Colonial Landscape Plans

Goals of Colonial Gardens

• When planting a garden, colonial gardeners had to consider, above all else, the practicality of growing produce and caring for the garden. Aside from decorative purposes, a colonial garden also served to feed the family. Therefore, the size of the garden was often dependent on the number of family members.

Plant Placement

• The plants grown in a colonial garden or landscape were generally spread out on the surrounding land. Large vegetable plants, such as tomato plants and lettuce, were kept in the larger areas of the garden. In contrast, small vegetables and herbs, such as basil, carrots, onions, garlic and mint, were grown right next to the door of the house. This made it easier for the cook to access these much-used ingredients during meal preparation. In general, all decorative plants were kept far away from the house as well. The practice of planting flowers and shrubs near the foundation of the home did not become common until the latter half of the 19th century.

Landscape Layout

• In general, the idea behind a decorative landscape in colonial times was that it should represent humanity's ability to tame nature. Therefore, many planting layouts involved installing plants and flowers around structures placed there by people. This was often more prevalent in rural areas, where plants were grown around and among buildings, fences and even new construction sites. Wealthier landscapers led to the evolution of many techniques in growing plants attached to structures or along fences, since they had more time and means to experiment with care procedures such as pruning and trimming.

Landscape Decor

• Most colonial gardens and landscapes, especially the decorative ones, were based on square or rectangular shapes for individual gardening beds as well as for the garden shape overall. This allowed the caretakers to reach all plants within the given bed. Plants would be grown in tightly-packed rows to allow for all room in the garden to be used. Often pathways would wind through the gardens, especially if they were grown for a decorative landscape more than for practical gardening purposes. These pathways would be lined with gravel, sand or even crushed shells for an added decorative, colorful touch.