The Rise of the Head Gardener, Talk

Stephen Smith’s talk “The Rise of the Head Gardener” covered the period from the 17th Century to the 19th Century, starting with John Tradescant the Elder
(c 1570 to 1638) who was head gardener to Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury at Hatfield House.

Head gardeners of the the great country houses during the Victorian era were often responsible for significant teams of gardeners who laid out and tended the large floral displays typical of that period.

John Fleming created the Duchess of Sutherland’s monogram by clipping plants to resemble a Turkish carpet and the term ‘carpet bedding’ was invented.