For medieval people, a garden was much more than a place to relax; it could be used as a way of earning money, a place to rear animals and even a source of medicine.

The medieval garden is a term that can cover a variety of different landscapes. While gardens nowadays are used mostly for leisure, for medieval people, the garden meant so much more.

Gardening Influences from the Middle East

Many of the ideas used in medieval European gardens came originally from the Middle East. Ideas such as water features, trailing plants and fruit propogation came from Europe via the Greeks and Romans. Although the climates of Europe and the Middle East were very different, the original ideas were gradually adapted to suit Europe’s cooler temperatures and more plentiful rainful.

The Enclosed Garden

A small, enclosed flower garden, which was called an herber, is closest to most people’s idea of a medieval garden. These small gardens feature in many medieval paintings. The herber was popular in medieval times but was reserved mainly for people who had the time and leisure to sit and enjoy the plants and watch others tend them.

An enclosed garden was often a feature in a castle and contemporary illustrations show ladies seated on turf benches, sewing and chatting, surrounded by roses and other trailing plants.

Most herbers featured a turf bench and trellis. Arbors and trellises allowed roses and vines to grow and provided areas of shade, so important in maintaining a medieval lady’s pale complexion.

Kitchen and Herb Gardens

The medieval garden was a source of food, medicine and household goods. Herbs and garden plants were used to feed the family and popular folklore attributed healing qualities to many plants, which were often grown specifically for medicinal purposes.

A garden could provide salad, fruit and herbs and any extra produce could be sold on at market. Plants that had a dual purpose were popular in a small plot. For example, basil was believed to repel flies and could also be strewn onto earth floors for a fresh smell. Parsley leaves were chewed to freshen the breath and could also be made into a medicine for urinary problems.

The Orchard

The most obvious use for an orchard was for harvesting of fruit for the garden’s owners and to sell at market. Beekeepers often kept their hives in an orchard. Honey was highly valued as a sweetener and beeswax used to produce candles for religious use or for wealthy families.

The fruit from the trees could be used for several purposes. Apples were used in cooking, to produce cider and also verjuice, a vinegar-like liquid which was used in cooking to produce a sharp taste.

The Medieval Gardener

Most medieval gardens were tended only by their owners and used for pleasure, food and household needs. However, larger gardens belonging to royalty, nobility or clergy often had a large group of people devoted to their creation and maintenance.

Most gardeners would have been employed only on large estates, working alongside tradespeople such as stonemasons and blacksmiths. However, for the majority of people, gardening in medieval times was a way of life, part of the daily routine and a way to make home life a little more pleasant.

Sources

Landsberg, Sylvia. The Medieval Garden, [British Museum Press, 1998]

Harvey, John. Mediaeval Gardens [B T Batsford, 1990]