Downing on Chatsworth

The lawn at England’s famous Chatsworth seems to go on forever.

You need inspiration for a garden or landscape.  You borrow ideas from other places you have seen.

Visiting gardens is thus something every gardener does.

In 1850 Andrew Jackson Downing visited England’s Chatsworth,begun in 1617. He wrote these words: “Chatsworth, the magnificent seat of the Duke of Devonshire. has the unquestionable reputation of being the finest private country residence in the world”. He then goes on to describe in detail the water fountains, the rock garden, the arboretum, the greenhouses, and, of course, the lawn that gives the sense of a park to the garden.

Downing, a New York nurseryman, writer, and landscape designer, admired the English garden style.  He admitted that his writing depended on the work of English horticulturalist J. C. Loudon, who published a garden magazine and many books.

What style does your garden represent?  Who is your inspiration for the garden?

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