Cultivating The American Garden Analysis

We live in a world where we are always intervening with nature. Over time, man has created a dualism between nature and culture. When one thinks of nature, they tend to stereotype it as something that is “exterior/outside, patches of green, wilderness, something that is pure, innocent, wise, and gentle” (Turner 45). We humans fail to acknowledge that we too are nature. Brookgreen Gardens, located in South Carolina serves as a prime example of the careful intermingling between nature and culture which is supported by Frederick Turner in his essay, “Cultivating the American Garden.” The garden is a historic sculpture and wildlife preserve. One of Brookgreen Gardens mission is to “To collect, conserve and exhibit the plants, animals and cultural

materials of the South Carolina Lowcountry” (Brookgreen Gardens). The garden's mission involve a blend of preserving nature and enhancing its beauty through culture along with educating viewers. In Turner's essay he addresses the division between nature and culture and how humans tend to form a boundary and categorize the two. We are responsible for nature; in this case, caring for our gardens. Brookgreen Garden brings into question of what nature vs. natural really is. The garden exemplifies Turner's notion that nature and culture can be integrated, although, the garden itself has rules and regulations that form a boundary between the intermingling of nature and culture.
“For Americans, culture means to a large extent technology,” we tend to forget that technology is also many other things such as “violins of Stradivarius, horsebreeding, handwriting...and villanelles (Turner 45). Through Turner's ideology on the definition of technology, sculpting would also be incorporated to the endless list of what technology really is. Exhibited within the Brookgreen Gardens is the numerous sculptures, which are surrounded by plants and flowers. The sculptures at the garden serve to help educate viewers along with enhance the beauty of gardening. Gardens are a place where nature meets art. The concept of gardening embraces human participation in and modification of nature; the blending of art and nature. The garden has a “collection of American figurative sculptures in the country, by sculptors who worked from the early nineteenth century to the present” (Brookgreen Gardens). The garden has a particular goal which is to educate “a diverse audience about sculpture, horticulture and the ecology and history of the Lowcountry” (Brookgreen Gardens). Viewers can acknowledge the beauty of nature while cultivating and learning about the art around it. The garden is a place of botanic practice and symbolic narratives of philosophy, art and history.
The sculpture’s abstract forms can be interpreted in numerous ways. This art can also enhance the garden site and the outdoor public space. The sculpture adds a dramatic and playful element to the landscape. The sculptures emphasizes the look of the gardens landscaping ideas and floral compositions with plants and flowers. The sculptures are placed in a way that matches the garden design style, which increases the gorgeous effect lush vegetation and peaceful landscaping creates. The abstract and historical sculptures have the power to transform what could have been just any ordinary garden design into beautiful and elegant one. The sculptures feed off the planting and the planting feeds of the sculptures. Nature and culture work together in this respect enhances the human-made natural world; the garden.
The use of technology to highlight beauty and education leads to the argument addressed by Turner in his essay, nature vs. natural. Edward B. Tylor defined culture as something that is “taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (Peter Melville Logan). Gardens blur the line between the division of culture and nature created by man. Since a garden is cared for by man, it is culture in a sense. In order to keep a garden alive chemical fertilizers, soil, organic materials, sprinklers, and many other forms of technology are needed. Does adding these man-made productions (culture) to nature still allow it to be classified as natural? The misunderstanding between nature and natural is linked to the division of culture and nature.“For a scientist… the universe is exactly and only the interference of everything with everything else” (Turner 43). Culture and nature interfere with each other which can lead to support that a garden is natural. The association of culture and nature working together is natural. It would be wrong to allocate technology as not being natural because it is made or caused by humankind. “If we distrust our technology, we distrust our own nature, and nature itself” (turner 50). If one distrusts technology, then they are also distrusting nature. If one distrusts nature, then we are distrusting ourselves because we are nature.
Although Brookgreen Gardens supports Turner's belief that nature and culture should be fused together, the gardens rules and regulations add a bit of a twist to the blending of art and nature.

The garden uses technology to educate the audience and beautify the garden. The use of technology also provides humans with the unique ability to protect our gardens too. “We are, whether we like it or not, the lords of creation,” so as humans, we are responsible for conserving and protecting this garden (Turner 50). There is a physical boundary between the garden and the "outside" world; a fence. Fences keep things in and keep things out. In this case, the fence around the garden symbolizes the boundaries man has created between nature and culture. The fence can also symbolize that we create certain boundary lines that mark off "special places" in which we can have the nature experience. The fence not only physically separates humans from the garden, but it creates a mental separation as well. It sets up the human mind to interpret nature as something that is separate from everything else and to believe that in order for something to be nature it must be distant and detached from civilization and culture. Although, in reality, the fence is us, the creators of nature, protecting nature rather than what one may see as isolating it. “We must take responsibility for nature;” nature does not have a conscience therefore it does not do things with intentions so we can never blame nature (Turner 50). We created this boundary so that nature is not harmed; to protect the garden from invaders and wildlife. We can only blame ourselves if nature is destructed because nature does not have a moral sense to harm itself. The literal division of the garden to the rest of society is not to embody that nature is required to be separated from everything but rather to elucidate the rest of society that Brookgreen Gardens is taking responsibility for its role as a creator of something that needs

to be cherished and secured by humans.
Brookgreen Gardens also has a particular rule that restricts pets from entering the garden.
It can be argued that since nature has been here before mankind, mankind should not stampede over nature’s beauty. Nature is a home to many different species, including man. The fact that an animal is not allowed on the grounds, unless it is a service animal, can depict how mankind limits nature. Nature has been a home to us and mankind should not enforce rules that prevent nature from expressing its beauty to all of its inhabitants. But, Brookgreen Gardens believes that pets should not be allowed because they will disturb wildlife. This rule was created simply to once again portray how man is taking responsibility for our creation. Dogs and cats can be a nuisance in gardens. In order to conserve the garden, we as humans should exclude what we believe will harm the beauty of the garden. By allowing pets, Brookgreen Gardens would then have to engage in a battle to protect their prized seedlings from the curious snouts, paws and claws of domestic dogs. The softness of newly turned soil is an invitation for digging, and can be a very easy target for curious dogs exploring. The tenderness of new growth can also be a tempting invitation for a myriad of dogs. Animals may but a part of nature, but at times, they can be destructive and it is in humans control to stop the destruction.
As humans, we create this wall between nature and culture. Our misunderstandings on what we believe to be the definition of nature and culture leads us to form the boundary between to two. Frederick Turner's essay highlights his belief that the dualism formed between nature and culture needs to be demolished. To support his standing point, Brookgreen Gardens adds to Turner's belief. The garden is presented in a way that combines nature and culture together. Art and nature work together to create beauty. Through the portrayal of Brookgreen Gardens, the garden exemplifies how nature enhances art and art enhances culture. The garden also serves to clarify the question of what nature vs. nature truly is. Turner's approach on how nature and culture should be integrated is demonstrated through the depiction of the garden. The garden itself has rules and regulations that reinforce the boundary between the intermingling of nature and culture in order to converse the garden.