John Claudius Loudon

John Claudius Loudon ( born April 8, 1783 in Cambuslang near Glasgow, Scotland, † December 14, 1843 in Bayswater, London) was a Scottish botanist and landscape architect. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Loudon "; earlier was also the abbreviation " Loud. " common.

Childhood, youth

Loudon was born the son of a respected farmer. For this reason, he acquired in his youth practical knowledge of plants and agriculture. As a young man studied Loudon chemistry, botany and agriculture at the University of Edinburgh.

Work related to horticulture

Around 1803 Loudon published in a literary journal an essay entitled Observations on Laying out the Public Spaces in London ( Considerations on the design of public space in London). In this article he recommended the introduction airier trees instead of trees with a dense crown margin used previously. 1806 Loudon ill from rheumatic fever, which eventually led to a disability that did not prevent him from writing. When his health continues to deteriorate slowly, he was forced to call on the assistance of a draftsman and other agents.

In 1808 Loudon was employed by the respected General Stratton to make the possession of Tew Park and managed. There Loudon could open a school, in which young men with the theoretical foundations of agriculture and with the possibilities of cultivation of the soil were familiarized. Loudon's design for landscaping was a model as well as elegance and sophistication combined efficiency and favorability in itself. In order to disseminate agricultural knowledge Loudon published a paper entitled The Utility of Agricultural Knowledge to the Sons of the Landed Proprietors of Great Britain, & c, by a Scotch Farmer and Land Agent ( The usefulness of agricultural knowledge for the sons of landowners in Britain.; by a Scottish farmer and land manager ).

After he was in 1813 and 1814 traveled through Europe, Loudon began to focus on improving the design of greenhouses and other agricultural systems. Eventually he developed a design for reclining surfaces whose position could be changed depending on the position of the sun. In addition Loundon developed plans for the accommodation of industrial workers and passive solar heating systems.

Decades before Frederick Law Olmsted and others began their work, Loudon established itself already as a city planner. His vision of a possible long-term planning for London's green spaces, he illustrated in his 1829 published work Hints for Breathing Places for Metropolis (hints for places to breathe in the metropolis ). He sketched in the carefully shaped growth of the cities under influence and involvement of green belts. The term " Arboretum " was first used by John Claudius Loudon in 1838 in a book about trees.

1832 Loudon led the gardenesque called a theory for horticulture. After that, the emphasis should be placed on the individual plant that could exploit so under the best conditions to their full potential in terms of growth. Since it generally took the view in the 19th century that gardens should not imitate nature, propagated with Guardenesque introduction of exotic plants and the establishment of abstract forms in the horticulture offered a contemporary tastes appropriate solution.

Taxonomic ceremony

The genus Loudonia the plant family of the milfoil plants ( Haloragaceae ) is named after him.

Publications

Loudon was a prolific author on the subjects of horticulture and landscape architecture. 1822 was his first publication The Encyclopedia of Gardening. After the success of this book Loudon 1826 The Encyclopædia of Agriculture published. He founded in 1826 the Gardener 's Magazine, the first periodical magazine that dealt exclusively with the gardening. A little later he launched in 1828, the Magazine of Natural History.

Loudon's other publications include:

  • The Encyclopedias of Plants (1828 )
  • The Encyclopedia of Cottage, Farm, Villa Architecture ( 1834)
  • Arboretum et fruticetum Britannicum (1838 )
  • Suburban Gardener (1838 )
  • An Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs (1842 )
  • On the Laying Out, Planting, and Managing of Cemeteries, and on the improvement of churchyards (1843 )
  • The Principles of Landscape Gardening

Loudon hoped to exert a far-reaching influence with his publications. He wanted them to spread his ideals to the design of public space and the improvement of urban planning and to arouse interest in agriculture and horticulture. His journals and other work put him in a position to communicate both with other professionals as well as with the honorable.

He worked in the belief that public improvements in a democratic and comprehensive sustainable manner should be done and not just sporadically, depending on favors the rich. In 1839 he was entrusted with the creation of the Arboretum in Derby. By jobs like these Loudon, it was possible to actually implement the principles which he published in his magazines. He tried the general public and their toil to be considered in the construction of the plant by creating a place where the different classes of society mingle informally and at the same time were able to develop a common local pride. In his desire to create significant educational environments, he provided the plants with detailed information signs. Loudon's design for the Arboretum in Derby served as a model for the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. In his last year in London appeared a work on the planning and management of cemeteries, in which he campaigned for a park-like design, which may invite for public use. In December 1843 John Loudon died of a lung disease.

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