The birth of the modern garden
IT is no coincidence that 1897, the year in which COUNTRY LIFE was founded, can also be seen as marking the birth of the modern garden in Britain. Shortly before, the garden designer J. D. Sedding had written: ‘Everyone who can, now lives in the country, where he is bound to have a garden.’ It came after a number of years that had witnessed a conscious move away from the ‘display’ elements of Victorian gardening, a reaction against what were perceived as excesses—labour-intensive obsessions with unnatural massed displays and showing off exotic plants from all over the world.
Against this background of change, the new COUNTRY LIFE quickly took a leading role in illustrating and promoting a more balanced
