Landscape Designing

LANDSCAPE DESIGNING FRMT 325 Cr. Hr. 3(1+2)

Lesson 02:History Of Landscape Gardening In India

Britishers Period

• The arrival of the British in India changed the whole pattern of gardening. The Mughal gardens in India were laid out in formal (symmetrical) pattern, but the English changed the style into informal patterns by laying out parks and gardens. Indian gardens had only scented trees and shrubs, climbers and bulbs, but had no flowering annuals.
• The Britishers brought with them beautiful annuals and biennials’ such as Phlox, Carnation, Verbena, Dahlia, Larkspur etc.
• Before the arrival of Britishers, though the Indians knew how to make garlands and bouquets, but had no idea of flower arrangements for interior decoration, flower arrangements were taught by Britishers
• The greatest contribution of the Britishers was the establishment of Botanical Gardens.
• Horticulture Research Institute was established in the year 1750. Indian Botanic Garden, Sibpur in Kolkata was established in the year 1787. Government Botanic Garden, Ootacamund was established in the year 1848. Agri-Horticultural Society Garden, Kolkata was established in 1872.Sri J.D. Sim initiated the Simi’s part in Conoor of TamilNadu in the year 1874.

• In the year 1878 Lloyd Botanical Garden at Darjeeling was established in the year 1908. Botanical Garden at Coimbatore and during 1909. Byrant Park at Kodaikonal in Tamil Nadu were established. The Forest Research Institute, Dehradun was started in 1934.
• During the British period, the English style of gardening was developed with liberal use of herbaceous annuals and perennial shrubs and climbers besides ornamental trees.
• The gardens of the Rashtrapati Bahvan at New Delhi are a synthesis of the formal style of Mughal and British garden designs. Sir Edwin Lutyenes, then the architect of New Delhi laid out this garden on the advice of Lady Hardinge who was associated by Mughal Gardens of Kashmir.
• During the 19th century the Englishmen and the Portuguese introduced several attractive exotic plants to enrich Indian Gardens.
• Landmarks in the history of Indian Gardens are the introduction of many exotic plants and flowers, establishment of the botanic gardens in different regions of the country and collection and compilation of descriptions of the Indian Flora.