Hello Lisa.

Welcome back to another edition of THE PENCIL CASE! As always, each issue focuses on a theme to encourage a fresh look at garden design and graphics, so let's celebrate National Limerick Day by making a connection to Victorian Gardens. ♥︎

LIMERICKS + VICTORIAN GARDENS.

In 1846 British poet, Edward Lear, wrote and illustrated the Book of Nonsense which included a lovely and humorous collection of limericks. Though Lear didn't invent the limerick, he did indeed make this poem format popular during the Victorian Era. To top it off, he even taught Queen Victoria how to draw. Pretty cool.

And this, my friends, brings us to the connection between limericks and Victorian Gardens. The Victorian Era spanned between 1837 and 1901, which marked the reign of England's Queen Victoria. Imagine the Industrial Revolution, intricate gardens, fancy new plants, and humorous limerick writings...all happening at the same time. 

VICTORIAN GARDEN ELEMENTS.

The Victorian Garden is a great example of how society, culture, and technology influences design styles. One of my favorite books on this subject, The Victorian Garden by Allison Kyle Leopold, discusses some of these connections during one stylistic period.

Below are a few examples of significant Victorian Garden elements and what influenced it:

• The Lawn (invention of the lawn mower)
• Carpet Bedding (inspired by the textiles industry and access to tropical plants)
• Tropical Plants (invention of the Wardian Case or terrarium to allow transport of plants around the world)
• Cast + Wrought-Iron Garden Furniture (Industrial Revolution made it possible to produce quicker and cheaper)

These are just the tip of the iceberg! The Victorian Garden had so many influences that are still reflected in our landscapes today. I hope to cover some of these individual topics in future newsletters, but for now I encourage you to explore this dynamic style on your own by starting with the resources I've linked. Maybe your research will even inspire a Victorian Garden limerick!

VICTORIAN GARDEN INSPIRATION.

I love this article on How to Design a Victorian Garden. It provides some lovely historical perspective, plus design tips for your own landscape.

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Maybe you just want a simple nod to this style? Include some plants from Ten Victorian Flowers We Still Love.

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The beautiful illustrations in this newsletter are from two books published during the Victorian Era: Amateur's Flower Garden by Shirley Hibberd (1892) and Ornamental Gardening for Americans by Elias A. Long (1885). Collecting antique garden design books allows me to learn about design from a different perspective.

LET'S DO THIS!

Have you written a garden limerick or incorporated Victorian elements into your landscape? Hit reply to this email or tag me on Instagram @paper.garden.workshop to tell me about it!

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If you know someone that needs design inspiration, please feel free to share this newsletter. Anyone can subscribe right here. I also keep a VAULT of past issues in this secret location.

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Thanks for letting me visit your inbox! I look forward to seeing you in two weeks.

Cheerio,

Lisa 

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PAPER GARDEN WORKSHOP