Locations

Abstract

Manuscript illustrations of plants and gardens are highly stylized and do not offer a view of contemporary landscapes. Written sources offer plenty of detail on landscape and on the location and contexts of gardens. There are clear regional differences: for example, there are few references to gardens in Galicia but many in Castile. Some gardens lay beside houses, and some were isolated, surrounded by arable fields or meadows or woodland, but many lay in distinguishable garden zones; others were town gardens, usually within an enclosed complex of buildings. Gardens were often associated with water courses, natural or man-made, especially those of the meseta. In parts of Catalonia, a house/yard/garden unit was common.