Question 1:

How would you define the difference between landscape architecture and garden design?

I liked the way John Dixon Hunt uses the analogy of the novel and the poem in the excerpt reading from "First Principles or Rudiments" Greater Perfections: The Practice of Garden Theory. Hunt says "Gardens focus the art of place-making or landscape architecture in the way that poetry can the art of writing." He goes on to say "...all these make poetry among the most concentrated and demanding of literary expressions;" To me, this is a very clear way to define the difference between landscape architecture and garden design. I can see how garden design might be part of the larger practice of landscape architecture. When I think of the garden design I think of specification. Garden Design is a more specific discipline with clear intentions as the name of the practice implies. That statement might warrant discussing the definitions of the words garden and landscape where landscape, in my opinion,is a more ambiguous word. When I think of the practice of landscape architecture I think of a larger picture and space in which to work which may include elements of design or it may not. Garden design to me, is a more focused, design specific practice and rarely takes in landscape as a whole.

Question 2:

What is the single most important function of a garden?

I think this can only be answered subjectively because the definition, judging by last class, of a garden is varied and we may all have different opinions on what a garden actually is. I personally think there are many functions but to me, the most important function would be a combination of aesthetics and providing habitat. I know that gardens are designed around different principles but most provide an element that is pleasing to the eye as well as on some level a bit of habitat for outdoor creatures, even if that is not the intention.