Plants, flowers and trees have inspired artists from ancient times to our own day. The earliest ornaments were 'Nature's majestic lines' - repetitive wavelines, forest trunks and leaf masses or the curves of mountain ranges. These were the origin of rhythm, which we see in the embellishment of pottery, fabric and embroidery. It is especially notable in the exaggerated rhythm in Van Gogh's paintings of 'Cornfields' and 'Trees'. The Egyptian climate has preserved paintings of natural forms, and the capitals of their columns were often carved in lotus bud shape.

The Greeks used the acanthus leaf in the Corinthian columns. Churches and great cathedrals contain beautiful examples of the stone masons' and woodcarvers' art, in which foliage, flowers, fruit, vegetables, insects and animals, are incorporated.

Artists see the world in many diverse ways. They can be selective and emphasise the beauty and structure of nature in various styles and mediums. Raphael did so by his feathery trees of Umbria and Albert Dürer and Leonardo da Vinci by their linear detailed botanical drawings. The Dutch painters achieved this by their opulent flower and fruit arrangements, Constable by his restful green landscapes, and of course, Monet, who saw his garden in terms of 'light as the hours and seasons pass - the changing luminosity of colour'. My sister and I had the great pleasure recently of seeing his garden, including the waterlily garden, and his house and studio.

Illustration is more helpful than description, and by the end of the eighteenth century we saw the era of supreme botanical illustrators. Many of their books and diaries are collectors' items today. The collages of Mrs Mary Delaney are given a special space in the National Gallery, London.

The English painter, Turner, recorded in watercolour, wonderful scenes of nature on his 'Grand Tours of Europe'. At present we have two outstanding botanical illustrators in Ireland: Wendy Walsh and our local Sutton artist, Deborah Lambkin, both of whom have been awarded gold medals at the Royal Horticultural Society exhibitions in London.

Man has ever sought to shape nature, examples being the art of topiary and bonsai, or in the layout of the large demesne of the country houses, where great tree-lined vistas end in a man-made lake or Arcadian temple.

Trees have also featured in all their majestic beauty in many works of art, such as Japanese engravings, Rubens' paintings and of course, the 'Barbizon' painters in the Forest of Fontainbleau in France, and from the English watercolour painters of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, right up to the present day.

Ireland is renowned for its Robinsonian gardens, whilst the design and symbolism in Japanese gardens are as vital as the plants themselves. Landscape artists combine with architects to bring nature into our lives as we see in the beautiful restoration of the Turner House in our own Botanical Gardens in Glasnevin.

In Powerscourt Gardens there are the most beautiful garden gates, their intricate designs being highlighted in gold. Sculpture, too, enhances this garden. Two prancing, winged Pegasi complement the soaring fountain in the centre of the lake.

Water adds sound and movement to landscape, as in the Tivoli Gardens, outside Rome, and combined with impressive sculpture, as in the Trevi fountain, Rome, or in the gardens of France. All around the world landscape artists have made use of its dramatic effect.

Flowers bring colour and beauty into our lives. Floral displays adorn buildings and churches and have been brought to great perfection as an art form, which elevates us and is soul-satisfying.

Through the artist's eyes and interpretation we are made more aware of the wonderful world of Nature.