The science behind the art of embellishing gardens Revisiting the language of 18th and early 19th century garden treatises

The question of the place of garden design in the hierarchy of the arts became most evident with the spread of the idea of the landscape garden, which was introduced to continental Europe as "jardin anglo-chinois" in the 18th century. The debate about garden art being distinct from other art forms was reflected in the growing field of European garden literature, or "garden treatises", called sadovniki in the Russian tradition. This article highlights some of the general features of the process which established the autonomy of garden art. Focusing upon the linguistic aspect of this process, it outlines the development of a specific language and terminology for describing gardens. Using examples from Russian and European garden literature, the study shows that at the same time as garden art achieved autonomy around the turn of the 19th century, the necessary conditions arose for its potential establishment as a scientific discipline as well.