Polled as the nation’s most common pastime, our interest in gardening certainly seems to be an ever-growing one. The desire to own a garden or allotment is more widespread than ever before, with some people seemingly happy to part with their own grannies in order to own a diminutive green space they can call their own.

But what is a quintessentially “English garden”? Very much a symbol of our national, social and personal identity, our gardens have always been influenced by other cultures, meaning our horticultural identity is a fascinating patchwork of various international, historical, cultural, social, and individual influences. In other words, our gardens are simultaneously an expression of cultural taste and a means of egalitarian self-expression.

Whether a pretty cottage garden resplendent with rose bushes, honey suckle, sweet pea and primroses, or a grand country sprawl refined with its perfectly manicured lawn, the English garden in all its many forms has been an iconic part of English culture for centuries and continues to move with the times, growing and transforming yet all the while remaining one of England’s most coveted and celebrated icons.

The history of the English garden is as colourful, multi-faceted and eclectic as its subject, with every new era playing an imperative role towards the development of the gardens of England that we know and love today. From Roman roots to Georgian grandeur, join ICONS on a rigorous ramble through England’s enthralling gardening history…