Landscape Designs and the Roman Gardens

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The origin of landscape design is not possible to ascertain. It didn't start with a certain person, or a particular movement: like every design, it came to exist to satisfy the requirements of individuals organically throughout history. No person all of the sudden decided that we needed to scrupulously prepare where we place our trees and shrubs and flower beds - landscape architecture originated to help make one feature in our lives much better, and it has achieved this task wonderfully throughout our history.

Although the first reference to the extraordinary blend of gardens and design was certainly the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, there's some controversy relating to historic correctness. Despite the fact that their features and popularity as among the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World is enticing, we really don't know where to distinguish the history from the myth. While a good many authorities have detailed the function, style, and creator of the Hanging Gardens, there's no Babylonian data still in existence which record them first-hand, with zero historical proof which undoubtedly establishes their existence - thus we shall have to look elsewhere for a more useful starting point.

Maybe the very first appearance of what we deem modern day landscaping design arose during the rise of the Roman Empire. Romans lived in a far more urban environment as compared with everybody else up to that time in history, and they wanted an in-city refuge from their bustling social lives. This as a mission, the Ancient Roman landscapes formulated a relaxing mix of ornamental plants, mosaics, in addition to water fountains - the gardens also were brimming with spiritual metaphors.

This kind of tightly constructed landscape gardening stood in marked contrast to landscape design that would evolve within the east, where Chinese and Japanese gardeners would try to create their own landscape as humble and un-designed as is feasible. Landscape design also took a great step ahead in Persia, where impressive underground aqueducts were constructed to keep magnificent gardens living in the arid setting. The reality is, there is some evidence that Roman landscapes were deeply impacted by Persian gardening tactics.

These are merely a few examples of the many styles that landscaping design has taken over the years, but it really seemed to enter into its adolescence in the 19th century. The expression "Landscape architecture" was coined by Gilbert Meason within the publication "On The Landscape Architecture of the Great Painters of Italy", in which he wrote about Italian works of art of landscape artwork. The term's meaning has evolved a little since its creation, the alteration helped along through the expression in the winning entry for the structure of Central Park in New York City. In the mid 1900s, those who constructed landscapes were known as "Landscape Gardeners", but Frederick Olmsted dismissed this restricting title and adopted the name "Landscape Architect".

Recently, there's been a move towards Landscape Urbanism, which happens to be joining together an urban setting with nature. With a lot more people living in urban settings, landscape design needs to compliment and function alongside urban planning, causing some wonderful permutations of asphalt along with mulch. This unique attitude shift is without a doubt a modern day trend, however it is not that exclusive. Remember those ancient Roman gardens: when cutting-edge landscapers utilized a blend of design, landscaping, and an urban location, they're just doing just like the Romans did.