The first published German garden book was written by Johannes Peschel and printed in 1597. With a focus on order in the garden, Garten Ordnung (Garden Arrangement: a description of how to create a useful and elegant garden with the correct geometry) reflects a late-Renaissance ideal of gardens and their relationship to the house. Included are plans for structured gardens composed of parterres, and the geometric complexity that is created in large and small gardens.

.