Gardens

Like Moscow, the imperial capital has too much greenspace to annotate. It is everywhere: thicker in some areas, particularly on the islands north of the Peter and Paul Fortress, but tucked into almost every nook and cranny of the city.

The Moscow plan is filled with greenery, from formal gardens like this to stretches of vegetation and tree-lined streets. It is too much to annotate - let's agree that this single green rectangle serves as placeholder for the complex geometries of…

Be sure to open the Buguruslan "canvas" - the town is filled with greenery beyond the walls of this central garden.

One of the few vineyards noted on the plans.

A sprawling garden that appears contained within monastery walls (despite the poor condition of the image and the apparent fold of the original plan sheet).

A well developed site with walking paths and a bridge over the river.

A blank space in which the gardener's imagination can run wild.

A little gem of a garden nestled among the shops on the east side.

The parish churches, cathedral, and cemetery - all are surrounded by (the suggestion of) garden spaces.

The dense vegetation of this small area is distinguishable from the tree-lined "parks."

Located in the very heart of a rather ancient town.

Not every town encloses its churches and monasteries in glorious garden space, but Yekaterinburg surely does. In each case, the garden serves as an adornment for a religious space.

The plan doesn't tell us what kind of fruits were (or were intended to be) under cultivation - only that they were the signature element of the empire's plan for this Volga River town.

If you have ever heard of Mozdok, it is likely because you read something about the 19th century wars in the Caucasus. But judging from this plan, there is a history of gardens to be written.

An array of - what look to be - proper gardens, along with features such as churches that are ensconced in garden space.

One of the most unique garden spaces in the whole collection. (Most don't come with a Romanov pedigree!)

A neat garden area adjacent to the bazaar.

This 1782 plan boast one of the most grandiose green schemes in the entire collection: a row of seven neat spaces on the left bank of the Don River.

Gardens provide an axis of greenery in Berdichev. They surround a church and the site of the hospital (6), and make the pension near the eastern entrance to the town far more attractive.

The bishop's garden is located in the heart of Vologda, on the right bank of the Vologda River, next to the cathedral and (planned) government offices.

This one is maddening. These gardens occupy a huge amount of space and yet they are represented by simple polygons, utterly devoid of detail. The larger garden, located on the eastern edge of the plan, seems to include a pond or two, and a building…

If it weren't for the suggestion of a church located just west, this would be the only recognizable feature within the town walls.

These two vineyards sit on the banks of the Chugovka River, west of the center of town.

Without label or definition, these bits of greenery suggest to the viewer that there were more where these came from - that the space along the Azov Sea and north of the town were full of scrub and grasses subject to the salt air.

This is the governor's garden. The governor's residence (1) likely opened directly onto it.

There are 4 sites. They surround the bishop's residence (C), the Elets monastery (B), and the intended site of the governor's residence. This last garden space was intended to include the governor's stables.

In addition to the tree-lined promenades, this plan articulates several parks or gardens. Look closely and you will see walking paths and ponds or pools. You can almost smell the flowers.

Vineyards are a unique signature of Kizliar. They surround the town, declaring it as much a space of viticulture as a space of military power.

Vyborg is rife with greenery. Some of the spaces seem wild - forests, perhaps - while others appear to have been tamed by boundary lines. None violate the space of the town proper (see the area demarcated with a bold black line and labeled with Roman…

This garden site is located as far from the center of Astrakhan as one could get. What was its purpose?

A bountiful space set aside for the cultivation of fruit trees. It is an orchard space like no other.

What looks to be a vegetated area that makes an incursion through the western town wall. One can almost make out a walking path with a circular center.

Both sites are along the Donska River. They might have been quite beautiful - a gentle entry into the town from the water.