n [ U ]
the art of designing a garden, especially for the land around a large house, palace, etc. British landscape gardening developed in the 18th century under artists such as William Kent who tried to create landscapes with a natural, informal effect similar to those seen in 17th-century Italian painting. Artificial lakes and buildings such as temples or ‘ruins’ were specially created for this purpose. The most famous figure in British landscape gardening was Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown , who designed the gardens at Longleat House and Blenheim Palace.
In the US, Frederick Law Olmstead (1822–1903) followed the British style when he created Central Park in New York City. He was the first person to call himself a ‘landscape architect’. Since the early 20th century, gardens and houses have often been designed together, e.g. by Frank Lloyd Wright .
► landscape gardener n
a person whose job is landscape gardening.