A country house might also have a resident gardener on staff. The lovely illustrations in the Cassell's seasonal series often show the lady of the house conferring with the gardener, who presumably goes off to complete the tasks that the article recommends. In Britain, another gardening essential was the conservatory (for city dwellings) or the greenhouse (for the country garden). These made it possible to raise young plants during the cold months, so that they could be bedded out when the weather improved; they also sheltered some types of plants and flowers through the winter.

In the late 19th century, nursery catalogs took advantage of new color printing technologies to provide beautiful garden prints (such as the one above). These catalogs made lavish promises about the abundant blooms their seeds would provide. Today, we might wish that some of these new blooms had not been praised quite so lavishly... like the "Japanese bean vine," now known throughout the southern United States as kudzu... Kudzu aside, however, the beauties of Victorian garden catalogs have made them prize collectibles today!

The Victorian Garden

Monthly & Seasonal Gardening Tips

Managing a Flower Garden

Garden Flowers

The Rose Garden

The Orchard & the Kitchen Garden

Window & Container Gardening

Lawns, Grounds, Greens & More

Garden Structures & Equipment

Some Novel Victorian Gardens