English Urban Gardening

 Although British society is overwhelmingly urban and suburban, links with its agricultural past are reflected in the popularity of gardening. 

It is apparent to each and every on looker,whether from England or another country, England shows its true sense of urban gardening everywhere. On sidewalks,streets,front yards, back yards and parks, everywhere that one could possibly look, there are gardens both big and small all reflecting that something of appeal to add more to the community, to brighten it and make it a more beautified place to live and enjoy.

 Traveling all over Canada and some of the states,I have to admit there is no competition when it comes to the true English garden spirit nor what it offers to a community,however; because North America is a fairly new country, not yet rich in architect, agriculture and history, it is only at the beginning of the urban gardening experience.
 Following England’s lead, North America is now showing traces of community gardening, beginning to enrich it with the beauty and spirit that gardens offer, creating our their unique communities to live in,adjusting them to their climates and tastes.

 An effective point to be made about how urban gardening actually effects communities, is that while living in England I took note that most English cities and towns compete against one another with their gardens. Why would they do that you may ask, well for one very simple reason,in order to promote their towns and cities, urban gardening at its finest.

 Today a vast number of English plots are growing smaller and smaller in order to make way for the ever growing population.To compensate for the small plots, allotments come in to play,however; because there is such a large population, you usually have to be on a waiting list for many years in order to get one.
A garden plays a huge role in the real estate market,over half the percentage of houses sold today have to do with the size plots being sold with them.Houses can be renovated and adjusted to the persons particular needs and wants but garden plots cannot be extended or made bigger,they come as is, so people take more care when buying. To the true English,a house is just a house without a garden,with a garden it becomes a home.

 I have written an article that may be helpful about making the most out of a small garden,because again in England as well as any city in North America, everyone likes their space no matter how small. Being a gardener myself, I certainly understand the need. How To Utilize Space For A Small Garden

 Through community and government projects all people can get involved in gardening.There are local seed swaps and gardening groups that gardening lovers may be interested in or perhaps just taking in a flower show would suit such as the Chelsae flower show or Hampton court.A visit to the Eden project would inspire just about any on looker with its variety of rare plants and native plants.

 To take you back into the history of the subject, hundreds of years ago England extended the idea of urban gardening creating what was called neoclassical arcades, enclosing stalls in which fruit, vegetables, and flowers were sold.

 By doing so they took the gardening aspect to a whole new level, agriculture, selling what their gardens had grown. Again done for the community and if not for the gardens, they would not have had the produce to sell.

The English then took the gardening experience to one more level creating the first themed garden, the English romantic style. It rapidly spread to the rest of Europe by way of France, where a notable example of the style was created at Ermenonville. As late as the reign of Napoleon the English romantic style was employed by the engineer Jean Charles Adolphe Alphandin laying out the great parks of Paris, which exerted an immediate international influence.

In Germany and Austria, the romantic style was enthusiastically endorsed by Prince Hermann von Pckler-Muskau, who created a romantic park on his estate near Berlin and published the influential Hints on Landscape Gardening (1835).
The romantic style was introduced in North America by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, his Virginia estate. Each and every one of these cities were influenced by the English garden using England’s methods by promoting their own cities and towns with their gardens.

 Gardens of any form can be spellbinding, from painters such as Monet with his bridges and gardens,Van Gogh with his wheat fields and sunflowers, to writers such as Shakespeare and Frost, the essence of gardening appeals to all.

All of the above leads us back to the main topic,urban gardening and how very important it is within a community.

As I walk through the streets of the old English towns and cities I feel a sense of nostalgia and peace. I am delighted by the wonderful roses and perfectly placed flowers, beauty springing out of every crevice and crack. It truly wants to make me share this with all.

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Copyright © 2008 Tanya Kime-Wallace