A Guide to Medieval Gardens - a book review

A Guide to Medieval Gardens - Gardens in the Age of Chivalry

by Michael Brown

White Owl Books, c2022

I would imagine that working as a garden historian would be a wonderful job. European gardens during the last few centuries would offer plenty of resources, records and physical evidence to draw from.  However, going way back in time to the medieval period, presents many challenges. As author Michael Brown notes, there is just not a lot of sources to consult. There are precious few books and records that survive (and probably not that much written in the first place). Archeological excavations are rare and what is discovered basically reveals only the framework. 

The remains of the garden at Tintagel Castle
near the village of North Cornwall. (Photo by Michael Brown)

Most evidence of these gardens come from visual sources such as paintings and tapestries. And even then, only two survive that we painted in England.

The Virgin Mary, baby Jesus and various Saints in
"The Little Garden of Paradise" by an unknown artist referred
 to as "Upper Rhenish Master"(c.1410-20). The painting is an
important one as it is the earliest to depict flora and fauna
 that is recognizable.

In all probability, unless you were rich, most gardening was done as a means of survival. This is especially true in monasteries, where specific monks would grow food and herbs to feed their residents as well as to supply flowers for holy services.

A medieval vegetable garden (Photo by Michael Brown)

This well illustrated book provides a brief history of these gardens and their influence. Chapters focus on monastic and secular gardens, specific design characteristics (water, bedding, turf seats), plants and cultivation techniques. A concluding chapter gives tips for modern gardeners on how to create their own medieval garden.

Surprisingly, many of the gardening techniques are the same as we practice today. There is a fascinating chapter on garden tools that illustrate this fact but also some surprises.

A medieval wheelbarrow (reconstructed). Note there are no sides.
(Photo by Michael Brown)

I received this book as a Christmas present and I enjoyed it. It is not a scholarly book and is written in a very accessible style. This book was published in 2022 and the author mentions that he hoped to write a follow-up about the specific plants. And apparently he did so with  "Medieval Plants and Their Uses" published in December of 2022. 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy