Part I-The Splendor of Renaissance Gardens

Fruits in the Renaissance Garden

Potted orange and lemon trees were featured prominently in many Renaissance gardens. These fitted very nicely into formal planting designs. Visitors often described these gardens as having an "orange-scented atmosphere." At the Vatican, the Belvedere Court fountains provided water for the orange trees.

How did the Renaissance garden designers come to choose this kind of fruit? The idea came from a classical reference mentioning "the golden apples of Hesperides." (This reference had lasting effect, for hesperidium is now defined as a fleshy fruit with obvious partitions, such as lemons, grapefruits, oranges, and other citrus.)

Arbors were created with hawthorns and other fruit-bearing plants. In England, other fruit plants, including mulberries, were grown in Renaissance gardens. Terraces, constructed of wood, were covered with grapevines or ivy.

At Moor Park in England, an enclosure composed of fruit trees created a shady retreat.

Garden mounts and parapets offered space for drying fruits, and were used by garden visitors as places from which to view the garden.

Formal Parterres

Parterres were an integral element of the Renaissance garden. They were created of boxwoods and other plants, forming intricate, embroidered formal spaces for planting grass or flowers. Flowering plants were chosen for their color and fragrance. As the blooms faded, the plants were replaced with new ones so the garden looked fresh throughout the growing season.

These parterres could also take the form of low-growing labyrinths and mazes.

One source described the formal parterres as an art form "that humanizes the void, making of it an enclosed Eden."

Water in the Garden

Water in the Renaissance garden assumed various forms, such as cascades, canals, and fountains. The latter were often used as sources of entertainment and theatrics for guests. On occasion, waterworks were especially rigged to play jokes on unsuspecting visitors. At Villa Lonte, a cascade was used to cool wine for banquets.

Note-This concludes Part 1-The Splendor of the Renaissance Garden. Part II will appear in the next article.

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