Russian style in landscape design - features and distinctive features of the Russian estate style

The Russian style was formed relatively recently under the influence of European landscape styles. The popularity of the Russian garden style of landscape design today is steadily growing, especially appreciated by those people who prefer comfort and simplicity.

Its main advantage is that it truly preserves old traditions and allows you to take care of new ones. But there is also luxury here, real and alluring with its naturalness and uniqueness.

Main trends
Territory zoning
The appearance of a Russian garden
Decorative elements of a Russian garden

A little about the history of the Russian estate

The Russian style in landscape design “grew up” over the centuries-old history of Russia, the characteristics of its climate and the mentality of its inhabitants. Modern Russian gardens are somewhat reminiscent of ancient estates of nobles and landowners.

Russia borrowed landscape design mainly from Europe (Holland, England, France, Italy). This is explained simply: before Peter the Great, there was virtually no national style, and design was approached exclusively in a practical and utilitarian way. Importance was attached not so much to beauty as to functionality, including among noble landowners. Ponds and flower beds were developed for the sale of fish and flowers - for profit, not for beauty.

From monks to kings

In Europe, gardens also existed in ancient times: they were cultivated by both the Greeks and the Romans, and the Hellenes were the first to decorate garden spaces with sculptures, and the Romans were the first to create garden fountains. In the Middle Ages, gardens were filled with religious symbols - they were laid out mainly at monasteries, but they served not only as a place for thinking about God: medicinal plants and fruits that were used for food were grown there.

The first to develop the concept of a regular garden, back in the Renaissance, was the Italian architect Giacomo Vignola, who built the villa of Pope Julius III and laid out a garden with artificial ponds, stairs and passages. The garden becomes a symbol of luxury in the era of Baroque and Classicism - at a time when European people were still plagued by Plague, War, Famine and Death (sometimes all at once, sometimes in turn), the belief in the victory of reason over nature was strengthened. Speaking about the gardens of France, it is enough to mention the Versailles Park of the “Sun King” Louis XIV, whose author was the gardener Andre Le Nôtre. But before Versailles, Le Nôtre created an equally grandiose project - the Vaux-le-Vicomte garden for the royal minister Fouquet. Unfortunately, this masterpiece of landscape art brought Fouquet under the monastery. The king was outraged by the luxury of the garden; he asked where Fouquet got the money for such projects. The minister could not answer anything intelligible and went to jail, and the brilliant Le Nôtre went to serve the king to create Versailles.

The Parc Louis XIV becomes a repository for all types of arts: luxurious dinners are held here, operas are performed, and plays are staged. Diplomatic negotiations are held among copies of ancient sculptures, and ambassadors are received here. Jean-Baptiste Lully, the king's favorite composer, composes music especially for the garden. Gardens and parks of classicism and baroque become a delight for extroverts, albeit noble and rich extroverts.

Classicism and Baroque will be replaced by “sad romanticism”, and the garden will become like a wild forest, a hermit’s refuge: instead of trimmed sunny lawns there will be caves and shady grottoes, music will be replaced by birdsong and the splashing of water, and noisy amusements will be reflections on the rich inner world, life and death.

This will be the English garden, which will gain popularity all over the world. However, magnificent gardens created according to European models will appear in Russia earlier.

Main trends in landscape design of Russian gardens

The modern Russian garden, as an independent style of landscape design, combines the measured order of its components with a touch of slight disorder. It concerns the garden itself (slightly unkempt), in which decorative elements are scattered as if carelessly and a little randomly.

An important feature of the national landscape style is that it does not accept sharp corners. Russian people are sure that comfort and peace come only among smooth lines.

Garden paths of irregular shape windingly run deep into the garden. The benches have a smooth shape and are made with deliberate carelessness. In the Russian garden there are no neat lawns of strict geometry and carefully adjusted compositions. Here, clover, ferns and other plants grow freely on the lawns.

Characteristic features of designing a garden plot in the Russian style:

Wood products in the style of Russian antiquity - sculptures, cart wheels and carts themselves, cannons, garden furniture, bridges.
Log houses are made of untreated logs, and if they are treated, then in dark brown tones.
Grilles, lanterns, fences and other forged products.
Flower beds without stones with plants characteristic of the area.
Paths and paths lined with bark or wooden dies.
Grabs, rakes, clay pots, millstones.

A good option is to equip a real Russian stove, which can be combined with a summer kitchen and cook cabbage soup, porridge, pies and rolls in it, or make it outside as a characteristic decorative element.

Walking area

Deciduous trees and tall shrubs bring summer coolness, casting shade on garden paths that smoothly curve around flower beds, ponds and wooden sculptures. Handsome maples, ash trees, luxurious lindens and sad birches, intertwining their branches, create cozy shady alleys and arches.

In large areas, you can locate areas of mixed forests and groves, for the decoration of which traditional coniferous and deciduous plants are suitable: yew, birch, spruce, thuja, rowan, pine, maple, oak, linden, juniper, vines, fragrant lilac and jasmine.

Winding paths diverge from the central part of the site in different directions and connect all zones. Paths are usually sprinkled with sand, gravel or tree bark, and if the paths are planned to be made of slabs, then it is advisable to leave gaps between the dies and sprinkle them with earth. The sprouting grass will just create the appearance of a certain negligence and slight neglect, which is characteristic of the Russian style.

Formation and zoning of the territory

In terms of planning, a Russian-style plot involves 5 main zones - a recreation area, a vegetable garden, a garden itself with fruit trees and shrubs, a living area and a front garden.

A garden in the Russian style is spacious, and most of the plants planted should not be decorative, but bear fruit. This is exactly how Russian landowners treated their land. They valued and loved the land that fed their ancestors. Therefore, a truly Russian person tries to ensure that every meter of his plot brings maximum benefit. This does not mean that raspberries or radishes grow everywhere. The main thing is to arrange practical and beautiful mini-fruit gardens or vegetable beds.

An important part of the Russian garden is large evergreen conifers, symbolizing the forest. Pines, thujas, and spruce trees are planted near the house.

Front area

The front garden is the first thing that guests see when entering the site, so the front area must be designed taking into account the characteristic features of the Russian estate style.

The path from the gate to the porch of the house can be sprinkled with tree bark, which has become fashionable recently. Gravel and tree cuttings are also used for the embankment.

The site may contain irregularly shaped flowerbeds or mixborders with brightly flowering plants and fruit and berry bushes. Flowers should be selected and planted in such a way that their fragrance does not stop all summer.

The fence in the front garden can be a low fence, wicker or hedge. An additional decoration can be wooden garden figures of characters from Russian folk tales.

The appearance of a Russian garden

One of the most important components of the life of a Russian person has always been a home filled with an atmosphere of peace and quiet. Returning to such a place, he immediately forgets about the problems and hardships that await him behind the ring of external walls, giving him a feeling of security. Being in his garden or simply admiring it, the owner simultaneously relaxes and recharges with new energy - real relaxation! Therefore, in the garden, which is designed in the national Russian style, there are no decorative elements that are too harsh on the eyes or flashy colors. All tones are preferably calm, promoting better relaxation. This rule applies to every item located on the territory - gazebos, verandas, swings, benches, etc.

The idea of a Russian garden is to create an atmosphere of rustic comfort, possibly with a traditional Russian bathhouse:

furniture and sculptures made from natural materials,
bodies of water;
native plants,
terraces;
paths.

Reservoirs in the Russian garden are decorated with reeds and aquatic plants (flowering ones, if possible). A stream flowing from a wooden trough into a pond or lake is appropriate.

Terraces are often made of wood, arranging them in a specially designated recreation area or around the house.

The paths are more like winding paths; they are paved with gravel, bark, and round saw cuts.

Decorative garden items

Not a single site is complete without fencing. The fence on a noble estate is made of logs about one and a half meters high. Such a fence does not infringe on the sense of free space and does not provoke a feeling of isolation. Despite its simple appearance, it can serve as an excellent backdrop for ornamental plants. Alternatively, such a fence can be made in the form of a palisade. The main thing is that it should fit harmoniously into the overall picture of the garden.

Garden paths are lined with gravel, decorative tree bark or sand. They are made tortuous, avoiding straight lines and clear boundaries. The edges of the paths are lined with low-growing flowers or herbs to create a pleasant aroma while walking.

The lawn is located behind the house. Solo trees or shrubs are planted on its territory. The cover itself is formed from perennial ground cover grasses. So that the lawn does not dissolve against the general background, it is decorated with bright colors and made in the shape of small islands.

The first Russian estates had a pavilion for relaxation; now they have been transformed into simple gazebos made of wood. They may be Greek or have oriental elements. They are built under the canopy of trees or wide bushes. For decoration, climbing plants are planted underneath them, such as bindweed, hops or maiden grapes, which in a short time entangle the entire territory of the building, creating a dense decorative vertical carpet. Wooden or wicker furniture is placed inside the gazebos.

For children, a “fun” area is created in the garden - an area with swings, slides, a sandbox, garden figures of fairy-tale characters, children’s benches or wooden decorative houses. This zone is separated with the help of flower beds or flower beds.

A reservoir in which fish can be raised is considered obligatory on the territory of a noble estate. It is decorated with hostas, annual flowers, wild rosemary or euonymus. The banks are reinforced with geogrids and decorated with rolled turf and weeping willow or birch are planted.

Many lanterns and lamps are placed in the garden in such a way that their light illuminates paths and individual objects that you want to highlight. Lanterns are selected “antique”.

In addition, in a garden of this style you can see many other items that complement and decorate it:

Columns;
Statues;
Raised flower beds;
Casting benches;
Birdhouses;
Bird drinkers;

Decorative elements of a Russian garden

In a Russian garden, wooden sculptures related to folk art look best. They can be painted like nesting dolls, or simply varnished.

Instead of furniture (wooden, varnished or simply polished), ordinary stumps on which to sit, plus a wide stump table, are perfect.

The garden can be decorated with bridges, flower beds, pitchforks, rakes, troughs and other items of Russian folk life (all only made of wood and natural materials).

Russian gardens and parks: a historical walk

Pyatnov P.V.

Landscape art is one of the most complex, multifaceted types of art, a unique combination of gardening, architecture, painting, poetry, religion and philosophy. As spaces consciously organized taking into account the psychology of perception, gardens with all types of influence regulate the direction and speed of our movement, program the content and change of impressions and emotions. As works of art, subject to the laws of composition common to all types of art, they have an associative perception that evokes musical and poetic images. As spiritual creations of the human mind, parks are rich in philosophical and symbolic meaning. Therefore, gardens, replete with beautifully flowering, fragrant, sweet-fruited trees and shrubs, make us resonate with all our feelings and seem to respond to our mood and state of mind.

Planting gardens has always been closely associated with religion. Since ancient times, gardens and plants have been dedicated to the gods.

Many beautiful legends have been preserved, telling about the attitude towards plants in Ancient Egypt, in ancient Greece and Rome, in the Middle Ages and explaining the symbolism of plants and the religious overtones of the garden itself. Throughout human history, gardens and parks have been associated with divine manifestations. Depending on a person’s worldview, dictated by the era, gardens either became closed, small, ascetic and utilitarian (in the Middle Ages), then turned into gardens of “pleasure” (in the Renaissance), or grew into huge landscape gardening ensembles that united all types art (classicism, baroque, etc.).

Each era put forward its own artistic styles and techniques. In gardening art, the set of techniques and elements remained almost unchanged over time, only the combinations and location in space changed, and their perception always corresponded to the public worldview. “The motifs of garden art in most cases are repeated, and if they disappear, it is only for a while, and then reappear. The aesthetic meaning of individual forms and motifs changes in accordance with the “aesthetic climate of the “era”.

Characterizing the specificity of works of landscape art, Academician D.S. Likhachev wrote that there has always been the idea that “a true garden must satisfy all human senses: not only sight, but also taste... hearing... smell... sensations...” [1].

In addition, the gardens had to meet cultural needs and aesthetic ideas, as well as provide a “garden life” appropriate to the time. It was different at different times. Gardens were created for learned conversations, reflections, poetic dreams, prayerful or philosophical solitude, romantic walks, official receptions and celebrations. The organization and then the “consumption” of such a complex environment required qualified knowledge, as well as artistic imagination. Therefore, gardening art was the object of close attention of artists, architects, writers, and musicians. The relationship between gardening and painting can be traced throughout the history of these types of art. One of the traditional connections was expressed in the desire of painters to capture real-life gardens and parks. The study of the history of landscape art is largely based on this material. So we know about the ancient gardens of Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria from surviving images. Many wonderful artists, sculptors, and architects took part in the creation of gardens and parks.

Each era, with its well-established aesthetic principles and technical capabilities, also left its mark on the formation of its own set of rules, techniques, methods that generally determine the external features of a garden or palace and park ensemble.

In the variety of historically established styles, two main directions are clearly visible: regular (geometric) and landscape. The layout of a regular garden uses symmetrically arranged geometric shapes: rectangles, rhombuses, triangles, circles. This principle is typical for the ancient gardens of the East, Greece and Rome, gardens of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, French parks of the 17th century, gardens and parks of Russia at the end of the 17th - first half of the 18th century.

The landscape direction is characterized by the use of smooth lines in the garden layout, repeating the bends of roads, uneven terrain, as well as the free contours of ponds, lawns, and clearings. This style direction includes the gardens of China, Japan, and a number of other eastern countries, landscape parks in Europe and Russia in the 18th - early 19th centuries, and landscape gardening art in Europe, Russia, and America in the late 19th - early 20th centuries.

However, often in gardens and parks of one style direction there were elements of another. Such a mixture of styles was especially characteristic of European parks created in the 19th and 20th centuries. It symbolizes a picture of the world in which a person, uniting with nature, discovers the essence of existence.

D.S. Likhachev notes that the garden was perceived as a large book, as a teaching space, a kind of “classroom”. The garden has always been “active.” This is its striking difference from architectural structures, which are often valuable in themselves.

There are two types of garden semantics. The first type of meaning of gardens can be almost adequately expressed or explained in words. These are various allegories symbols of certain events, characters or gods, usually expressed in sculptural or architectural compositions. The second type is a reflection of a certain conceptual and stylistic system through elements of garden art.

The beginning of decorative gardening in Rus' dates back to ancient times. In the 5th century BC e. Greek historian Herodotus mentioned gardens located in the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Chronicler Nestor in the 11th century. describes the apple orchard of the Kiev-Pechora Monastery, founded in 1051 by Yaroslav the Wise. In the 9th century. gardens appeared in Kyiv, Kursk, Orel, and Tula. In the second half of the 12th century. Andrei Bogolyubsky founded one of the first gardens of that time, 11 km from Vladimir, at the confluence of the Nerl and Klyazma rivers. This garden served as a kind of model for the creation of gardens in Suzdal, Vladimir, Murom, Vyazniki and other cities.

Until the 16th century In medieval Russia, monastery gardens were common, where flower beds were planted. Back in the 11th century. At each monastery there were gardens in which mainly fruit trees were grown.

Monastic gardens were of three types: household gardens, those that were located within the monastery fence and served as images of paradise, and those that were most often located behind the monastery fence and were associated with ideas about sacred groves [2].

In Moscow, gardening began to develop from the beginning of the 14th century. On the slope of the Kremlin hill, near the Moscow River, the garden of Metropolitan Alexei was built. In the documents of the 15th century. Moscow gardens are mentioned: Glebkov, Makaryevsky, Terekhov, Galtyaevsky, Chichagov, gardens on the river. Neglinnaya. Godunov’s drawing of Moscow indicates “The Sovereign’s Red Garden.” Tsar Ivan III paid great attention to the development of ornamental gardening. There are cases in history when gardens were created on the site of buildings and structures. So, in 1495, Ivan III ordered the demolition of the church and buildings facing the city on the right bank of the Moscow River, and in this place he built a magnificent garden that existed until the end of the 17th century. called Tsaritsyna Meadows.

In the 16th century On the southern slope of the Kremlin hill there were the Upper and Lower Gardens. In the same century, the Krutitsky Vertograds, which became widely known for their flower beds and spectacular ponds, arose, built by Metropolitan Paul. Krutitsky. The emergence of gardens dates back to this time: Prozorovsky - on Presnya, Dolgorukov - near the Novodevichy Convent, Lopukhina - in Khamovniki, Arkharova - in Sushchev, as well as the Preobrazhensky Gardens. In addition, the Kudrinsky Patriarchal Garden, Trinity-Sergievsky, Vorobyovsky, Moscow-Donskoy, Novospassky were known near Moscow.

From the palace gardens in the 16th century. in Moscow were known: a garden on the right bank of the river. Neglinnaya, between the Troitsky and Borovitsky gates, the other - across the river. Moscow, opposite the Kremlin, the third - on Vorontsov Field on the river. Yauze. There were gardens in the Kremlin.

Josaphat Barbaro - Venetian diplomat, traveler and statesman in his description of his trip to Russia in the mid-15th century. mentions the groves that surrounded the Kremlin. In total, according to the 1701 census, there were 43 palace gardens in Moscow and near Moscow. Back in 1635, a garden near the Teremny Palace was built especially for the children of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. In the Kremlin Palace there were also several “horse gardens” - indoor gardens, which received the name “red” for their beauty. The Upper and Lower embankments gardens were especially famous. The upper garden was built in 1628 by gardener Nazar Ivanov. In the 17th century Red gardens became widespread in boyar estates and in the estates of the highest clergy.

During this period, there was an Apothecary Garden in Moscow. It occupied part of the territory of the current Alexander Garden. The largest cultural garden during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich were the gardens in Izmailovo.

The Izmailovo gardens were at the same time the creation of gardeners, architects, carpenters, carvers, painters, and masters of “waterworks.” Surviving drawings of the 17th century. The Aptekarsky, Prosnyansky and Vinogradny gardens clearly illustrate that they were all divided according to pre-drawn up plans and had a regular layout. The characteristic elements of their composition were squares, rectangles, circles inscribed within each other, and a network of radial and perimeter paths turned the gardens into a mysterious labyrinth, hiding cozy areas with painted towers, sculptural fountains, and carpet flower beds from prying eyes.

The gardeners seemed to be trying to stun the viewer with the richness of the plant world. Everyday currant and gooseberry bushes were deliberately planted next to exotic herbs and flowers, and rye, wheat, oats, and buckwheat were planted next to “Sarsky” pears and prunes [3].

Among the surviving palace and park ensembles of Moscow, Kolomenskoye should be named along with Izmailov. It was mentioned back in 1328 in the will of Ivan Kalita. In the 16th century During the reign of Vasily III, and then under Ivan the Terrible, large construction was carried out in Kolomenskoye. An extensive park with a regular layout has been created on the high bank of the Moscow River.

In the sixteenth century. Moscow was literally buried in the shaky greenery of gardens, interspersed with numerous groves, meadows, wastelands... Russian people looked at the garden (not everyone has a large and beautiful one) as the economic part of the courtyard, delivering “sletiye” (fruits), vegetables, and fish, and honey and immediately served for washing, bathing, rinsing, etc. In the sense of a garden, i.e. for the sake of a walk, the forest was still their favorite place, and for games - the lawn, of which, according to the testimony of the Swedish envoy Petreus, there were many in Moscow [4].

And in other ancient Russian cities there were green spaces for public use, mainly in the form of boulevards. According to Karamzin’s description, in Novgorod, on Slavkova Street, poplars were planted in 1469. However, the “pre-Petrine gardens” did not carry any artistic idea; they were more focused on practical agricultural activities.

First half of the 18th century. - one of the brightest pages in the history of Russia and at the same time a period of extraordinary growth in decorative garden art. The time of Peter I brought enormous changes to the life of Russia. It was under Peter I that parks were laid out in St. Petersburg, which received worldwide recognition as unsurpassed examples of landscape art. These include: parks of Peterhof, Strelna, Oranienbaum, Summer Garden, etc.

Summer Garden, St. Petersburg

Having visited France, Holland and Germany, Peter I became interested in creating gardens and parks at the beginning of the 18th century. The world's first public gardens are being created in Russia.

The ensemble of the Summer Garden and Palace is the earliest in St. Petersburg. Its emergence is associated with the victories of Russian weapons during the Northern War with Sweden. By decree of Peter I, the Summer Garden began to be created in the place chosen by him and according to his plan in 1704. Famous architects worked here, N. Michetti, J., B. Leblon, I. Matveev, M. Zemtsov and others.

The summer garden was laid out on the model of regular gardens of the 18th century. with symmetrically located alleys, topiary of trees and shrubs, parterre flower beds, decorative sculpture, fountains. In Peter's time, it was the ceremonial royal residence, where the social and court life of St. Petersburg took place in the summer. It is known that in Peter’s time in the Summer Garden there was a poultry house, an elegant gazebo, a house with a fountain projectile driven by a large wheel, and next to it a menagerie. There was a large greenhouse with exotic flowers. In the center of the park there was a pond lined with tiles, and in the center of the reservoir there was a grotto from which a fountain gushed.

Gradually, the Summer Garden lost its original appearance, but to this day its regular layout and the most valuable garden and park marble sculpture by Italian masters of the 17th-18th centuries have been preserved - P. Baratta, D. Bozzazza and others. This is the oldest collection of garden sculpture in our country . The choice of themes for the mythological statues was not accidental - the images of ancient gods and heroes allegorically conveyed the ideas of the state and transformative activities of Peter I.

The decoration of the Summer Garden on the Neva side is the world-famous lattice, made in 1784 according to the design of the architect J. Felten - strict, slender, with gilded ornamental decorations and granite columns.

The number of palaces built for Peter I is very large and it is characteristic that they were all surrounded by gardens and parks, which were mainly created by European architects. Obviously, he couldn’t imagine being at home without a green environment. Even at travel palaces intended only for short stays, gardens were laid out. It is known that in 1719 Peter I decorated the garden near his house in Voronezh with sculptures, and later built a garden with swimming pools and “promising” alleys at the travel palace in Petrozavodsk [6].

Under Elizaveta Petrovna, the further development and improvement of estate culture, in which parks were one of the important components, continued. The name of the empress is associated with a relatively short-lived world of architecture called “Elizabethan Baroque.” Under Catherine II, the “golden age” of landscape gardening began. In the 18th century In St. Petersburg, Moscow and other cities of Russia, as well as in the estates of landowners, magnificent gardens were created, which became widely known: Yusupov Park in Arkhangelskoye, Golitsynsky Park in Kuzminki, Sheremetyevsky Parks in Ostankino and Kuskovo, Razumovsky Park in the village. Petrovsky and many others.

Researchers identify three successive stages in Russian regular park construction in the 18th century. During the first two decades, a new style was being formed, but this process was localized only in St. Petersburg and its environs and was represented mainly by large royal palace and park residences. In the 30-40s. The same trend is further developing, but at the same time the socio-geographical framework for the construction of new types of parks is expanding; they are being created in Moscow and the provinces. The nature of the artistic design of ensembles is changing, it becomes more solemn and magnificent. These trends are even more obvious in the third stage, which precedes the sharp change from the regular style to the landscape style. Regular “French” gardens, as a manifestation of “artificiality,” are rejected and are almost universally converted into “English” ones, i.e. landscape ones, which are built as if in imitation of nature itself and personify the idea of “naturalness”[8].

Landscape art of all three stages in Russia originates in the European cultural tradition, interpreting and processing it in its own way. At the same time, it was in the second half of the 18th century. we can talk about the emergence of unique Russian gardens and parks. One example of this interesting phenomenon. is the city of Bogoroditsk, located in the modern Tula region of the Russian Federation.

Founded in 1660 on the initiative of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich as a defensive line and as one of the points for expanding arable land with the aim of creating a new grain-producing royal volost of Bogoroditsk in the 18th century. was a modest provincial town. But Catherine II, who came to power in 1762, became interested in Bogoroditsky and on January 13, 1765 signed a decree according to which Bogoroditsk with all the villages and hamlets adjacent to it, as well as the Bobriki volost purchased and annexed to them, was transferred from the Konyushenny Department to the special board of the general -Lieutenant Senator Prince S.V. Gagarin. So the former district town became the center of the volosts that belonged to Catherine.

In the same year, the Empress gave the Bogoroditskaya and Bobrikovskaya volosts to her side son from Count G.G. Orlov. This was the main, undisclosed until time, reason for all the transformations that the city and county underwent. The son of Catherine and Orlov was named Alexei Grigorievich Sitsky, but in 1775 he began to be called Bobrinsky (obviously by the name of one of the volosts he received). Subsequently, Emperor Paul recognized him as his brother and awarded him the title of count. Then A.G. Bobrinsky was brought into possession of the volosts, which previously belonged to him only nominally, in fact remaining with the empress.

Since the 1760s Bogoroditsk and its volosts became the subject of special attention from the authorities. The main concern was the creation of a palace and park ensemble truly worthy of its future owner. Catherine II commissioned the then young but promising architect Ivan Yegorovich Starov to develop the project[9].

The design of the palace in Bogoroditsk was one of his first works. It was made in the style of classicism and received the approval of the empress. The composition of the palace is distinguished by restraint, simplicity and rationality. The building is compactly located on the elevated left bank of the Uperta River, on the remains of the earthen ramparts of the old fortress.

In the summer of 1776, a large oval pond was dug opposite the territory chosen for the estate, and the river a little downstream was blocked with a dam. As a result, the artificially created surface of water, which reflected the palace and the later park, gave the ensemble even greater grandeur and scale. A wide staircase descended from the palace towards the pond. On the eastern side of the building there was a courtyard closed on all sides with a bell tower above the entrance gate.

Simultaneously with the palace under construction, the stone Kazan Church was laid according to a project carried out by the same Starov. Experts consider it one of the most remarkable temples made in the style of early classicism. When designing the palace space, it was necessary to think about the park. Typically, parks were laid out simultaneously with the construction of the palace, but the creation of a park in Bogoroditsk was delayed, since there was no suitable project for it.

The architect Starov proposed a plan for a small formal garden, but it did not correspond to the size of the grandiose estate. In addition, the regular style became yesterday and did not correspond to the spirit of the times. Since they have already begun to create parks in a natural or landscape style. There were not many specialists capable of creating such a park in Russia. But by luck, one of them ended up in Bogoroditsk.

In 1776, Andrei Timofeevich Bolotov, a unique encyclopedist, natural scientist, who became the founder of domestic agronomy, one of the pioneers of domestic forestry, a writer and a talented memoirist, became famous in 1776. themselves for their descendants." At the same time, Bolotov is also a tireless educator, a talented business executive and administrator, striking in the breadth of his interests. He was also a remarkable landscape master, who for many years promoted gardening art in Russia, calling for its national characteristics [10].

Once in Bogoroditsk, Bolotov, in the first spring upon his arrival, laid out a small formal garden at the manager’s house. Then he set to work on the surrounding forests, which he wanted to make more beautiful and comfortable for walking. In the volost and Bolokhovsky forests, he ordered to make star-shaped clearings. In a nearby young abandoned forest, Bolotov decided to create a special kind of park. It had 8 wide alleys for carriages to pass through. They diverged like rays from the top of the hill, and at the end of each one an amazing view opened up: a palace, a church, a pond. Winding paths deepened into the wedge-shaped areas occupied by forest between the alleys. They led to some beautiful area, which were all of different sizes and shapes. There were picturesque groups of trees or individual trees, the crowns of which had an unusual shape. Sometimes the grounds were decorated with figures carved in the turf. The sofas made from removed turf attracted attention. The forest soon received the name Cetserina Grove, named after Cicera, the ancient Roman goddess of fertility.

The governor of the Kaluga and Tula provinces, General M.N. Krechetnikov, soon visited the grove, to whose jurisdiction the empress's volosts were transferred. He approved of Bolotov’s creation and soon invited him to create a large park on the estate. Bolotov began to create it in the spring of 1764. At his disposal was a treeless palace hill, leading to a large pond - a bare, boring place, but in a short time it was transformed beyond recognition: the plantings turned green, sunny meadows opened, the mirrors of the ponds turned silver. All the trees and shrubs were local species - which Bolotov always encouraged park builders to do. He planted maple, aspen, lilac, rowan, oak, willow, and acacia.

The main decoration of any park has always been water. Moreover, according to the rules of the natural style, they tried to give as much naturalness as possible to artificial ponds, streams, and waterfalls.

The park was created on a high place, devoid of any water sources. Bolotov found springs in the surrounding area, from which he led waterfalls to the slopes of the palace mountain, which outwardly did not differ at all from natural streams. Water filled the dug ponds, which also looked like natural, picturesque lakes - with an indented coastline, islands, and peninsulas. On some of them he planted birch groves. The shores, covered with greenery, were sometimes low, sometimes in the form of hills with rocky screes. Another system of ponds was built in the so-called Echonic Valley, bordering the hill on the north. Here the ponds descended in a chain to the Big Pond and the water flowed from one to another with a pleasant noise.

Bolotov introduced trout and carp into some ponds, specially caught in the Moscow Presnensky ponds. There was so much fish that he supplied it to four surrounding counties. In addition, a romantic cascade was built, falling in ledges from the steep slope of the mountain. To do this, it was necessary to build a small sluice that received water from the pond located above it, and also, in order to achieve the same “naturalness,” to turn the slope into a kind of mountain cliff, which required bringing a huge amount of stones... The waterfall turned out to be impressive.

In the slope of the palace hill facing the Great Pond, sand deposits were found that formed a dense monolith. The sands were multi-colored, of rare beauty - pink, red, yellow, coffee, greenish stripes and specks. Bolotov ordered corridors and rooms to be cut into them, and windows to be made. The visitor's eyes were presented with an extraordinary sight inside. The entrance to the caves was decorated to look like the ruins of some ancient building. In front of the porch there were fragments of columns and other architectural details. "Ruins", mostly artificially created, were then in fashion. The park was greatly enlivened by various garden buildings. There was a stone pavilion built by the Tula architect L.S. Sokolnikov. The building stood on a high plinth and was round in plan. The smooth walls were cut through by tall rectangular windows, and above them - round ones. The narrow walls were decorated with pilasters. The pavilion was topped with a cylindrical skylight. On Bolotov's instructions, Sokolnikov drew a rotunda gazebo with eight columns supporting the dome, and Tula carpenters made it. On the islands, on the banks of ponds, benches were placed everywhere, so called “nurses” in those days, so that while relaxing you could admire one of the corners of the park. Andrei Timofeevich created several completely original structures. In place of the burial pit, he made a grotto. A rectangular frame was lowered into the pit. The outside was covered with earth and covered with turf. A marble statue was placed on the resulting mound. Inside, the walls and vault were plastered. Gilded and silvered shells, worn mica, broken glass, and fragments of mirrors were inserted into the plaster. These decorations were given the appearance of vases, garlands, and beads. We made the seats.

Two glass doors led into the grotto, opposite which were false ones. Mirrors were inserted into them instead of glass, which created a striking effect. Anyone entering the grotto saw a man moving towards him. Not everyone immediately recognized himself, and not realizing that there was a mirror in front of him, he took off his hat and bowed, while those around him laughed. There was a light lantern in the dome of the grotto. With the help of several specially arranged mirrors, Bolotov built a device like a periscope, so that, sitting inside, one could observe what was outside. The city, the pond, and the nearest areas of the park were visible.

The valley north of the palace mountain was very decorated with a pavilion, which consisted of two log buildings and an arch connecting them. In one there was a bathhouse, in the other there was a gazebo for relaxation. The outside walls of the log houses were covered with planks and painted to look like wild stone. The building, together with the nearby stone bridge, added a lot of picturesqueness to this part of the valley. But the main thing was different. The plank lining of the pavilion, combined with the round slopes of the narrow valley, had extraordinary acoustic properties. The echo clearly repeated the words spoken by someone from a certain mustard gas place at a distance of 80 steps.

Bolotov loved to create deceptive buildings. Knowing well the laws of perspective, he used cheap materials at hand - shingles, planks, sand - to erect fake structures that from a great distance seemed to be the ruins of an ancient monastery or tower, etc. And only up close did it become clear what it really was. According to the plan of its creator, Bogoroditsky Park appeared before the visitor as a series of various “pictures” or “scenes”, replacing each other in the order specified by the master [11]. Bogoroditsky Park amazed contemporaries; it contained many amazing “inventions”, fantasies and unexpected architectural and landscape solutions.

Bolotov, skillfully using architectural structures, created a unique picture. The palace building determines the urban architectural and landscape composition of Bogoroditsk. From the five pairs of windows in its central part, which overlook the Uperta River on its left bank, on the right, five ray-streets originate, which were named in honor of the empress and other members of the royal family: the central one - Catherine, located to the right of it - Pavlovskaya and Alexandrovskaya, after the names of the prince’s son and the eldest grandson of the queen, and those on the left - Mariinskaya and Konstantinovskaya, after the names of her daughter-in-law and second grandson. To the left behind the palace there was a unique park.

Such an organization of space creates a single urban planning and palace and park complex! But the most important thing is that Bogoroditskaya Park can be called, without exaggeration, the first Russian national park, which was in no way inferior to the best parks of European landscape masters.

Literature:

1. Likhachev D.S. Poetry of gardens. L., Nauka, 1982. P.9.

2. Ibid. P.45

3. Izmailovo, M., “Rosrestavratsiya”, 1989.P.472.

4. Regel A. Fine gardening and artistic gardens. St. Petersburg, 1896. pp.154-163.

5. Vergunov A.P., Gorokhov V.A. Russian gardens and parks. M., Nauka, 1988.P.36

6. Ibid. P.46

7. Ibid. P.65

8. Ibid. P.81

9. Kucharians D.A.Ivan Starov.L., 1982.

10. Berdyshev A.P. Andrey Timofeevich Bolotov. M., Agropromizdat, 1988.

11. Bogoroditsk / Team of authors under the general editorship of Pronenkov A.N. / Tula., Publishing house. House "Peresvet", 2002. P.15-22.

12. https://www.bogoroditsk.ru/park1.htm

13.https://palace-museum-park.ru/index.php/ru/

What plants are suitable for decoration?

The plants in the Russian garden are mostly fruit trees - cherries, plums, apples, pears or other trees that you like, as well as a variety of berry bushes. Among green spaces and around garden beds, it is good to plant mint, lemon balm, tobacco, sweet peas, and lupine so that they smell fragrant.

It is better to choose flowers that are bright and easy to care for - chrysanthemums, peonies, sunflowers, nasturtiums, daisies, dahlias, carnations.

The Russian garden should not turn out to be gray or boring. It will be enlivened by miniature bright flower beds, hedges, an alley leading from the main entrance to the house, which blooms as the weather warms up.

Territory planning

The traditional noble estate was planned from the central object - the house. Paths, alleys and paths were laid from it throughout the entire territory. A road led to the main entrance through the park, along which fountains, flower beds and architectural sculptures were placed. Now, when forming a garden in this style, the site is divided into two parts - the front and landscape and the corresponding zones:

Front garden. It is the face of the garden and should fit perfectly with the overall panorama of the landscape. The front garden can be either open or closed. Plants are planted in it in such a way as to achieve continuous, long-lasting flowering. You should not plant many varieties of flowers; a few bright, long-flowering specimens are enough. To achieve continuous flowering, crocuses, peonies, lilies, asters, phlox and chrysanthemums are planted. This way you will get a blooming front garden from spring to autumn.
Rest zone . This area involves placing a barbecue, benches and a gazebo on it. If the size allows, make a playground, hang a hammock or swing. The recreation area is decorated with decorative arches with flowering vines; pots with plants are placed in the gazebo or entwined with climbing plants. Since this part of the garden does not carry any stylistic information, it is designed simply, without sophistication.
House . He is the central figure of the garden. A two-story massive house made of rounded logs and a high base is ideal. Such a house will create the flavor of a boyar's mansion and successfully emphasize the concept of the style. It can also be a brick or stone house.
Garden. The place for planting cultivated plants should not be large in size. All vegetables and herbs characteristic of our region are grown here. The vegetable garden is protected from view by a hedge or low fence. In addition to the vegetable garden, the noble estate also had an apothecary garden, where medicinal herbs and shrubs with berries were grown. For example, such as: mint, lemon balm, calendula, oregano, elecampane, sage, cyanosis, comfrey, juniper, lavender, comfrey, chamomile, St. John's wort, calendula and others.
Outbuildings. These include a cellar, bathhouse, barn and well. As a rule, they are decorated with plants. The walls of the barn can be covered with vines or ivy. The road to the bathhouse and the area near it are decorated with fragrant herbs, benches and tables are placed, and dwarf coniferous plants such as yew, juniper or fir are planted. You should adhere to the general style of the garden and make outbuildings from the same material as the house.

Landscape design in Russian style in St. Petersburg

By highlighting the Russian style in landscape design, and giving preference to precisely this direction in arranging a country house, the owner of the future estate will discover all its unique versatility. It is worth considering that this style cannot be separated from the lifestyle of the owners of the house. Evening gatherings, a samovar, pies, candied fruits are integral elements of Russian life, without which it is much more difficult to realize the dream of a family nest. It is this kind of family leisure that emphasizes the uniqueness of the Russian style.

If the Russian estate style in landscape design seems attractive to you, you can order its creation from the AG GARDEN DESIGN company. We will do all the work necessary for this - design and landscaping of the site, selection, delivery and planting of suitable plants. We work carefully and quickly, consistently achieving high-quality long-term results!

You can also order landscaping of your dacha plot in St. Petersburg in any other style from us.

The roots of heaven are in the East

Science finds it difficult to answer the question of where and when the first garden appeared, but religion readily does this. According to the Bible, the Garden of Eden, Eden, was the first place created on Earth. Its author and gardener was the Almighty. Eden was not located in heaven, as many believe, but in a specific place.

“From Eden came a river to water the garden; and then divided into four rivers. The name of one is Pison: it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and onyx stone. The name of the second river is Gihon [Geon]: it flows around the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel [Tigris]: it flows before Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates."
Life 2:10–14

In other words, the divine garden was located on the territory of Mesopotamia, and this is not surprising: during the time of the Sumerian-Akkadian civilization, it was here that grandiose gardens appeared, the most famous of which are the Hanging Gardens in Babylon, one of the disappeared wonders of the world, the existence of which is still disputed.

According to legend, Queen Semiramis collected her favorite roses in these gardens all year round. Umberto Eco, in his book “The History of Illusions,” provides a detailed description of the Hanging Gardens, compiled by pseudo-Philo of Byzantium from the words of his contemporaries:

“The so-called hanging gardens grow above the ground and are cultivated in the air. The roots of trees hanging in the heights entwine the tiers of the earth. <….> on the rafters there is a thick layer of earth, where broad-leaved trees, most often grown in gardens, grow, a wide variety of flowers and everything that can please the eye and taste good. <….> The roots, which never dry out, draw strength from the water streams flowing nearby; The water also reaches the underground intertwining of roots, preserving the lushly grown trees. This is how they talk about the luxurious, regal, talentedly conceived and mostly artificial miracle of agriculture that hangs over the heads of those who contemplate it.”

Paradise in the minds of the Sumerians is the Garden of Dilmun, a kind of analogue of Eden, although inhabited exclusively by gods and forbidden to people. Despite the fact that both Dilmun and Eden are mythical gardens, the study of the history of the garden should begin with them. Likhachev emphasizes that the biblical paradise became a model for creating gardens for many centuries:

“So, the garden is paradise, but since there were fruit trees in paradise (the “tempter serpent” tempted Adam and Eve with an apple or grape), fruit trees are required in every garden. This applies equally to the Middle Ages, to the West and East of Europe, to the eras of the Renaissance and Baroque, Classicism and Romanticism.”

The second mandatory condition: the garden must constantly bloom and look as if eternal summer or eternal spring reigns in it. Likhachev in “The Poetry of Gardens” cites the instructions of the philosopher Francis Bacon on what flowers need to be planted in order to achieve this “year-round” effect: for example, in December holly, ivy, laurel, juniper “should be green”, in February - German camellia, crocus, primroses and anemones, in July - gillyflowers of all kinds, musk rose and fruit trees. Bacon notes that this instruction will create a ver perpetuum (“eternal spring”) even in the climatic conditions of London.

The concept of “heaven = garden” is reflected in Islam, which is why lush gardens have become so popular in the East. It was there that floriography appeared - the symbolic language of flowers, the existence of which became known in Europe thanks to the notes of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, the wife of the British ambassador in Istanbul. In 1717 Lady Montagu wrote:

“There is no paint, no flower, no weed, no fruit, no grass, no stone, no bird's feather that does not have a verse corresponding to it, and you can quarrel, scold, send letters of passion, friendship, courtesy, or exchange news, without getting dirty. your fingers."

This language was loved by both the British and the French, and later by the Russians. In 1830, the book “Selam, or the Language of Flowers” by the poet Dmitry Oznobishin was published in St. Petersburg, in which about 400 meanings of plants were given. Floriography became an integral part of the works of Tolstoy, Turgenev, Aksakov and Chekhov. In all countries, the best place to learn this language was the garden.