Gardening became a popular pastime in Victorian Britain with the rise of suburban gardens, and improvements in technology made gardening more accessible to amateurs.
New introductions from abroad brought a greater variety of plants, leading to fashions for massed bedding, exotic glasshouse displays, rock gardens and rhododendrons. The large and prestigious gardens of country houses were emulated in suburban settings as gardening spread to the masses, and the creation of public parks introduced green spaces to grey cities.
Caroline Ikin here explores the many aspects of Victorian gardens and gardening and introduces some of the most influential people of the age, including Joseph Paxton, John Loudon and Gertrude Jekyll.