Early Philadelphia Seedsman M’Mahon Wrote about English Landscape Design

In 1806 the Philadelphia seedsman and immigrant from Ireland Bernard M’Mahon (1775-1816) published his book American Gardener’s Calendar.  He borrowed rather extensively from the work of English garden writers.

In an article called “The Beginnings of  the Landscape Tradition in America”, the writer David Chase discussed Bernard M’Mahon.

Chase wrote: “The first extensive practical description of the English landscape style published in America was a chapter in the American Gardener’s Calendar.”

What’s amazing to me is that M’Mahon simply treated the topic of ‘landscape design’. He does not call it English garden design for Americans.

His assumption was that the only design for the landscape for an American gardener had to be English style.

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