Gardening as an element of art in English home

Floriculture and horticulture occupy a huge place in the life of the Englishman, largely due to their desire to better decorate their home, make life more comfortable. The British use a lot of time for endless and continuous improvement and arrangement of their flower beds, terraces, pots and baskets with flowers, with which every house can be considered truly good (and the competition for the title of “the best home” is not a fiction). Whether it is raining or the sun is shining, the Englishman persistently cultivate the soil and is engaged in pruning plants, all year getting enjoyment from this noble activity.

Well, those who have little time to deal with floriculture and horticulture, in any fine day visit the numerous gardens and parks that abound in Britain. During the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1557) landscape design in England began to be paid much attention. It was the age of the domination of symmetry in the decorative arts. By the mid-sixteenth century the flower beds, group plantings, trimming of trees, alley with arches of woven branches, terraces came to the English gardens from the continent. So the garden of Tudor appeared in England. It should be mentioned about the gardens at Hampton Court, laid out and built by Thomas Wolsey and then advanced by Henry VIII.

Along with melon and cauliflower fruit trees were planted in the garden: peaches, apricots, almonds and figs. The garden was crossed by symmetrical paths; the fence was the wall of trimmed evergreens. Among the greenery there were sculptures — metal figures of deer, and of Greek goddesses and nymphs. The English passion for gardening has a practical application. “Dig for victory!” — this was the call of the British government, headed by Winston Churchill to the people of the country during the Second World War. The British (primarily residents) were encouraged to grow vegetables and fruits in addition to the meager rations in wartime. Then, in the London suburbs, there were large garden plots, where any nearby resident could for a small rental fee obtain a plot, which was a size of approximately one hundredth of a hectare.

Issued record numbers of magazines and books about gardening are promoting the idea that anyone can plant any plants. Therefore, the British manage to work wonders, even on small plots of land: a tiny garden, a box under the window, baskets are becoming a personal national Park in the mind of the Englishman.