Weekly Research: Gertrude Jekyll

This image shows Hestercombe Gardens in Somerset. 

Gertrude Jekyll created or gave advice on over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and America; her influence on garden design has been pervasive to this day. Jekyll is well known for her association with the English architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens; she collaborated with him on gardens for many of his houses and they produced some of the most iconic English gardens of that era. 

Her attitude towards garden design was influenced by Arts and Crafts principles, absorbed from John Ruskin  and William Morris. A sympathetic relationship between house and surroundings was vital; each individual plant should be studied for culture, habit, foliage and colour to achieve a practical, beautiful and appropriate effect.  Her style emphasized the use of color, texture, and the arrangement of plants in borders and mixed herbaceous plantings. The garden should reveal unexpected views and pictorial surprises.

Gertrude Jekyll's most famous garden is perhaps her work at Hestercombe Gardens in Somerset, England. This collaborative project with architect Sir Edwin Lutyens is often considered one of the finest examples of their partnership. The estate offers a unique combination and varied experience of the Georgian landscape garden, designed in the 1750s, the Victorian shrubbery, and the Edwardian formal gardens of the early 1900s. Jekyll's planting schemes were renowned for their use of color, texture, and innovative arrangements. The gardens feature a variety of spaces, including formal terraces, wildflower meadows, and serene water features, illustrating Jekyll's profound influence on English garden design.