The industrial revolution (1800’s)

With sustained peace, prosperity, and rise of a middle class, the design of pleasure gardens became a real pastime.  Garden design gurus were divided as to whether a garden should be formal (in the French style) or informal (in the English style).  But the biggest development came from the invention of the Wardian Case – a glass box that allowed plants to survive during long journey’s at sea.  That case, coupled with regular transoceanic travel meant the rise of the plant hunter.  Like birds who carry plant seeds along their migratory routes, people began to carry plants across lands where they had never been seen.  Thanks to this the West is able to enjoy the rhodedendrun, hydrangea,…  The desire to show off these new additions gave birth to the gardenesque movement.  So popular in England which became ground zero for all things gardening related, it caused another movement to blossom in reaction to it which was the wild garden.

Check out posts related to garden styles inspired by this period.  Note that many will have been built in recent times.