Landscape designer and gardener Gertrude Jekyll

In 1843, Gertrude Jekyll was born, an English landscape designer who had a hand in creating 400 gardens in Europe and the United States. As a child, I studied at home and even then I was engaged in my own garden. In 1861, the girl went to study at Kensington, the National School of Art. Her interests included botanical illustration, which Gertrude Jekyll mastered, and she began to write custom-made themed paintings, as well as design interiors.

However, the main hobby of the artist and designer was plants and gardens. In addition, she was attracted to the architecture of the Mediterranean countries, which she visited in the mid-1860s. In England, Gertrude Jekyll became a well-known collector of wild plants, while she herself created new varieties that were presented to the general public at exhibitions. Soon, Jekyll's gardening publications began appearing in The Garden magazine. The gardens she designed were located in France, Germany, and Yugoslavia. Most of them are irretrievably lost, but some have been restored, in particular, the gardens of Woolverstone House, Hestercombe House and some others.

The principles that guided Gertrude Jekyll during the design of garden complexes are set out in her articles and books. Every year, she sent thousands of seedlings to various clients: private customers, botanical gardens and government agencies. The Gertrude Jekyll rose variety, bred by David Austin in 1986, was named after the landscape designer.