Flowers were grown, too; some just to look at, but most for
utilitarian purposes. Rose petals, for example, were dried for
fragrance. If the lady of the house liked flowers, she often collected
violets and mayflowers from the woods and transplanted
them into her garden, for it was she who tended them. Otherwise,
only those flowers needed for food, medicine, fragrance or
dyes were grown.
There was no garden plan as such. In other words, no conscious
effort was made to plan a garden in today’s sense. The
house and outbuildings were sited according to the topography,
exposure, and needed relationship. Areas related to them were
fenced or penned, and walkways through the gardens were laid
down as direct routes from doorway to outbuilding or as seemed
best for tending the plants.