How gardening changed during the years of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign
From spraying the banned pesticide DDT on Dig for Victory allotments in the 40’s, to the appearance of rewilded gardens at RHS Chelsea 80 years later, gardening changed hugely during our late Queen’s reign
After the war, the Dig for Victory campaign continued until rationing ended almost a decade later – with gardeners relying on pamphlets as well as TV and radio programmes for advice. Gardeners’ Question Time began broadcasting on Sunday afternoons in 1957.
The 1950s
Vegetable trials ground at RHS Garden Wisley, circa 1950. Straight rows of vegetables were very much order of the day
Some parts of gardening were seen as very much a man’s role – such as tending the vegetable patch, mowing lawns and double digging. Recycling and ‘make do and mend’ were established habits that led to a productive but utilitarian garden look.
Scarcity led to ingenuity, and gardening was a communal passion, involving much passing down of tips and advice on the allotment.
The RHS played a crucial role in the Dig for Victory campaign. The war finished in 1945, but rationing continued until 1954
The Vegetable Garden Displayed. This inexpensive softback booklet became the Society’s most successful publication ever
However, it wasn’t all about the veg. As wartime restrictions relaxed and incomes rose, flower growing and arranging became increasingly popular. The first garden centre opened at Ferndown in Dorset in 1955.
Constance Spry was a leading florist of the era. She arranged the flowers for our late Queen’s coronation in 1953
Flower crown from the Constance Spry archive
Rose pioneer David Austin started work in the 1950s. His first English rose, ‘Constance Spry’ was released in 1961
The 1960s
RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 1962
The era of ‘flower power’ directed us toward plants that were bright, bold and exotic, including ostentatious houseplants such as monsteras.
There was a newfound awareness of the environment, but it was slow to catch on in gardening circles, where pesticides and herbicides were used routinely.
Modern housing estates encouraged us to keep up with the Joneses, with regular lawn mowing and immaculate, well-regimented borders.
The late Queen Elizabeth II at Chelsea Flower Show, 1961
Bowes-Lyon pavilion on Weather Hill at RHS Garden Wisley
The 1970s
Roses were all the rage in the 1970s, the brighter the better, as seen here at RHS Garden Wisley
The 1976 heatwave has embedded itself into our national psyche, along with the perils of lawn mowing in flares, The Good Life on telly, the revival of gaudy
Few people had a colour television, so for them Gardeners’ World would have been in black and white. Roses were very much technicolour however, and were hugely popular.
Thanks to new propagation techniques, the range of plants available to home gardeners became wider than ever.
Summer bedding in the Walled Garden at RHS Wisley, 1978
Pampas grass was a classic 1970s plant
The 1980s
Striped lawns and conifers held sway into the 1980s
The 1980s saw the rise of the garden centre; with a building boom in the UK and home ownership rising, leisure gardening became even more popular despite domestic gardens getting smaller.
Another contradiction was the continued popularity of spraying pests and weeds, while
Double glazed uPVC patio doors led to us seeing the garden differently; striped lawns, crazy paving, heathers, conifers, rhododendrons and gnomes remained popular. Domestic decking arrived in the UK.
Crazy paving was an eighties staple; its random patterns contrasting with straight-edged borders
Despite a burgeoning interest in organic growing, garden chemicals continued to be widely used
The 1990s
Water garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 1990
The 1990s ushered in an era of gardening transformations on TV with new emphasis on the role of domestic garden design; decking, gravel and architectural plants such as Fatsia japonica along with bolder use of colours – for example Alan Titchmarsh’s famous ‘Barleywood Blue’.
Heathers, conifers and roses were swept away by the rise of the exotic garden, inspired by the likes of the late Will Giles in Norfolk and Christopher Lloyd and Fergus Garrett at Great Dixter in Sussex.
Alan Titchmarsh MBE, ‘The man who painted everything blue’
The hugely influential Exotic Garden at Great Dixter
The 2000s
In the ‘noughties’ planting became softer and the use of perennials increased, as shown in the Daily Telegraph Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2007
A new millennium and the growth of the internet led to establishment of new online plant retailers. We began sharing our thoughts on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter; writing emails instead of using the phone, and using Google and Yahoo to find gardening solutions.
Climate change and global warming became household words; the gardening world responded by seeking out drought-tolerant plants and sustainable planting ideas.
The New
Drought tolerant perennials such as Phlomis russeliana were suddenly in demand
Grasses such as Stipa tenuissima also enjoyed a surge in popularity
The 2010s
The New Perennial Movement gained further momentum in the 2010s
The New Perennial Movement still held sway, along with the rise of naturalism in garden design at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which included recognition of the role weeds play in sustaining pollinators. Native plants were increasingly promoted to avoid the biosecurity risks associated with imported exotics.
Environmental consciousness went up a gear with recycled pots and plastics and the push to ban peat-based composts. Gardeners took a renewed interest in artisanal/cottage gardening and unusual heritage fruit and vegetable varieties.
Wildflowers such as cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) became mainstays at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in the 2010s
The 2020s
Showing love for nature, wildlife and the environment
It was a tricky start to the new decade – an era of climate change awareness and Covid-19. During the pandemic, garden centres eventually became considered an ‘essential service’ and garden visiting increased with restrictions on indoor gatherings, while talks and workshops were forced to go online during lockdown.
New legislation seeks to protect bees and peat bogs; Brexit turns EU Directives into British law… Wildflower meadows have become even more popular and have begun to evolve into ‘rewilded’ spaces to make habitats and improve biodiversity.
A massive growth in growing your own during lockdown has dovetailed with increased recognition of the wellbeing benefits of gardening. So while the way we garden may have changed dramatically in the last 70 years, what it can do for us – feed our stomachs and nourish our souls – remains very much the same.
