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.
12 | Sweet Auburn