J. C. Loudon “Father of the English Garden”

I am still reading Melanie Louise Simo’s fabulous book Loudon and the Landscape, a biography of John Claudius Loudon (1783-1843).

Architect, garden designer, and writer John Claudius Loudon

What strikes me about his story is that Loudon really sought to make gardening available to all, not just to the landed gentry.  He thought gardening offered benefits to both the individual and society.

Loudon’s  monthly journal Gardener’s Magazine sought to to teach  gardening as an art and to recognize the value of professional gardeners  who chose gardening as a career.

His readers were not the aristocracy, the wealthy who owned extensive properties, but rather practical gardeners.

In the magazine Loudon even included articles from gardeners.

Prior to  1826, when he began publication of the magazine, the readership for garden writing had been the wealthy, educated landowner.

Loudon changed that when he wrote that growing plants and visiting gardens is a pleasure for all, a theme that resonated with the middle class. He found an audience who embraced him as the “father of the English garden” because he encouraged gardening for everyone.

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