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Timeline Edwardian style of gardening

Edwardian characters Edwardian themes

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

In gardening terms, this is the greatest show on earth. Between 1837 and 1883 the RHS had been holding regular flower shows at its Chiswick gardens. The society then decided to hold an annual big two-day spring event at Temple Gardens until 1911. The popularity of the show meant looking for a larger site. In 1913 the RHS settled on the grounds of the Royal Hospital where it's still staged today.

During World War II the show took a break and started up again in 1947. In the 1970s the design aspect of the show started to gain more media interest than the practical side of plant growing, and, to this day, the show gardens are the biggest attraction at the event.

Women gardeners

The Edwardian period saw the emergence of women in the gardening profession, but it became a popular hobby among women at home.

Gertrude Jekyll became the most popular name in garden design, while two colleges began to offer courses for women to study gardening.

Swanley College was founded in 1885 as a horticultural college for training men. It started to admit women in 1891, and by 1896 it had 39 female students. The last of the men left in 1902 leaving the college to establish itself as a women-only college for horticulture.

In 1898 the Countess of Warwick founded Warwick Hostel in Reading to offer training to 'Surplus women in the lighter branches of agriculture'. This expanded and moved to Studley Castle in 1903, becoming Studley College for Women, teaching agriculture and horticulture.