I spent 9 months in England about 20 years ago. There is a strong movement for preserving the landscape and older buildings.

There's a long tradition of "improving" landscape in England. You only have to read Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park" to get a glimpse of it. And not just the large landowners, either. There's a tradition of people planting gardens around their houses, however small the yard is. Gardening does seem to be a passion for many English people.

I was lucky enough to be invited to several private homes and most of my hosts did at least mention their gardens (what we would call yards) and I was taken on a garden tour in the rain once. Fortunately, it was a very small garden, because my feet were getting very wet. But my host was very enthusiastic about her roses, and I have to admit they were beautiful.

So, to answer your question, yes, I think that there's a significant number of people in England who pay attention to landscape and gardens and work to keep their surroundings beautiful.

I toured the ruins of Tintern Abbey. Just about all that remains of many of the buildings are the foundations. So what they've done is clear the dirt and debris down to the foundation stones, and then plant grass everywhere. Some of the outer walls of some of the buildings are still standing, so they planted grass inside the buildings. So you get this great field of green, with the white stones of the old foundations showing where the various buildings were, and the remnants of the church and a few other buildings rising up from the ground. It looks like a lush and beautiful park.

It just seemed a very natural way of blending the old buildings into their landscape and I was impressed by it.

Here is a link that might be useful:

We have been to England several times over a period of many years. Our daughter studied in London during her junior years of college, due in part to her being an Anglophile, and also due to what she saw on a previous trip with us. It was just enough to whet her appetite for more.

The English do take gardening seriously and I think they have an appreciation for just how beaufiful their surroundings are. Most take a great deal of pride in their gardens. In the Cotswalds-my favorite area-there are the most wonderful B&B's in quaint little towns. Depending on the time of year, tea is often served in the garden. Ahhhh lovely!

The grand gardens of Blenheim Palace are a sight to behold. Of course, many of the grand old palaces had mulpiple gardeners to take care of the grounds.

Even in the city, the tiny front yards of many homes are full of flowers-no grass to mow. I'm all for that. I have attempted a small English-style garden in our front yard and will post pics in the spring when the snow melts.

My husband and I have been talking about taking a trip across the pond. Hmmm, might have to get serious and plan it!

Thanks for the information! Tintern Abbey is a good example what what the English do that we don't with our old (new) historic structures.

I had a pen pale from Northumberland years ago and I remember her asking me about my "garden." Thankfully I knew what she was talking about. lol

Bonnie, we live in the country and when we remodeled I turned the front yard into my quasi-english garden. The backyard is where the green and trees are. I have mostly Roses planted and it's so easy to maintain. In the summer it has a lot of curb appeal.

Porch furniture coming in a week!

{{gwi:657131}}

from a couple of english neighbors/friends i've had over the years, it seemed, especially when we were younger and with less $, that they were more willing to put more money into their landscaping than many others of a similar income level---

Busybee, can you imagine how beautiful our country would be if everyone took pride in their yards no matter the size?

I live in "farm country," surrounded by wheat fields and pasture. Every field is enclosed with barbwire. But a county over, for some reason, all the farmers use hedges to keep their cattle from getting out. It's beautiful! I love driving there so I can pretend I'm in England. lol

Oak, I have been several times and when I planted my front âÂÂgardenâ here in Florida I did a take on English formal symmetry only my interpretation is a little more casual and I used tropical plants. My brother and sister in-law were just here from England and gave me complements so I guess it came out nice. When I started it I knew very little about landscaping and design but spent months reading up on different styles and plant types that even I could keep alive.

I go to England a couple of times a year and I spend time with my relatives in their residential neighborhoods around London and Northampton. With immigration into the UK, just as here, more cars, and a tougher economy, differences have become very apparent in residential gardens. When I was younger, every home on every block had one car parked in the street and a flower garden. Now, with so many more cars and folks who have different financial priorities, many front yard gardens have been paved over for parking. Very few homes on any one block, especially in suburban London, have a front garden.

When you get out in the country, gardens are more visible. But then there is more land. The National Trust has a strong gardening arm which definitely makes a difference at their sites. Places that attract tourists focus on gardens...Cotswalks, Lake District etc.

Regular neighborhoods are less garden filled than they were 20, 30, 40 years ago.

Jmc, I never thought of that (lack of gardens) but you are right. The last two times I have been cannot be compared to my first time years ago. Of course the country areas are still beautiful. I have told my husband a few times that his country men have lost their country but were too polite to do much if anything. Not that some change isnâÂÂt good but sometimes it doesnâÂÂt turn out as hoped.

I just returned home from a day at the Philadelphia Flower Show and the theme this year is the beauty and creative inspiration of Great Britain. My DD is dating a fellow from just outside London and we were all chatting with a British horticulturist about this topic. One of his comments seemed so apt. He said that Americans tend to view their yards as a place of activity - swing sets, sandboxes, BBQ, pools, patios, etc. but that the British treat their yards as something to view, to look at.

He then pointed out that the average lot in Britain is much smaller than here in the US and so it's not that difficult to plant and maintain a flower garden. He also pointed out that vegetable gardens aren't as common back home unless you're in a more rural area.

Oh Maire, I wish I could have been there with you!

Jmc, aren't there a lot of duplexes England now? Even in mid-size towns I see what appears to be multi-family housing. On google earth that is. :)

There is a great BBC series called Escape to the Country, about mostly suburban dwellers seeking a new home in the countryside. I think you would love the homes and gardens they feature in this British househunting show, Oakley.

This post was edited by kswl on Sun, Mar 3, 13 at 11:50