Reflections on a grand teacher dwelling on a scholar's garden

Abstract

In Wood and Garden, Gertude Jekyll (1899/2011) writes: A garden is a grand teacher. But, what is it that a garden should teach us? After all, not all gardens are the same, and, as such, surely they have different things to teach those who pass by, dwell in, or reflect upon these human-made structures. The purpose of this piece, as a contribution to this text, is not so much to present an exhaustive overview of gardens, their history, purpose, design, and such, but to offer a set of reflections on several visits to one garden in particular-a classical Chinese garden or scholar's garden.