The Garden History Podcast

Advolly Richmond
  • 4.8 (17)
  • HISTORY

The Garden History Podcast is for anyone interested in the history of gardens, plants and the people who shaped our historic designed landscapes.

  1. 08/03/2025

    Nutwalks

    For centuries Hazel trees have been cultivated and coppiced for their straight tough and flexible branches, and of course their nuts. In the Victorian era the beauty and utility of Hazels was promoted by the Arts and Crafts Movement for use in Nutwalks which became an icon of garden design in the period.

    9 min

  2. 05/05/2025

    Maze

    The thrill of getting lost in a maze along with the frustration of reaching one dead end after another has been entertaining people for centuries. The word maze, derived from the Middle English maes meaning delirium or delusion, dates back to the 13th Century.

    11 min

  3. 10/21/2021

    Kentia Palm

    In recent years there has been a huge surge in the interest and demand for indoor plants including Howea forsteriana the houseplant better known as the Kentia palm. First recorded in 1869 on the tiny Lord Howe Island in the Pacific the Kentia palm soon made its way into fashionable Victorian parlours, drawing rooms and ballrooms. This is the story of a plant that found fame across the world but has remained true to its native Island home.

    13 min

  4. 10/21/2021

    Lex Hortorum

    We all love to visit private gardens of all shapes and sizes. In many cases we have to pay to enter whether it is for a charitable cause or purely for the benefit of topping up the owners coffers. So it may come as a surprise to find, that some of the most iconic private Italian renaissance gardens were free and public spaces right from the outset, and this unfettered access was guaranteed by the concept of the Lex hortorum or the law of gardens.

    13 min

  5. 05/03/2021

    Josephine

    The Empress Josephine has often been portrayed as a needy socialite famed for her lavish entertainments with many stories being repeated about her salacious exploits.So it may come as a surprise to many that Josephine was a very accomplished plantswoman, gardener and keen botanist who played a key role in the collection and introduction of many new plants into France which she cultivated at her gardens at the Chateaux Malmaison near Paris.

    13 min

  6. 02/06/2021

    Icehouse

    From the early seventeenth century icehouses were built in increasing numbers on country estates in order to enable extended storage of perishable food and provide the novelty of chilled refreshment. By the middle of the 19th century most estates could boast one. Some were built plainly, often below ground but some reached the status of follies with elaborate designs and features.

    14 min

  7. 11/02/2020

    Hermitage

    In the 18th century, any landscape of note was not complete without a collection of garden buildings and other eclectic features. However a rather eccentric but short lived trend during this time resulted in the frequent appearance of the ornamental hermitage. These artificially unkempt dwellings were often concealed in woodland within the landscape. This remoteness ensured a lively response from any visitor who happened upon it especially if there was a real hermit in residence.

    15 min

  8. 08/29/2020

    Giverny

    Gardens have always inspired artists and their paintings contribute much to the research and understanding of different periods in Garden History,indeed the act of creating a garden has been compared to creating a work of art. Claude Monet's garden at Giverny was created from scratch by the artist as a gardener, and became his favourite subject as a painter.

    12 min
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4.8
out of 5
17 Ratings

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The Garden History Podcast is for anyone interested in the history of gardens, plants and the people who shaped our historic designed landscapes.

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