Which expression of garden style resonated most strongly with you personally? Why?

My favorite expression of garden style is the Renaissance garden. I have always been fascinated with the Renaissance period, so learning about the style of the garden gave me a new dimension of knowledge about the Renaissance times. The way the garden evolved right alongside the art forms and sciences is fascinating.

The Renaissance was all about the new relationship between the human and divine with the top being God. God created man and nature and saw the world in terms of its usefulness. For example, plants and animals provided useful things like clothing, food, and medicine. At the same time, nature was part of the cosmos , and so to understand Nature was to understand God further. In the garden, art and nature were combined as a whole which made rise to the Renaissance garden. 

This garden was formal and extravagant. Evolving from the medieval times, this garden was more expansive, worldly, and symmetrical, containing features such as fountains, statues, waterworks, and rare plants. I believe this is the most impressive garden style because it evolved immensely from the past, and so quickly. The medieval gardens that came before the Renaissance gardens were small, enclosed, and put where they could squeeze in space. However, in the Renaissance period, they were a form of art and expression of wealth. Along with being an expression of wealth, the Renaissance gardens were also used for relaxation and entertainment. 

One of the main features of a Renaissance garden is a main axis, which is a line running down the center of the garden with symmetry on both sides. Another feature of a Renaissance garden is terracing. The terracing allowed an individual stand at the highest point (usually the back of the estate) and see the entirety of the garden ahead. As mentioned above, water features were an intrinsic part of Renaissance gardens and were large and very extravagant. They were also expensive to fuel and upkeep, so a large water feature showed wealth.

The quick and expansive evolution from the medieval garden to the renaissance garden, and the way the renaissance garden evolved alongside the art forms and sciences, are what makes the renaissance garden so fascinating to me

References:
http://www.gardenhistorymatters.com/2012/03/italian-renaissance-garden.html
http://www.egeskov.dk/en/renaissance-garden
https://forum.disabroad.org/bbcswebdav/pid-199209-dt-content-rid-608142_1/courses/garden_1502213/08%20SP%2015%20Italian%20Renaissance%20Garden%20-%20Villa%20d%27Este.pdf
http://fhswolvesden.wikispaces.com/file/view/renaissance_history_the-birth-of-venus.jpg/249086849/370x229/renaissance_history_the-birth-of-venus.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Villa_d_Este1.jpg
http://www.poderesantapia.com/gardens/italianrenaissancegarden.htm
https://plus.google.com/102659917303976812530/posts/AeuqbmQ9wbz