Gertrude Jekyll

Born in London in 1843, Gertrude Jekyll became one of Britain’s most influential garden designers. She trained as an artist, and that visual background carried into her gardening, where she became known for bold drifts of color, careful seasonal planning, and borders that felt both natural and deeply composed.

Over her career, she designed or advised on hundreds of gardens in Britain, Europe, and the United States. She also wrote widely on plants and garden design, publishing books as well as a remarkable number of magazine articles, which helped turn her practical experience into lasting guidance for home gardeners and professionals alike.

Jekyll died in 1932, but her influence never really faded. She is still celebrated for combining horticultural knowledge with an artist’s sense of balance and atmosphere, making gardens that were not just beautiful in a single moment, but alive and changing through the year.