Soswaewon as a typical villa garden of Korea is a symbolic garden that its diverse compositions imply a specific meaning. This study reviewed the purpose of introduction, meaning, and location of the landscape plants as one of the compositions and covering quite a large part of Soswaewon through 48 Yeong (meaning 48 poems of Soswaewon) and Soswaewondo (meaning Map of Soswaewon).
In 48 Yeong, 27 verses describe landscape plants as their key poetic matters. The most frequently mentioned top 3 plants are bamboos, pine trees, and Japanese apricots. The three plants are called Sehansamwoo(歲寒三友) showing constant fidelity and loyalty in any changing situations, which was regarded to represent the nature of scholars. And also the study examined the frequency and planting location of the plants in Soswaewon by comparing 48 Yeong and Soswaewondo, and the result showed some differences between them. That seems to be caused by the limitations in the comparison, because in case of 48 Yeong, the location and frequency of landscape plants can be examined only through the context of the verses, and Soswaewondo showed different production time from 48 Yeong and expressed them only in a form of drawing.
The plants have symbolic meanings multi-layered and ambiguous. With their symbolic meanings, the landscape plants reviewed through 48 Yeong consistently represent fidelity and loyalty, man of virtue, and hermit. That is, Soswaewon is the garden granting some significance to its compositions by interacting with the things.