While gardening today is largely considered a hobby (and often a passionate one), the task itself predates recorded history.
While farming and gardening for practical reasons has been around since the beginning of civilization, ornamental gardens date back to antiquity; the first were documented in Egyptian tomb paintings in the 1500s, B.C.E.
Over the course of history, just as civilizations evolved and become more complex, so too, did gardening. Ancient Greek and Asian civilizations adopted the garden as a place of aristocracy and contemplation. By the 19th century, gardening had taken hold of the Western world. Today, gardening and landscaping play integral roles in city planning and everyday life.
Here, you'll find examinations of today's gardening designs: what they are, what they can be, and how to make them your own. While some, such as Japanese gardens, come from a storied history, others, such as rock gardens, are inspired by nature's wonders. Still others, such as vegetable and herb gardens, hark back to time's oldest gardening tradition.