Emotions have always played a part in the creation and appreciation of gardens and love was the overriding emotion when the Earl of Harrington commissioned the gardens at his country seat at Elvaston Castle, Derbyshire.

In the mid 19th century early public parks reflected the great Victorian interest in the study of all aspects of the natural world. One of the earliest public parks was the Derby Arboretum which was created for a city that had been expanding rapidly as a result of industrialization.

Of course no historic garden or landscape is complete without a bust, statue or an urn, and so I would like to introduce you to Mrs Eleanor Coade (1733 – 1821) one of the very few women acknowledged for her contribution to 18th and early 19th century garden history.

Throughout the long history of gardens there have always been innovators who tended to do their own thing just because they could. Well during the 18th century there was a flurry of military inspired symbolism both in architecture and garden design.

A discussion on the popularity of creating garden features with newly available American plants