Plant components and authenticity of landscape architecture monuments

Abstract

Plants specifications emphasize the fundamental meaning of the “fourth space dimension” – time by their usage: (a) the space cannot be composed as a static image; (b) some used plants are not the planned part of the target state; (c) delayed onset of full functionality; (d) substantial importance of care for achieving and maintaining of the full functionality; (e) cultivation measures must be implemented in a certain time period, i.e. the “time window”; (f) replacement of already obsolete generation of full-grown and long-aged trees with a new generation is often carried out in the amended site conditions and different social situation. Historical authenticity of the plant components has the following specifics: (a) its basic assumption may not be the original specimens of plants, it is the preservation of the principle contained in this original substance; (b) the period during which the plant is able to represent the principle of the original substance is often shorter than the length of its existence; (c) gradual recovery of surviving individuals is often difficult to impossible in plants groups and stands; (d) it is often impossible to meet the recommendations of Venice Charter to not to apply the hypothesis and differentiation of added parts from the original ones. There was not paid enough attention to following aspects of the authenticity of plant components: (a) the importance of particular developmental stages of the element; (b) the role of age structure (the same age – different age) for different types of elements; (c) the effect of different length of the existence of space-formative elements (different periods of their recovery) to the overall composition effect; (d) role of historical technologies.

Keywords

• monuments
• landscape architecture
• plants
• authenticity