The Gardens Trust introduction to garden history course is back by popular demand, this time running over three Sundays starting on 9 February, in association with the Garden Museum. Each day will feature lectures before and after lunch, with the option to book lunch at the Garden Museum cafe.

Designed for those with no previous knowledge, the introduction to garden history course will give you an overview of the fascinating history of landscapes, parks and garden design. It offers a chronological panorama of the development of garden history from medieval and Tudor gardens through to the 20th century. The final lecture looks at the 21st century – tomorrow’s history in the making! The seven sessions will run over three Sundays and will be delivered by well-known and distinguished speakers in their fields. The course is being held at the Garden Museum in London, so you will also have the opportunity to explore their collections and archive.

Programme:

9 February, 11am-4pm:

Medieval and Tudor Gardens by Elisabeth Whittle

Seventeenth-century formal gardens by Dr Sally Jeffery

23 February, 11am-4pm:

The English landscape garden by Dr David Jacques

Eighteenth-century town gardens by Dr Todd Longstaffe-Gowan

8 March, 10.30-4.30pm:

The Victorian garden by Stephen Smith

Twentieth-century gardens by Dr Katie Campbell

Twenty-first century gardens by Tim Richardson

 

Image: Victorian Flower Bedding designs by Matthew Ball, gardener (1817-1905)

A Victorian Head Gardener would design annual displays of bedding. Matthew Ball’s drawing shows how he has calculated the number of plants required; he would then turn his team’s attention to grow thousands of plants in hothouses in order to be in flower at the same time.