A Short History of the English Garden S01E02 - Pleasure Grounds, Naturalism and Beyond

The formality of neat structured lines would soon return to Victorian gardens in the 19th century. The Age of Exploration had led to many exotic plants being brought back to England. These were popular in Victorian gardens and this led to a boom in greenhouse construction. Some of the world's biggest greenhouses were constructed at places such as Kew. In the 20th century, gardeners such as Gertrude Jekyll, Vita Sackville-West and Christopher Lloyd provided the inspiration for many English gardens today. Now, in the 21st century the self-sustaining philosophy of the new perennial garden has taken centre stage in many of the country's showpiece gardens.