Garden Thinking and Garden Action

“In the garden we learn how to deal with nature without having to deny the creative power within us. And thus, it becomes a model and a test case with regard to how we deal with the entire natural and built environment.” At the beginning of the 1990s, the Swiss landscape architect Dieter Kienast (1945-1998) underlined the fundamental significance of garden thinking today and stated that the garden is the last luxury of our time. It demands those things that have become the most rare and precious in our society, for example time, focussed attention and free space. “It is a true reflection of nature in which, once again, we require spirit, knowledge and craftsmanship in the careful handling of the world and its microcosm, the garden. Changing social values are causing a garden renaissance.” In the light of current tendencies such as 'urban gardening', one can truly speak of a garden renaissance. For landscape architecture, this is highly welcome because many people (re-)discover important aspects of life that will be crucial for the protection and development of future environmental qualities. Real sustainability can only be achieved if peoples' social awareness and their sensitivity for the quality of their living environment will increase around the world. Six aspects make gardens and gardening so interesting for landscape architecture today