Millennium
Retrospectives
"I shall only instance in one delight
more, the most natural and
best-natured of all others, a perpetual companion of the husbandman;
and that is, the satisfaction of looking round about him, and seeing
nothing but the effects and improvements of his own art and diligence;
to be always gathering of some fruits of it, and at the same time to
behold others ripening, and others budding: to see all his fields and
gardens covered with the beauteous creatures of his own industry;
and to see, like God, that all his works are good."
- Abraham Cowley (1618-1667), Of Agriculture,
1650
This hypertext document shares the fruits of my Internet explorations
and readings in the
fascinating subject of the history of agriculture and gardening. I will
continue to make
improvements in this webpage in the coming months; and, I hope my readers will
benefit
from the effort and see that these "works are good."
"As events in the history of
gardening coincide with or are indistinguishable
from important events in the history of plants and people, this superb
timeline contains relevant information for botanists and ecologists,
beginning in 15,000 BCE. Links in the text to reference sites
expanding the information of the timeline are outstanding.
Discover the earliest used and cultivated plants and plant
products, trends in agriculture, green mythology, and
early land management concerns at this site by
Michael P. Garofalo from Red Bluff, California."
- Scott Russell, PhD., University of Oklahoma, Scott's Botanical
Links,
Reviewed by Leigh Fulghum, August 2000.
I am a librarian, philosopher and teacher by training
and practice; and a gardener, like
most folks, for a variety of good and not so good
reasons. Few avid gardeners can
resist the urge to research the principles and history of
their art. Sharing some of my
discoveries with my readers, via my web site and by e-mail, is a natural extension
of my research.
I am fortunate in having access to the Meriam University Library, California State
University at Chico, California; reliable and
fast home Internet access; and, some
free time to pursue my interests. Some of the books or web sites that I have
had
the pleasure to read are listed in the attached bibliography.
NBCi
Pick Millennium
Retrospectives
The History of Gardening Timeline includes
historical information from the fields of gardening, horticulture, farming, agriculture,
botany, natural history, and ecology. The criteria for inclusion
in this timeline are varied:
1) Good Internet resources. Since this is a hypertext
document, Internet web pages on the
topic are a primary focus.
2) Books or serials frequently cited in numerous standard
historical works on gardening,
agriculture, natural history, botany, or ecology.
3) Books or serials frequently cited in the popular works on
gardening, garden design,
horticulture, and landscape design.
4) Practitioners or authors that are the subject of biographical studies.
5) Widely acknowledged landmarks or events in gardening, botany or agricultural history.
6) Publications that have been issued for many decades as a
serial, or issued in many
editions as a monograph.
7) Best selling books that influenced popular applications or
thinking about landscaping
and gardens.
8) Standard reference works for practitioners in the field.
9) Recommendations from readers.
The History of Gardening Timeline
from Ancient Times to 2000
Was Ranked #1 in Hits for the Subject Category
by Direct
Hit in December 1999
"A timeline for the history of
gardening/farming from Ancient times to 2000.
Absolutely fascinating timeline!"
Search Beat - Gardens
and Gardening, 17 July 1999
History Timelines - The History Beat
The History of Gardening Timeline is the
most popular document at the Spirit of Gardening
website. This large document (306K+) is arranged into 6 webpages.
For example,
in the month of May, 2001, 5,302 webpages of the "History of Gardening
Timeline"
were served to readers around the world.
I believe that webpages should be rich in content, simple in design,
and accessible to
people lacking the latest browsers and computer hardware. Hopefully, users will
find these documents to be well organized, easy to navigate, fast loading, and easy
to read. This website makes little use of graphics, does not use frames or
scripts,
and does not force you to open multiple copies of your browser ... all
reducing
the risk of software crashes. I welcome your comments and suggestions about
these webpages.
"Close to the Gates a spacious
Garden lies,
From the Storms defended and inclement Skies;
Four Acres was the allotted Space of Ground,
Fenc'd with a green Enclosure all around.
Tall thriving Trees confessed the fruitful Mold:
The reddening Apple ripens here to Gold,
Here the blue Fig with luscious Juice overflows,
With deeper Red the full Pomegranate glows,
The Branch here bends beneath the weighty Pear,
and verdant Olives flourish round the Year."
- Homer, Odyssey, circa 850 B.C.
Alexander Pope's translation, 1725
Awards
and Reviews
For The Spirit of Gardening Website
The web site www.gardendigest.com went on-line on January 1, 1999
Documents
Served: 3,379,063
(excluding graphics)
Thank you for visiting The Spirit of Gardening web site!
Gardening History Timeline: From Ancient Times to 1700
Gardening History Timeline: The Eighteenth Century
Gardening History Timeline: The Nineteenth Century
Gardening History Timeline: The 20th Century
Reference Sources and Links for this Gardening Timeline
More Quotes
for
Gardeners
Spirituality and Concerns of the Soul
Simplicity
and the Simple Life
Pulling Onions
Quips, Maxims and Observations by Michael P.
Garofalo
Haiku Poetry - Links and References
Cliches for Gardeners and Farmers
The History of Gardening
Timeline
From Ancient Times to the 20th Century
Quotes
for Gardeners
Quotes, Sayings, Proverbs, Poetry, Maxims, Quips,
Cliches, Adages, Wisdom
A Collection Growing to Over 2,700 Quotes, Arranged by 130 Topics
Many of the Documents Include Recommended Readings and Internet Links.
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo
Copyrighted 1999 - 2002 by Michael P. Garofalo. All rights reserved.
Compilation and Indexing by Michael P. Garofalo
I Welcome Your
Comments, Ideas, Contributions, and Suggestions
E-mail Mike Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
A Short Biography of Mike Garofalo
Introduction to the History of Gardening Timeline.
18K, 3 July 2002, Version 4.7.
This document was first distributed on the Internet on January 1, 1999.
The History of Gardening Timeline