Reviving the Victorian Landscape
By Dennis Collins , Horticultural Curator
Beginning in the 1870s , the Victorian landscape aesthetic rejected the naturalistic compositions of the “ Picturesque ” style of the early 19th-century . It put cultivation at the forefront of design , emphasizing exotic plants , intensive maintenance , or the emphatic use of specimen plants . Flowering perennials and annuals were used extensively , and those with strong colors were preferred . For woody plants , the form was as important as any contribution the flowering might make . Low hedging ( e . g ., with boxwood ) was common , as were the processes of espalier and topiary . Plants with distinct forms such as fastigiate or weeping , along with such dwarf forms as existed at this time , were prized as specimens . Unusual plant material was popular and the introduction of plants from Asia satisfied the demand for novelties . Geometric shapes , which lend a somewhat formal style to gardens , were used in laying out planting beds . Finally , elaborate flower-bed plantings of annuals were used to create mosaics in intricate patterns .
Following guidelines from the 1993 Master Plan for preserving and displaying landscape styles that characterize Mount Auburn ’ s history , we are in the early stages of an effort to re-introduce the Victorian landscape character in several sections of the grounds . The planting at Bigelow Lawn , installed in 1995 , was the first attempt to see if the style could be achieved without committing to a highmaintenance regime . Because period photographs in our archives are black-and-white only , the Victorian emphasis on color could easily have been overlooked . Yet color plays an important role in reinforcing the geometry of bed layouts and in adding depth and texture to the plantings .
Our archives contain lengthy lists of plants that were fashionable among the Victorians , and which might surprise us today . Their approach to gardening was bold and experimental . The limits of many plants ( tropical , sub-tropical , and southern temperate ) were tested . Tropical plants such as palms and banana trees were used as exotic elements in the landscape . They were , of course , not hardy in the north and had to be overwintered in the Brattle Street greenhouses . In 2007 , as an experiment , Mount Auburn grew a crop of banana trees from small plugs . They were used effectively in urns near the front gate , and a number of them were successfully overwintered and have been re-used ( as larger plants ) ever since . The experimental garden established near the Greenhouse that same year has been able to test a range of different Victorian period plants for hardiness and performance . When the new greenhouse facility was built , one of the first things we did was to expand these experiments with tree-ferns and cycads . With such trial and error , we ’ ll have a much better chance of succeeding when we resume the implementation of the Victorian landscape initiative .
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