Even back in ancient times, gardens decorated cities. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, The "Hanging Gardens of Babylon," is said to have flourished on the roofs of terraced buildings there in 600 B.C.

The gardens at Versailles in France, the Pincian Gardens in Italy and our own Biltmore Estate Gardens in Asheville, N.C., are other famous examples.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica (1972), in the 18th Century A.D., the square layout favored for gardens in Persia, natural forms in Greece and individuality in China converged to influence the architecture of modern gardens.

The term "landscape architecture" was first defined by Charles Eliot, president of Harvard University, in 1832. Eliot said, in part, "Landscape architecture is primarily an art form and, as such, its most important function is to create and preserve beauty."

Frederick Law Olmstead (1822-1903), is considered the father of landscape gardening in America. He became the architect for New York City's Central Park.

In her book, Central Park, An American Masterpiece (Harry N. Abrams, Inc.), Sarah C. Millar wrote that Central Park was "the most important work of American art in the 19th century," calling it "a new art form." She wrote that Olmstead and his partner, Calvert Vanx, sought to equate their work with the "venerable tradition of landscape painting."

The world's very first landscaped cemetery is Mt. Auburn, located in Cambridge/Watertown, Mass. Today, Mt. Auburn's famous horticultural collection of trees, shrubs and ground cover, its outdoor museum of 1920 and 21st century sculptures, its bird sanctuary and other embellishments ­ have kept it a place where visitors flock to enjoy its reflective atmosphere.

We must, however, acknowledge the contributions to landscape gardening given us by our English cousins. The noted Englishman, Lancelot Brown (1715-1783), is known for creating "the English informality that for years influenced gardening all over Europe and then in America." The term "Romantic Naturalism" referred to "the asymmetry of natural surroundings," which made and kept English gardens famous the world over.

In early 20th century England, the concept of garden villages became a reality. And here in America, Lewis Mumford, the noted writer on Utopias, declared that every American family was entitled to garden space. By then, too, national and city parks had increased the public's interest and participation in gardens.

One of America's most famous horticulturalists, Luther Burbank, is credited with introducing 800 new varieties of plants, including trees, shrubs, flowers and edibles. Many of these can be seen in Santa Rosa's Burbank Gardens, where Burbank had settled for the favorable California climate.

Gardens have always offered variety in design. Some feature topiaries (trees and bushes trained to resemble other things) and espaliers (greenery trained flat against a support.) Flowers and lawns, trees and shrubs, fountains, statuary and ponds create infinite variety. And Japanese gardens, with their characteristic features (waterfalls, an absence of flowers in favor of greenery, the use of stones and other special decorations) have been reproduced in many of our cities ­ San Francisco being one.

In England, a famous private garden, Sissinghurst, is the former residence of the author Victoria Sackville-West and her diplomat-writer husband, Harold Nicholson. This couple purchased a run-down castle in Kent in the 1930s with the intent of making it their home. It took three years to clear away the rubbish before they could even begin a restoration of the garden. Today, Sissinghurst ­ designed by Nicholson and planted by gardener John Vass, under Victoria's supervision ­ continues to bloom in splendor and is visited by people from all over the world.

Closer to home, the Bellingrath Gardens in Theodore, Ala., also welcomes visitors. Bellingrath was a pioneer in the Coca-Cola bottling industry. His 900-acre estate has 65 acres of gardens. Camellias, the Alabama state flower, and some 2,000 roses are featured.

A topiary, recently opened to visitors in Bishopville, S.C., is the work of a native son, Pearl Fryar.

The diversity and number of famous gardens, together with those nurtured by homeowners everywhere, have truly established the garden as an art form worth propagating.

Topiaries, like these, are trees and bushes trained to resemble other things, often animals.

Mt. Auburn Cemetery, in Cambridge/Watertown, Mass., has a famous horticultural collection of trees, shrubs and ground cover.

Sissinghurst, a private garden in England, is visited by
people from all over the world.