The castle pleasure garden was an equally private place. The symbolism
of the Garden of Eden, Song of Songs, and Paradise or royal hunting
park permeates its design and plantings. With increased security—and for
some people, increased leisure—the pleasure garden became a necessary
adjunct to a palace. Stairs often led from the ladies’ apartments directly
into the garden. Private, walled, with turf-covered benches, arbors and
special trees for shade, flowers to delight the eye and nose, and even a
fountain to cool a wine jug and refresh the senses, the pleasure garden was
a wonderful place. Here one could hold confidential conversations and
indulge in amorous adventures. Expenses for exotic plants like lemon
trees, for majolica tiles, and for rose bushes hint at the beauty and luxury
of this most ephemeral art.
World History
