What Every Gardener Should Know About The History of Landscaping
Surprisingly, lawns only became a common feature around 100 years ago. Prior to then the main focus of the average person was on going to work, making sure that there was food on the table and doing what was possible to educate their children. It was only when people started to move into cities and live in single family homes that there was the available finance for and interest in landscaping. However, landscaping is not a profession that is new. The wealthy frequently employed professional artisans to landscape and build gardens as far back as the 1800s. Although these notable persons weren’t the everyday people of the times, it’s all part of the history of landscaping and gives us perspective to know more about what went on.
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You’ll most likely have heard of the name ‘Capability’ Brown. As one of the most famous of British landscape designers, Lancelot Brown (as was his real name) died in 1783. He got his nickname from looking at a piece of land and claiming ‘It has capabilities’. With 170 designed gardens to his name, there are still 44 in existence today. This is most likely down to the fact that he was working for ‘landed family’ who did not sell their huge mansions every few years to work their way up the property ladder or just because they fancied a residential change.
Before Capability Brown, these wealthy families still had their beautiful formal gardens. When Brown came onto the scene he inspired clients to enjoy a more naturalistic approach to their garden design. Lakes with clumps of trees and grass compositions featured heavily. As you work on your garden, spare a thought for the likes of Capability Brown. He played his part in ensuring that landscapes were part of the appearance of today’s garden. Brown is at the root of your own personal lawn and garden which is a surprising but true fact in British gardening history.