Gardens for use and Pleasure
Men have always made and loved gardens. The Bible story says that when God made the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, He put them into a beautiful garden He had made in Eden, to look after it. So the first man was a gardener. But they lost their beautiful garden because they disobeyed God by eating the fruit of a tree that He had told them not to touch. Whether this is true or not, men have loved gardens from the earliest times. The ancient Egyptians, who lived thousands of years ago, were very fond of gardens, and the nobles always laid out fine gardens round their houses. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made the famous “hanging gardens” of Babylon. Hafiz and Sadi wrote poems about the Persian gardens, with their roses and bulbuls. And the Mughals made many fine gardens in India, some of which still remain, like Shalimar Bagh in Kashmir.
The English are very fond of gardens, and every Englishman will sooner or later make a garden about his house wherever he lives, if only he can get a bit of land. The great noblemen’s houses in England are set in the midst of fine parks and gardens of flowers and vegetables, of which they take great care.
Gardens are kept for use and pleasure. In what is called the “kitchen garden”, vegetables for the house are grown, such as potatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers, peas, beans, turnips, and many more. In the orchard or fruit garden, fruit trees grow, such as apples, pears, plums, gooseberries, etc. The pleasure gardens are filled with smooth grass lawns and beds of beautiful and sweet-smelling flowers. Here one can rest and read and chat with friends, with beauty all around.
Gardening is a healthy and interesting hobby. It gives open-air exercise. The study of the habits of plants and the constant watching of beautiful things, refine and soothe the mind.
