The Victorian Gardener

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Orchids – symbolised royalty, symbolised wealth. Was a famous flower of Queen Elizabeth. Was used in both homes and gardens Any list of noted historical horticulturalists has to begin with Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. The 18th century designer is credited with masterminding more than 250 landscapes, coming to characterise the English country estate. Brown worked on 'place-making' for countless clients, including at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire and Audley End House in Essex. By the 1760s, Brown had come to be known as 'Capability', as he often spoke of the 'capabilities' of a prospective property. Those capabilities remain apparent to visitors today. In late Victorian gardens rustic and romantic elements like thatched alcoves, pine-pole summer houses or pavilions, bee hives and ponds became fashionable. Bodnant Garden with pond and garden pavilion. Credit: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). Writing for The Guardian in 2009 during a repeat of the series, Lucy Mangan found that it was the "details that make the programme sing" and concluded by saying: "May it flourish somewhere in the schedules for ever." [5] The Victorian Era in the United Kingdom is the period of the reign of Queen Victoria beginning on June 20th, 1837, until her death on January 22nd, 1901. There were a lot of changes, politically, socially, and religiously during this time. It was also an era of advancement in science, technology, and engineering.

If you take a look at the pictures of the famous Victorian era gardens, you will find that they knew how to utilize decor outer space of their house. These outdoor parlors were not only used to impress the guests but were also used for entertainment.

Flowers

Many ordinary people lived an impoverished lifestyle and it wasn’t until the Victorian era that the middle classes in suburban areas began to take an interest in gardening. The British public became fascinated with the new plants that were being shipped in from all over the world.

Again, particularly if gathered from some exotic far off land, many trees were highly valued, none more so than the Monkey Puzzle which became commercially available in the 1840s. Fruit trees also became fashionable, choose the excellently flavoured Triomphe De Vienne pear that has been growing vigorously since 1864 or Josephine de Malines. The Victorian era was the beginning of the modern lawn and garden (partly in thanks to a newly-patented lawnmower). With a flourishing global market, amateur gardeners could get their hands on exotic plants and design plans—their heirloom gardens weren’t your typical native plant variety. Instead, there were geometric garden beds in the middle of the lawn, colorful annuals and perennials, shapely shrubs, and garden statuary and decor. Each garden was either heavily manicured to perfection or left to fill in and be more “natural.” Take a look at these antique garden publications and see which tips you can use in your garden today. Victorian Garden Design Tips 1. Keep your shrubs well-manicured. Ian Kirkland / Unsplash Fruit trees – including apple, pear, cherry and plum – were popularised by the Victorians, but fig trees were the very height of fashion. 4. The more variety, the better It was believed public gardens would help “decrease drunkenness and improve the manners of the lower classes”. Intellectuals and the upper classes also encouraged gardening as a means of decreasing social unrest. Instead of heading to see a French Château, just go to Waddesdon manor instead. It is my most favourite high-Victorian garden in England. Excellent formal parterres.

If you’re looking to bring a Victorian touch to your garden and need some inspiration, we’ve identified six amazing Victorian gardens around the UK to visit that will undoubtedly inspire your next steps, as well as the key features you’ll want to incorporate. Image credit: English Heritage 1. BRODSWORTH HALL, YORKSHIRE If you wanted to be a gardener, like Matthew Balls, you had to commit to an apprenticeship of up to 15 years. Only the best and most committed uneducated boys were taken on, learning from older gardeners. Matthew probably would have started off as a gardener’s boy at a large establishment, aged 12-14. His jobs would have included washing flowerpots (huge numbers were required for carpet bedding), sweeping paths, and carrying coal for boilers heating glasshouses, which would need constant stoking. Gardening boys worked ten hour days, six days a week, while studying the latest horticultural publications in the evening. They would pay the Head Gardener for their training, and he would issue fines for rule-breakers. Highly colored rhododendrons captured the Victorian imagination, particularly those from the Far East. Fine examples can be seen at Killerton.

Each of the series (except for The Wartime Kitchen and Garden) is commercially available on DVD, distributed by Acorn Media UK. Accompanying books of all four series were written by the associate producer, Jennifer Davies, and published by BBC Books. There was also a terrace to the side of the house, off the conservatory, with a broad-stepped path flanking the walled garden. The walled garden was in existence before the 19 th century but its walls were rebuilt with Italianate piers by Rogers. The path led down to woodland, where there was a fountain, through to St Paul’s Walden Church, which the Rogers family attended. Photograph of a woman standing by the ‘Porch of Church adjacent to Stagenhoe Park’, St Paul’s Walden Bury, c. 1846-1869 Photograph of the fountain located in the woodland at Stagenhoe Park, c. 1846-1869 The Victorian Flower Garden, The Victorian Kitchen, Harry's Big Adventure, The Wartime Kitchen and Garden This garden was not opened for the common man because the queen was not in favor of it. But after the control went over the government, the garden was opened for the common man. This garden has a great collection of rhododendrons. The people of the Victorian period have a passion for the exotic plants.

Modern cast stone ornaments from original designs are ideal and very affordable adornments. To reflect the romantic mood a scantily clad maiden or goddess might be appropriate, or two lovers embracing. The beautiful gardens at Brodsworth Hall were laid out in the 1860s to provide a formal setting for the new house. The ornate design of the gardens are typical of the mid-Victorian period, and are defined into four distinct areas:

The Victorian Kitchen Garden is a 13-part British television series produced in 1987 by Keith Sheather for BBC2, based on an idea by Jennifer Davies, who later became associate producer. It recreated a kitchen garden of the Victorian era at Leverton, Berkshire (near Chilton Foliat, Wiltshire). The presenter was the horticultural lecturer, Peter Thoday, the master gardener was Harry Dodson, and the director was Keith Sheather. [1] On the north side were two servants’ cottages, rebuilt during Rogers’ time, which opened onto the walled garden. By 1851, Matthew was living with his wife and four children (Matthew Henry, Elizabeth Mary, James and Sarah Ann) in one half of the gardener’s lodge. The other half was occupied by William Exton, the butler, and his family. Photograph of the Gardener’s Lodge at Stagenhoe Park, c. 1846-1869

Arguably one of the most famous gardens in the UK if not the world, the crowning jewel of Kew is undoubtedly Temperate House, the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse, which houses many rare and endangered species of plant. If your tastes are more traditional though, the Rose Garden, designed by renowned English landscape architect William Nesfield in 1848, makes for a fragrant wander. Typical features of a Victorian garden These days, lawn care commercials send a clear message: not only should I be focusing all my mental and physical energy on my lawn from the moment the snow starts to melt, but the state of my yard is also the greatest indicator of my status as a man.