How is a Garden Like and Unlike a Campsite?

OOoooo interesting subject... Relating this to my personal experiences first before I do the reading of 'Robert L. Thayer, Jr' I had a lot camping holidays when I was younger and there were quite a few similarities of how I felt in my own garden at home and how I felt on holiday in the campsite. For one general point I always loved being outdoors (I still do) I also think that makes a big difference to how I look at different things relating to landscapes and the environment. But going back to campsites, the feeling of being free is something that is similar between the two, being able to explore and have exciting adventures in the outdoors. Spatially there quite thought out like gardens as well the way you’re directed around the space of the campsite, to the toilet blocks and children’s play areas, and the same as in a garden different features attract different people and ages of people.
Ok so on to the reading...
"Personal Dreams and Pagan Rituals" Robert L. Thayer, Jr.
First of all I thought this was a lovely little read, however my first view of the reading was its all about personal preferences Thayer links his own garden completely to his own personal experiences within the world and its also nice that he links his garden design with experiences his had with his wife Lacey as there do share the garden together. But back to the main question... How is a garden like and unlike a campsite? Well honestly (and this may be a pretty straight forward way of looking at the question) but I think it’s up to you whether your garden is seen like a campsite or not. Thayer wanted his garden to remind him of his days camping and his journey through the Yukon Territory something that he found very spiritual and therefore his wanted to relate his own personal garden back to this. I think that’s lovely and personally its wonderful way to put a design on your own personal space.
So after reading and thinking about my own personal views a garden should be how the people/person who uses it, want it to be. Somewhere in which they feel safe and the space should also provide them with what they need it to provide... whether it be an open space or a campfire circle.

The most Important Functions of Gardens!

Wow these questions are so broad! Ok so functions of a gardens..

I remember covering this briefly last year in Spatial Design Studies & Landscape Interpretation - so cheating a little I have got and my old notes to find some very valid points on the subject!

Starting with - surely different places around the world must have different views on this question, places like Philippines where in certain places every inch of the land is re shaped to enable the people to grow food to produce a living and survive! But then again can you call a crop a garden? I think so, its one place I would love to go! It’s defiantly an extraordinary landscape and landscape in a whole in some people’s eyes can be seen as a garden!

Other points I picked up from my previous notes were..

1. Wildlife
2. Environmental factors
3. Art
4. Sculpture
5. Feelings/Emotions
6. Food production - as discussed above.
7. Somewhere to retreat!
8. Sustainability
9. Land use
10. Inspiration
11. Entertainment

The list could quite obviously go on!

But to me, personally gardens are for people (the public or individuals) to enjoy! Somewhere is which children grow up and become adults.. for me my garden at home has always been a fun place whether it be helping my Dad build the various out buildings in our garden, playing badminton over a piece of string tied from the birch to 'Mum's Shed'. Having water fights with my sisters with water pumped from the well, or even feeding the chickens and then having them chase you for more food! Its only now that I realise that the garden was when I was younger, was there for having fun enjoying myself being in the open air and feeling free! Now however I see it in so many other ways.. I look at the plants.. Construction details.. The spatial design.. How I feel when I move through the spaces.. All things I been almost 'trained' to do at college, and I think it a way its almost a shame as I don’t tend to enjoy the space as much anymore.. But on the other hand I understand the space a lot more!

Me & My Cousins over the summer having FUN in the garden playing Rounders!

So my final answer would have to be.. ENJOYMENT - and in I way I want to say 'understanding'!

Hannah Peschar's Sculpture Park

As part of a previous module I was on doing this degree we visited Hannah Peschar's Sculpture Park - something that I wasn’t entirely sure about at first - I suppose I’m not a great believer of Sculpture Parks and my general opinion of them is that there just gardens (some lovely gardens/some not so lovely) which pieces of random art placed in various spaces. I properly being a little too quick to assume here but some of the pieces at Hannah’s didn’t really change my opinion at all. I just think all of the sculptures aren’t permanent there just there to sell and I’m not really sure that’s what sculpture should be about, I hate the idea that there’s no story behind the work and no relation to the sculpture and the area in which its been placed - ok sometimes maybe it can be placed it a good position with maybe some kind of meaning however I just don’t think when the artist or sculptor where building these pieces they had the exact place where Hannah has now placed them in mind and its a shame.

Good points to the garden - well the setting was lovely and the different areas to the location were also exciting we seemed to always want to see what was round the corner or what there was the other side of the water. And I places the sculptures helped move people around the garden in an exciting way making sure the viewer saw everything throughout the space!

However generally I did enjoy the trip and here shows some various pieces throughout the park/garden...

One of my favouites.. The Anthony Paul Look-a-Like! Hehe..

Is there a difference between Landscape Architecture & Landscape Garden Design?

Well well, isn’t this an interesting subject!! and being on the course 'Landscape Garden Design' (100 times better than the LA - only kidding!) I am pretty certain that I have a different view to this than most of the other students on the Digital Media module.

I'll start by saying what most people think - which is that Landscape Garden Design is for designing small back gardens and Landscape Architect is for design massive open spaces.. Ok so that’s to the extremes, and if that was true who does the middle bits like the green spaces around new housing estates and primary schools. So basically when does the landscape get to a point where it to big for a Garden designer or to small for an Architect? Personally after the many debates I have had with numerous of people (architects/LGD’s/Lectures and people outside of the College) I have come to conclusion that maybe there is differences and id like to think there was, however I doubt in the near future we come to any conclusion about what they are!

One of many debates over the subject with the LGD's & LA's, The Globe.

However I will try to explain those few points that have been brought up throughout the discussions/debates..

Point 1 - the scale of different projects of the landscape.
Point 2 - the fact Architects study a degree in architecture and LGD’s study a degree in Landscape & Garden Design.
Point 3 - The amount of money each will earn when qualified.
Point 4 - Plants and Horticultural knowledge also come into play when discussing the differences.
Point 5 - The difference between who designs private land and public land - Architects/public and LGD’s/private.
Point 6 - Urban design.
Point 7 - How do Architects and Landscape Architects relate?
Point 8 - The Landscape Institute & The Society of Garden Designers.

So really to put it in a very broad sense it’s the stereotypical view of each profession. And the fact of the matter is LA’s look down the noses at LGD’s the same way Architects look down there noses at LA’s.. This being such a shame and I feel very passionate about this matter all areas of design are very important in society has a whole and another thing society needs is for people to work together! Therefore instead of having this divide between us I really think we such all work together.. In fact over the past few months I have really enjoyed thinking about Landscape Architecture it’s a very vast subject and very interesting.. I hope in the future they do become more one subject than an area with such a vast gap between then!

So in conculsion is there a difference between the two? YES - but i cant answer what it is! :)

My Blog..

Finally got round to starting my new blog; after picking up the Digital Media Communications module half way through the first semester of my second year as a BSc (Hons) Landscape & Garden Design Student at Writtle College. So finished my first year on my degree all those months ago in May 2009 on a high and raring to get going on the second year. After a pretty hectic summer visiting lots of different places. But why hasn’t this semester flown by!? Were in week 9 already and although it’s quite a step up from the first year I’m loving every second of it.

The subject of my degree 'Landscape and Garden Design' is something that is very much my passion, being the young age of only 19 I realise I still have many more years of experience to gain the much needed knowledge of the subject which I know I will carry on learning about for the rest of my life, however I do my best to broaden knowledge in the spare time I do get, working part time at a local garden centre which I’ve been at for the past 2 years in January also helps me develop my plant knowledge something that following design, comes a close second interest in my life.
I've always been interested in the outdoors and the living world, and design and form is something that really inspires me, so I’m looking forward to progressing in this module over the next year.

Echinacea at the Lost Gardens of Heligan (August 2009) One of the visits over the summer.