Audley End House and GardensOriginal Source: Audley End House and Gardens
Women have played a key role in designing, constructing, and maintaining some of the great private and public gardens around the world. But they often don't get the credit they deserve. Let's take a closer look at some of these green-fingered pioneers.
Myatts FieldsMetropolitan Public Gardens Association
Fanny Wilkinson
The first professional female landscape gardener in England, Fanny Wilkinson really blazed a trail for others to follow. After training at the Crystal Palace School of Landscape Gardening, she joined the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association (MPGA).
St Luke's Gardens, Chelsea by Metropolitan Gardens AssociationMetropolitan Public Gardens Association
Over the next 20 years she would design and create more than 75 public gardens, including St Luke's Chelsea, St George's Bloomsbury, and St Mary’s Bow. She also traveled extensively, sharing her knowledge, and helped found the Women’s Agricultural and Horticultural Union.
Gertrude Jekyll (1920/1920) by Sir William NicholsonHestercombe House & Gardens
Gertrude Jekyll
Creator of more than 400 gardens across the UK, Europe, and the US, Gertrude Jekyll is considered a hugely significant figure in the history of horticultural design. Although many of her gardens have been lost, some, including her own garden at Munstead Wood, have been restored.
South Border at Munstead Wood (1900/1903) by Helen AllinghamGarden Museum
Jekyll formed an effective partnership with architect Edwin Lutyens, and together they were a major force in the Arts and Crafts movement. Her gardens were known for their bold use of color and almost impressionistic style.
Rachel Carson (1962-09-24) by Alfred EisenstaedtLIFE Photo Collection
Rachel Carson
Although not technically a horticulturalist, Rachel Carson had an immense impact on the worlds of biology and gardening. Her 1962 book The Silent Spring, detailing the damage being done by the use of pesticides, is credited with kickstarting the conservationist movement.
Rachel Carson (1962-09-24) by Alfred EisenstaedtLIFE Photo Collection
Her book opened many people's eyes to the environmental damage caused by synthetic chemicals, and eventually led to the ban on the use of DDT and other pesticides, protecting the birds and insects that are an integral part of any garden.
Marianne North Gallery by RBG KewRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Marianne North
Born in 1830, Marianne north was a botanist and botanical artist, noted for her plant paintings and the gallery named in her honor at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. She traveled extensively, documenting the plants she discovered, including many rare and exotic species.
Marianne North doing what she did best - painting by RBG KewRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew
As photographs were not widely available, this work was invaluable for the spread of plant knowledge at the time. Her gallery at Kew is thought to be the only permanent solo exhibition by a female artist in Britain. Several plant species have been named in her honor.
The Language of Flowers (c.1910) by Alfred Stiebel & CoGarden Museum
Want to dig up more?
Find more stories about inspirational women around the world.
