“Oh, to be in England now that April’s there!”
- Robert Browning

England has been described as “a nation obsessed with gardening,” so it’s no wonder it boasts many of the world’s best-loved and most-visited gardens. In this course, we’ll explore the social, economic, and political origins of this magnificent obsession.

Over the course of five weeks, we’ll “tour” dozens of gardens to understand how the distinctive elements of English garden style arose from their historical context. After visiting the cottage and knot gardens of the 15th and 16th centuries, we’ll move on to the formal gardens of the 17th century, the Arcadian landscape parks of the 18th century, the “plantomania” of Victorian Era gardens, and the quintessentially English perennial borders of the Edwardian Era and beyond.

This course will include slide lectures, class discussion, video, and a variety of assigned readings (about 20-25 pages per week).