A History of Gardening, Part 3

7 • POSTED ON November 15, 2005
A History of Gardening, Part 3
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On our journey through the history of gardening, we have landed in the 19th century; an era that marks the intensification of garden passion. Toward the late 18th century, English landscape architects had become the dominating power in garden fashion, thus making England the birthplace of modern gardening.

Our gardening column is published every Tuesday on OttawaStart. Read previous columns here.

On our journey through the history of gardening, we have landed in the 19th century; an era that marks the intensification of garden passion. Toward the late 18th century, English landscape architects had become the dominating power in garden fashion, thus making England the birthplace of modern gardening. In 1804, the Horticultural Society (later to become the Royal Horticultural Society or RHS) was formed and less than 20 years later – in 1822 – John Loudon (1783 – 1843; one of the most influential garden designers and writers of his time) published the first “Encyclopaedia of Gardening”. Clearly, time and the vast improvement of our knowledge have changed our perspective on some of the issues described in his book but perhaps not as much as one would think. Interestingly enough, where Loudon recommends burying dog, deer and horse carcasses – as well as partially rotted fish - to improve soil structure and fertility, nowadays we still use animal by-products such as bone, blood and fish meal to achieve the same goal. As a dog owner, I am quite happy things evolved the way they did…

Loudon was a prolific writer; his “Encyclopaedia of Gardening” was later followed by the “Encyclopaedia of Plants“, the “Encyclopaedia of Cottage, Farm and Villa Architecture” and the “Encyclopaedias of Trees and Shrubs” – to name but a few! In 1826, he founded “The Gardener’s Magazine”, the first periodical ever solely devoted to horticulture, through which he educated and inspired the prosperous English middle class with gardening tips and advice. Quite impressive for someone who suffered from rheumatic fevers for most of his life and depended on others to do his drawings. I never even mentioned he was the one who came up with the idea of greenbelts in cities nor that he invented a system of hinged surfaces (to be used in greenhouses) that could be adjusted to the angle of the sun.

Whereas the 1920’s are commonly referred to as the “roaring twenties”, in my humble opinion the 19th century should be re-named “the green age” because of all the innovations and inventions in the field of gardening. Apart from the introduction of Loudon’s first ever gardening magazine, this era saw the birth of the lawnmower (1830’s), the invention of poured cement to form rockeries, the first pulled lawnmower that cleared clippings away, the abolition of glass taxes as well as the invention of sheet glass (both making greenhouses and conservatories cheaper and thus more popular), Darwin published his “On the origin of species by natural selection”, the pesticide DDT was introduced (although in retrospect, that was not necessarily a good thing) etc. Oh, and in the 1860’s the first garden gnomes were introduced…

The major impact the 19th century had on gardening was that it became much more accessible to the general public. Industry and commerce prospered, and because of this, a relatively wealthy middle class emerged. As is the case in our day and age, these people wanted to live close to their workplace but away from the overcrowded city centers. Improved roads and transportation made it possible for these people to build their houses on the outskirts of town where there was enough room to display their new-found wealth – not to mention fresh air. Furthermore, better printing techniques enabled more people to gather inspiration from publications of people such as Loudon. The impact and spread of knowledge was greater than ever!

In 1870, William Robinson, an Irishman who had moved to England to work in the Royal Botanic Garden in London’s Regent Park, published a book called “The Wild Garden”. Robinson’s job entailed the responsibility of building a collection of British wildflowers and, over time, he began to appreciate (and promote) a more natural-looking garden as opposed to the reigning landscape style. Instead of vast stretches of grassland intertwined with clusters of trees and shrubs, Robinson drew heavily on country lanes and hedgerows where plants were allowed to seed themselves and thrive wherever they could find a spot. This “rural idyll” rapidly caught on with the general public, as it more and more started to crave the romance of the countryside in an ever-expanding urban and suburban landscape.

It was at around the same time that Gertrude Jekyll – one of the most important and influential garden designers and writers of the late 19th and early 20th century – appeared on the stage. Born in 1843, Jekyll originally studied painting and colour theory at London’s South Kensington School of Art but quickly developed an interest in gardening. Due to failing eyesight she had to give up painting in the 1890’s and instead, she devoted all her time and energy to gardening. Whereas Robinson elaborated on the idea of using native (as well as exotic) plants in the garden, Jekyll suggested the use of herbaceous borders with drifts of colour. However, both detested formal garden features such as bedding plants, and promoted more informal-looking features such as pergolas and winding paths. Mass-produced products were taboo whereas locally crafted ornaments became highly desirable.

Although likely the most well-known, Jekyll was not the only female gardener of her time. For the longest time, garden design (as well as horticulture in general) had been a “men-only” profession – although a very popular hobby among women - but in 1891, Swanley College (founded in 1885 as a horticultural college for training men) started to admit female students. The women took over and in 1902 the last of the men left (or fled?), making Swanley a females-only college for horticulture. Around the same time – in 1898 – the Countess of Warwick founded her “Warwick Hostel” to offer training to “Surplus women in the lighter branches of horticulture”.

Well, I think this is enough garden history for one week! Next time, we will see what happened in gardens closer to home, as we “dive” into Canadian garden history.

Until then, happy gardening!

René Trim

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About René
René Trim was educated and trained in The Netherlands, before moving to Canada in 2000. After studying the differences in climate and season faced by Ontario gardeners he established Trim Garden Design and Rescue in May 2002. A gardener since the 1980’s, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience, a vast library of reference materials from which to draw answers to various garden situations as well as an enthusiastic and professional staff.