Elements of the Medieval Garden

Life in the middle ages was difficult for most people, and gardening was a practical necessity. Plants were grown for their usefulness, with fruits, vegetables, and healing plants as the main focus. Some flowers, typically selected for their religious symbolism, were grown to decorate church sanctuaries. Some elements of the medieval garden, summarized from Christopher Thacker’s The History of Gardens and augmented by Penelope Hobhouse in The Story of Gardening:

• Square, enclosed garden – the square or rectangle garden comes from the shape of the cloister. A wall encloses the garden for protection and privacy. It also has religious symbolism; in paintings, the Virgin Mary is often depicted in a walled garden. Garden beds within the walls are often square or rectangular as well, with paths between them. According to Thacker, this basic layout forms the basis later for all formal gardens in Europe (reinforced by exposure to the Persian four-square garden design).
• Hedges and trellises – for the prosperous, walls were built of stone; for others, walls took the form of hedges of bushes or trees, or fences woven of willow or hazel strips. Trellises and arbors were also woven and provided shade, protection, and a structure for climbing plants.
• Water fountain – a water source was required for irrigation, and seen as a symbolic fount of life. Sometimes a fish pond was maintained for harvesting fresh fish.
• Raised beds – raised beds provided planting areas with good drainage. The height of the beds varies in depictions, which may indicate there was an awareness that lower beds worked for drier soil, and higher beds were required for moist soil.
• Orchards and vines – fruiting trees and grapes were grown where the climate allowed. Bees were often kept as well, providing honey (and pollination).
• Plants – produce and herb gardens were often separated from healing plants. In monasteries, the healing plants were often grown close to the infirmary.
• Flowery mead – many depictions show the ground covered with small flowers and grasses, in sort of a ground covering.

Look for some of these elements in the demonstration herb garden at Stafford Castle in England.

Herb Garden, Stafford Castle - spring color and a profusion of scents in the replica medieval herb garden at Stafford Castle. Copyright Simon Huguet and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.