A garden is "the purest of human pleasures."

Given that actual gardens at the time were highly artificial and geometrical, it's very interesting that part of Bacon's imaginary project is to be a wild-looking garden, "heath or desert." Later in the 17th century, Milton imagined Paradise to be lush and wild, and in the 18th, Alexander Pope in his own garden and in his poetry promoted the style of irregular, natural-looking garden design that we still take to be normal. So that whole thing began in the English literary imagination.

Here's something I never heard of, using soils of different color as a design element, although Bacon thinks it is too artificial--just as most of us think colored mulch is tacky:

"As for the making of knots or figures, with divers colored earths, that they may lie under the windows of the house on that side which the garden stands, they be but toys; you may see as good sights many times in tarts."

For a statesman and philosopher, Bacon's knowledge of horticulture is impressive.

Thanks, Ann.

"No less than 30 acres". Alas, my garden would not pass muster. How interesting it would be if someone were to design and grow a garden based on Bacon's model.

Ingrid

Ann, thank you very much! that made interesting reading.

I'm inclined to think I would like Bacon's described garden, with its variety of plants and concern for seasonal interest, consideration of flowers, green foliage, and fragrance; and its being designed as a place to spend time in through much of the year, in mild or hot weather, windy, wet, or dry. Bacon thought about varying the height of his plantings, and planned for views. He didn't want the design to be too busy. He had attractive ideas about the use of water in the garden, though I'm not sure if I agree with him about ponds. And different parts of the garden had different degrees of formality. I didn't understand everything he wrote, though.

"Health and sweetness" just about says it all.

Melissa

My Penguin copy of Bacon's Essays opens at Of Gardens. I have read this essay so many times because of some funny phrases. On knots: "You may see as good sights many times in tarts", and think of my own formal box bed that I designed to look just like a tart, pointing a finger at Bacon.

I agree with him on ponds but not on lawns. I have avoided a pond because I'm afraid of attracting even more mosquitoes than we have already. If I could have his moving water it would be another thing. I think there are definetely "more pleasant things to the eye than green grass kept finely shorn" but his opinion certainly rules to this day.

I wonder about Bacon's sense of smell and how he can write that roses are fast of their smells? Not all have a wafting scent but the damasks are certainly not fast.

Didn't he mean that you have to put your nose right up to the rose to smell its fragrance? This is true of any number of very fragrant roses.
We live in a world of lawns, but back in Bacon's day this was probably much less the case. There's not much greensward where I live, and for my part I do love an extent of fresh-cut grass, and how it sets off all the rest of the garden.

I enjoyed reading that. I'm wondering if anyone here has read Sir George Sitwell On the Making of Gardens. The beginning where he talks about what he doesn't like is rather boring but when he gets started it's great. He agrees with me about gardens having an intentional emotional impact. He says some lovely things about roses.

"No less than 30 acres" indeed! Thank you for this thread. Yesterday this post sent me on a internet tour of the history of gardens. A delightful hour and a half or so. But a word of warning to myself--having a bit more than 30 acres myself--it's a lot a labor with emphasis on "a lot" and "labor."

My take away from yesterday's internet jaunt? Gertrude Jekyll had a 15 acre garden with 14 full time gardeners!

On that note I decided the rest of my indoor chores were a bust for the day and drove 10 minutes to my closest garden center and bought 50 daffodil bulbs. Ran home, got the pickaxe out and planted them all near a tree I'm planning to start a rose up next spring. I'm not sure my history take away sunk in as I'm a little sore today...

Bacon writes of "Roses, damask and red". By "red" I assume he means gallicas and I agree that they may be fast of their smell, but in my experience damasks are not, and albas even less so but he doesn't mention them. I have to smell "strawberry-leaves dying with a most excellent cordial smell" next year to see if I can detect any particular smell.

Yes, "red" would be gallicas. Damasks were a relatively new thing in Bacon's England. Even later in the 17th century, the speaker in Andrew Marvell's pastoral poem "The Mower Against Gardens" objects to roses with a strange decadent perfume. These, I'm sure, would be damasks.

If you check out that poem, don't assume the speaker reflects the poet's views. The mower has an occupational bias.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Mower Against Gardens