal, to achieve the aesthetic purpose of "although it is made by man, it seems to be opened from heaven". It is deeply immersed in the connotation of Chinese culture, an artistic treasure created by China's 5,000-year cultural history, a vivid portrayal of the inner spiritual character of a nation, and a magnificent cause that we need to inherit and develop today.

The Application of the Characteristics and Design Techniques of Jiangnan Classical Gardens in Suzhou Museum

Suzhou Museum is located in the garden zone of Suzhou. As a translation of classical garden design techniques in today's architecture, it has become the landmark cultural architecture of Suzhou city.Taking Suzhou Museum as an example, this paper explores the application of Jiangnan classical gardens in modern architectural design from two aspects of features and design techniques, so as to contribute to the discussion on the inheritance and development of classical garden culture.

A Botanical Beehive of poetry and belief in Philadelphian gardens. A radical refiguring of garden culture in colonial Pennsylvania before 1719

Botanical Beehive describes and interprets an example of a relationship between belief, imagination, reading, writing, and the art of gardening in colonial Pennsylvania. The religious symbolism and poetic significance of a garden and plants in the day-to-day lives of many German and Dutch immigrants in Pennsylvania was distinct from English, Quaker, garden design. A poetic botanical language evolved from the confluence of multiple European languages, German early modern botany, and German Pietist beliefs of Germantown colonists. This language was a basis of an art of gardening that influenced the ordering and meaning of ornamental and productive garden culture in Germantown. Evidence of this art can be found in the writings and botanical illuminations of Germantown settler Francis Pastorius. His writing documents a garden of over two hundred and twenty species of exotic, ornamental, culinary, and medicinal plants that he cultivated in his garden, orchard, vineyard, and fields. This art influenced the development of the botanical fractur typography and illuminations of the monastic brothers and sisters of Ephrata Cloister. What you will find in this art is an imaginative and productive relationship with plants and language that formed a foundation of Philadelphia’s 18th-century transatlantic horticultural influence.

The restoration design of the main building of “Huancui Hall” in Zuoyin Garden based on graphics and text derivation

Huizhou garden is a branch of the gardening system in the regions south of the Yangtze River in China, which has not been studied by many researchers because there are few relics. Located in Xiuning County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, Zuoyin Garden is a garden of the Ming Dynasty, which was built by Wang tingne, a Huizhou merchant, during the Wanli period. There is only a water source at the current base, as the ground buildings were destroyed. Wang Tingne published a long scroll print of Huizhou, the Garden View of Huancui Hall to depict the complete landscape. The purpose of this paper is to bring academic attention to the heritage of Huizhou gardens through the restoration of Zuoyin Garden.It is also expected that the restoration results will become the design basis and reference for relevant construction units to reconstruct Zuoyin Garden, and can also provide inspiration for the conservation and research of local gardens. In this paper, the main buildings that are depicted most clearly in the print were studied.The scientific structure determination, dimension speculation and courtyard layout were carried out according to the method of graphics and text derivation and the ancient technical architectural laws based on the gardening background, and several perspective renderings were modeled. Through the restoration study, it is found that the Zuoyin Garden has the characteristics of superior site selection, regular layout, elegant courtyard and gorgeous architectural decoration, and the natural landscape environment and humanistic environment of Huizhou has nurtured the unique Huizhou garden culture, which indicates that Huizhou garden is also an excellent garden cultural heritage and expands the research content of garden in the regions south of the Yangtze River in China.

Does the reduction of seed dormancy during ex situ cultivation affect the germination and establishment of plants reintroduced into the wild?

Abstract Plants or seeds produced in botanic gardens or nurseries have become an important source of plant material for reintroductions or population reinforcements. However, recent research has shown that these living collections bear the risk of being genetically impoverished and adapted to the artificial habitat. In particular, many studies have reported a decline of seed dormancy during ex situ cultivation, which may compromise their suitability for reintroduction programmes. However, the impact of those ex situ derived changes on the germination and establishment of reintroduced plant populations is still unclear. We studied the germination behaviour, population establishment and plant fitness over 3 years of reintroduced plants of the short‐lived perennial Digitalis lutea, comparing plants grown from (1) a 30‐year botanic garden population, (2) seeds from a seed bank representing the initial starting point of the botanic garden culture and (3) a re‐sampled corresponding wild population. Under laboratory conditions, wild‐collected seeds required cold stratification to germinate, whereas seeds from the garden population germinated without stratification. This pattern was strongly reduced in an outdoor pot experiment, where only few garden seeds germinated before winter, and all seeds remained dormant when seeded in the natural area of origin. In a transplant experiment, reintroduced plants from the wild population outperformed both, the garden and the seed bank plants, in their fitness in the first 3 years after reintroduction suggesting adaptation to current climatic conditions. Synthesis and applications. Our study demonstrates that trait changes that occurred during ex situ cultivation can negatively impact the establishment of reintroduced plants. We conclude that wild plant material collected from contemporary populations is best suited for reintroduction and should be preferred over ex situ cultivated and seed bank stored material, especially when the cultivation spanned multiple generations. However, our study also shows that germination requirements change in complex ways, and the loss of dormancy observed under laboratory conditions may not always be directly transferable to natural conditions. When established standards are respected, ex situ propagated material may thus still be a valuable resource, especially when wild material is not available in sufficient quantities.

Characterization of Catalase Enzyme from Leaf Tissue of Aronia (Aronia melanocarpa) Plant

Aronia is among the most antioxidant containing plants which is found commonly around the world. Aronia cultivation started in Turkey for the first time in 2012 at the Atatürk Central Research Institute of Garden Cultures, and a plantation was constructed in the experimental area. Since antioxidants help to preserve food by blocking oxidation processes and contributing to the health promotion provided by numerous dietary supplements, nutraceutical and functional food additives, antioxidant capacity of these plants should be well characterized. To assess and evaluate the antioxidant content of foods and plant products, many approaches are utilized. In this study, catalase (CAT) enzyme was partially purified from aronia plant leaf tissue and characterization was carried out. Purification process consisted of homogenate preparation, ammonium sulfate precipitation and dialysis. The optimal ionic strength, pH, substrate concentration and enzyme quantity were examined. These values were found to be 300 mM Tris, pH:8.0, 12 mM H2O2 and 75 μl, respectively, for the catalase enzyme of the Aronia plant leaf tissue. This study is the first in the literature dealing with the characterization of antioxidant enzyme from Aronia plant.

Classical topomythopoiesis. Survival of the pagan gods during the Christian Middle Ages

The gardens of the Renaissance are well known for being populated by the gods and settings of Classical mythology — an iconographic tradition that originated in the cult sanctuaries of Ancient Greece and transplanted to Hellenistic and Roman gardens; a tradition of place-making that I term Classical topomythopoiesis. But, what happened in-between? Gardens from the Middle Ages are not often associated with the pagan myths, but rather with Christian symbolism. This article provides a survey of the survival of Medieval Classical topomythopoiesis. It discusses various ways in which Christians received the gods, and how the language of mythology continued to shape the beholder’s share in viewing landscapes. It traces the origins of the garden of love to show how it opened the gate for the gods of love to become baptised within later Medieval garden culture. The article then provides a novel reading of the Narcissus-fountain episode in the Roman de la Rose as a hypothetical exemplar of how the myths in gardens were evoked through a process of interpretation that echoes Medieval biblical exegesis. The article concludes by arguing that Boccaccio’s liberation of the mythical garden as an imagined, sensual setting signals a shift towards a Neoplatonic approach to topomythopoiesis.

The Contrast between Japanese and Chinese Gardens – Taking Humble Administrator’s Garden in Suzhou and Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto as Examples

Garden culture has evolved through thousands of years to create its own distinctive features in both China and Japan. Chinese culture also had a major influence on Japanese culture, which is seen in garden culture. Both the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Katsura Imperial Villa were built during the same eras, the Ming Dynasty and the Edo era, and they are considered to be the greatest examples of Japanese and Chinese garden architecture. The garden design, water features, and rock elements of the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Katsura Imperial Villa are thoroughly compared in this study to highlight their commonalities and differences. It explores the factors behind these distinctions, encompassing the design and aesthetic concepts of the two countries, while considering the influence of cultural, economic, and natural factors. Additionally, the research uncovers key findings, shedding light on the distinctions between these two gardens and the influential factors, including cultural, economic, and natural influences, shaping their unique characteristics. The study delves into historical, geographical, and cultural influences, unveiling the distinct preferences and philosophies of Chinese and Japanese garden aesthetics. Ultimately, this research extends readers’ comprehension of Chinese and Japanese garden art and culture, fostering positive cross-cultural understanding and communication between the two nations. Through comparison and analysis, readers gain a deeper understanding of the underlying ideologies and aesthetics of these two cultures, promoting greater exchange and mutual enrichment in the realm of Sino-Japanese garden art.

The Fostering of “All-Round Gardens”: Suburban Horticultural Societies in Wellington, 1910–40

Between 1910 and 1940, horticultural societies flourished in Wellington’s suburbs. This case study looks at the reasons for their establishment, profiles their membership, outlines the scope and growth of their operations, and examines the causes of their eventual demise. The importance of gender, class, and race in the societies’ membership is explored and the societies’ contribution to the development of a suburban gardening culture in New Zealand considered.