The Lakeland Gardener

Social media has given everyone the opportunity to become an “Influencer” – people whose authority, knowledge or positions with their audience have the power to affect our decisions. The Italian Garden, Glamis Castle, Scotland  There were influencers in the 19 th Century.     No more so than in the world of horticulture.    Some of whom continue to influence our garden designs today.     My own garden was greatly inspired by the writings of significant 19 th Century horticulturists. Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) - an artist and embroiderer, took up gardening at the age of 50 when her sight began to fail.    She met Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) at the beginning of his architectural career and formed a professional partnership.    He designed the houses and their gardens along formal lines and she clothed them with plants.    Gertrude Jekyll aimed for cottage garden informality and used winding paths and wilderne...

The industrial towns of the Victorian and Grand Edwardian eras (1837-1910) were grim places.    Two Members of Parliament, R.A. Slayne and E. Chadwick, were responsible for passing the Public Health Bill of 1846.   The Act of Parliament ensured towns provided walks for the public at a time of industrial pollution and contamination.    Probably the most important development was the designing and building of Municipal Parks that began in the middle of the 19 th  Century.    This was a significant period of time for the creating of gardens in Great Britain.   A variety of civic parks were established. The Ornamental City Park consisted mainly of artificial lakes, shelters and specimen trees.    The parks were often built in association with New Towns, for example Birkenhead Park, near Liverpool, designed by Joseph Paxton, was developed in 1845. The birth of the public parks department  spread an...