The Victorian Gardener

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Neatly clipped hedges and greens in elaborate shapes were a standard in Victorian gardens. Traditionally, topiary was a formal element in large estate gardens and was considered a symbol of status. “You had to show off,” says Rizzo. “Your garden was in competition with others, and garden designers vied with each other for commissions from wealthy clients.” As well as being aesthetically pleasing, pergolas were practical; winding plants, like rambling roses, could grow up and around it, and they offered protection from the sun too.

Harry Dodson - Wikipedia Harry Dodson - Wikipedia

The Victorian Kitchen Garden Companion; Harry Dodson and Jennifer Davies. London: B.B.C. Books, 1988 ISBN 0563207108 Find out how Queen Victoria and Prince Albert celebrated their birthdays, and what the gifts they exchanged tell us about their private lives. In 1900, Thoday believed, there were 400-500 Dodsons running kitchen gardeners in the UK but there were only a handful left by the time the series was filmed. The programmes were produced at almost the last possible moment before the final head gardener to use the old-fashioned methods retired. Dodson showed how Victorian gardeners nurtured pineapples and peaches, though Thoday later revealed that Dodson had bought the pineapples shown on the TV as the ones forced in the garden did not grow very well. Thoday said watching peaches being individually faced up to ripen was a lost art that he thought he would never see again. A Victorian garden looks like a space that showcases 'new' plants introduced in the Victorian era, explains Rosie Fyles. There was a return to a more formal garden style with garden beds and parterres filled with colorful and exotic species of plants.Elements of Victorian design still add elegance and whimsy to modern gardens. “You don’t need to recreate an entire Victorian garden to get the feel,” says Leslie Harris, certified horticulturalist and host of the podcast, Into the Garden. “You can incorporate single elements or design a corner of your garden with these features without overwhelming your space.”

Victoriana Nursery

Think about low growing plants and a mixture of compact types and those that spread,' advises Jenny. Plant this look: Incorporate a few decorative pieces to punctuate your garden, such as a pair of urns, which do not necessarily need planted to add style.

General Overviews

Survey of traditional garden history covering major trends in garden design, horticultural advancements, and key publications. Also includes a comprehensive list of major Victorian gardens. Ornaments:Urns, sculpture, garden water fountains, sundials, gazing balls (lawn balls), birdbaths, and man-made fish ponds were all commonly used. Cast iron was a commonly used material for such accoutrements. Often, urns were not planted with anything, but were simply set in pairs to ornament stairs or balustrades. Were expensive to create and maintain by hiring several gardeners. So, were a reflection of your social class and status. More decorative gardens indicated that you are more rich and important. Apiary in Waddesdon Manor Garden Which are famous Victorian-era gardens in England? The underlying theme of the Victorian garden, as in much of Victorian life in general, was man's conquest over the elements. Nothing exemplifies this so much as the lawn. Thanks to the efforts of the seed companies and nurseries, the lawn became one of the most noted features of the American landscape, appearing in cities and towns from Maine to California. The Victorian era is remembered as a time of rapid growth, industrial innovation and British colonial power. When you dig deep, you'll see that Victorian gardens embody all these factors.

Victorians: Parks and Gardens | English Heritage

He accepted that Dodson was the main character and admired him as a man a generation out of time, who appeared, for the show’s purposes, to be the last in the line of those who could do the laborious skilled jobs of the Victorian head gardener, such as forcing, hothousing, grafting and budding. Among the most popular species of plants were the rhododendron, camellia and magnolia. Each has its own fascinating history. 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. Cast iron was the material of choice for folks of the Victorian era, and often, the more impressive the home, the more ornate was the garden fencing. Greenhouses and exotic plants: Collecting plants imported from around the world became a popular hobby for Victorian-era gardeners. Wealthier gardeners overwintered tender plants in greenhouses.The detailed botanical drawings had been created by Walter Fitch, based on Joseph’s sketches that he had made while in Sikkim. They were made into a widely-read book, Rhododendrons of the Sikkim Himalayas. It is a rather unusual high-Victorian garden by James Bateman for housing his plants collection from around the world. It has a series of connected ‘rooms’, influenced by different parts of the world. Biddulph has a Victorian vision of bright red pavilion of China, Egypt pyramids, and a Himalayan glen. Bodnant, Conwy Bodnant Conwy Victorian Gardens Just down the path the 'Workman's Bothy' is also open to the public and gives the visitor a look into the life of the ordinary garden workers. The word 'Bothy' derives from Scots Gaelic where it describes a small house or workers quarters. The Bothy provided live in accommodation to several gardeners and for its time would have been considered of a very good standard. The gardeners worked extremely long hours, from first to last light but Kylemore workers in general received much better pay and conditions than on other estates. At a time of desperate poverty throughout Ireland the chance to work in the Kylemore garden would have been a life changing one. In 1990 he set up his horticultural consultancy, Thoday Associates, staying on as a visiting lecturer at Bath until the course closed in 1993, championing the relationship between horticulture and landscape architecture.