The Garden History Podcast

Ornamental or pleasure dairies became very fashionable from the mid eighteenth century onwards and could be seen within the designed landscapes of wealthy estates along with other garden features such as hermitages, plunge pools and bath houses. Most of these dairies were specifically designed not for practical productivity but as a place of leisure.

For centuries Hazel trees have been cultivated and coppiced for their straight tough and flexible branches, and of course their nuts. In the Victorian era the beauty and utility of Hazels was promoted by the Arts and Crafts Movement for use in Nutwalks which became an icon of garden design in the period.

The thrill of getting lost in a maze along with the frustration of reaching one dead end after another has been entertaining people for centuries. The word maze, derived from the Middle English maes meaning delirium or delusion, dates back to the 13th Century.

We all love to visit private gardens of all shapes and sizes. In many cases we have to pay to enter whether it is for a charitable cause or purely for the benefit of topping up the owners coffers. So it may come as a surprise to find, that some of the most iconic private Italian renaissance gardens were free and public spaces right from the outset, and this unfettered access was guaranteed by the concept of the Lex hortorum or the law of gardens.

In recent years there has been a huge surge in the interest and demand for indoor plants including Howea forsteriana the houseplant better known as the Kentia palm. First recorded in 1869 on the tiny Lord Howe Island in the Pacific the Kentia palm soon made its way into fashionable Victorian parlours, drawing rooms and ballrooms. This is the story of a plant that found fame across the world but has remained true to its native Island home.

The Empress Josephine has often been portrayed as a needy socialite famed for her lavish entertainments with many stories being repeated about her salacious exploits.So it may come as a surprise to many that Josephine was a very accomplished plantswoman, gardener and keen botanist who played a key role in the collection and introduction of many new plants into France which she cultivated at her gardens at the Chateaux Malmaison near Paris.

From the early seventeenth century icehouses were built in increasing numbers on country estates in order to enable extended storage of perishable food and provide the novelty of chilled refreshment. By the middle of the 19th century most estates could boast one. Some were built plainly, often below ground but some reached the status of follies with elaborate designs and features.

In the 18th century, any landscape of note was not complete without a collection of garden buildings and other eclectic features. However a rather eccentric but short lived trend during this time resulted in the frequent appearance of the ornamental hermitage. These artificially unkempt dwellings were often concealed in woodland within the landscape. This remoteness ensured a lively response from any visitor who happened upon it especially if there was a real hermit in residence.

Gardens have always inspired artists and their paintings contribute much to the research and understanding of different periods in Garden History,indeed the act of creating a garden has been compared to creating a work of art. Claude Monet's garden at Giverny was created from scratch by the artist as a gardener, and became his favourite subject as a painter.

Today, hybridisation is a common and important method of developing plants with new features. Thomas Fairchild was the first person to achieve this at his nursery near London. However the beliefs prevalent at the time suppressed this new discovery and left Thomas in fear for his soul.