Lecture by Alan Chadwick in New Market, Virginia, 1979
Lecture 10: The Grand Perennial Herbaceous Border, Part 1
An Introduction to Alan Chadwick's Lectures and a Glossary of Terms
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The invention of the perennial herbaceous border took place in England in the modern industrial period. It was in reaction to the industrial influence affecting garden design in Europe. The perennial border places the plant world as the focus, and is formed so as to appear perfectly natural. The border was designed to adorn the pathway or roadway that led from the home outward into nature and toward a vision into the distance. The spiritual-religious intent underlying the border. Crosses and hybridization. Egotism and Totemism. The border leads the eye toward the clairvoyer. (13:40)