garden

—gardenable, adj. —gardenless, adj. —gardenlike, adj.

/gahr"dn/, n.

1. a plot of ground, usually near a house, where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs are cultivated.

2. a piece of ground or other space, commonly with ornamental plants, trees, etc., used as a park or other public recreation area: a public garden.

3. a fertile and delightful spot or region.

4. Brit. yard² (def. 1).

adj.

5. pertaining to, produced in, or suitable for cultivation or use in a garden: fresh garden vegetables; garden furniture.

6. garden-variety.

7. lead up or down the garden path, to deceive or mislead in an enticing way; lead on; delude: The voters had been led up the garden path too often to take a candidate's promises seriously.

v.i.

8. to lay out, cultivate, or tend a garden.

v.t.

9. to cultivate as a garden.

[1300-50; ME gardin < ONF gardin, OF jardin < Gmc; cf. OHG gartin-, G Garten, YARD²]

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I

Plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, vegetables, or trees are cultivated.

The earliest surviving detailed garden plan is Egyptian and dates from about 1400 BC; it shows tree-lined avenues and rectangular ponds. Mesopotamian gardens were places where shade and cool water could be enjoyed; Hellenistic gardens were conspicuously luxurious in their display of precious materials, a tradition carried over by Byzantine gardens. Islamic gardens made use of water, often in pools and fed by narrow canals resembling irrigation channels. In Renaissance Europe, gardens reflected confidence in human ability to impose order on the external world; Italian gardens emphasized the unity of house and garden. French 17th-century gardens were rigidly symmetrical, and French cultural dominance in Europe popularized this style into the next century. In 18th-century England, increasing awareness of the natural world led to the development of "natural" gardens that made use of irregular, nonsymmetrical layouts. Chinese gardens have generally harmonized with the natural landscape, and have employed rocks gathered from great distances as a universal decorative feature. Early Japanese gardens imitated Chinese principles; later developments were the abstract garden, which might feature only sand and rocks, and miniature gardens made in trays (see bonsai).

II

(as used in expressions)

garden pepper

zoological garden

botanical garden

botanic garden

Covent Garden

garden city

Garden Grove

Kew Gardens

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

landscape gardening

organic gardening

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