Abstract
In the Republic of Korea, the significant decline of the rural population reflects the rapid industrialisation of this nation in Asia. The rural environment with its villages and traditional land use structures is strongly affected by this current development. Cultivated plants in the farm gardens of the villages are considered as indicators of traditional gardening as well as of current trends in gardening culture brought about by socio-economic and cultural changes. The selection of certain woody plant species with their symbolic character and the location and exposition of these plants in the farmyard is strongly related to different philosophies, religions and superstitious beliefs. The cultivated herbaceous and woody plant species found in 37 farm gardens of two villages in the highlands of South Korea were recorded. The survey was compared with historical plant use during the Chosun-Dynasty from 1392 to 1910 and with recent investigations of the flora of urban gardens and green spaces. Historical continuity was found for the farm gardens, e.g., a traditionally high percentage of non-native woody plant species of Chinese origin. However, about 40% of the non-native herbaceous plant species originate from Europe, America, Africa and other parts of Asia, exceeding those of Chinese origin. Additionally, the former multipurpose use of species in traditional gardening gives way to mostly ornamental use of plants in farm gardens. In populated areas land use types with a long history of the same kind of management are particularly valuable for nature conservation and the preservation of cultural heritage. Farm gardens with their specific inventory of traditional and current plant species should be maintained and developed according to nature conservation and culture preservation objectives.