XIV Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2022

Gardening and floriculture have long been an important part of English life. Perhaps, in working with the land, the inhabitants of Foggy Albion can compete only with Russians; other peoples are more inclined to while away warm, fine days with a pleasant conversation or in company than to prune the grass and rid the soil of weeds.

The so-called "English garden" appeared in Great Britain only in the eighteenth century. Before that, glimpses of this phenomenon were laid by the Romans, who laid out gardens on this land. Later, in the monastery gardens, monks grew vegetables, fruits, medicinal and aromatic herbs. After that, the English aristocracy began to imitate the Italians and the French, and the horticultural works of European park architects were translated. China also had an influence on the "creation" of the English garden, more precisely, information about the gardens of this country, which was brought by diplomats. The peak of the formation of the English garden fell in the middle of the eighteenth century. At that time, a lot changed: irregular ponds replaced fountains, statues and flower beds were removed, the natural relief of the territory turned out to be a priority, the garden territory was now covered with a green lawn and randomly planted trees.

It should also be noted that the climate in the UK is extremely conducive to gardening. If it is something unpleasant for people, then plants in a humid and warm environment grow extremely rapidly; the warmth of the climate depends on the warm current of the Gulf Stream, which washes the shores of the island and allows you to contain plants of the subtropical zone. And this is taking into account the fact that in terms of latitudes, the UK should be as cold as Russia!

Now gardening and floriculture occupy an integral part of the life of the British; Edward Hyams noted back in 1963:

"... about English gardeners, it must be said that, unlike their European counterparts, their main interest lies in the field of ornamental plants. It would be correct to call British gardening a national art...".

The Frenchwoman De Chimay also spoke about the knowledge of the English in gardening in the book "Gardens of different countries of the world":

"The most ignorant of English gardeners knows more about plants than our expert from France."

And that hasn't changed in such a long time. To this day, the British are more passionate about gardening than anything else. As soon as April comes, flower shops, which are not inferior in number and size to food stores, turn out to be filled with people. Gardening is an art and an outlet for people. It attracts people of many ages. Almost everywhere you can find small private gardens up to 0.25 hectares in area. People living in multi-storey buildings either have a collective garden, which they do together with other residents, or place plants in pots and pallets. Even those who live in a mobile home have several pallets with plants.

Recently, more and more people are leaning towards flowers instead of vegetables and fruits, but this has not always been the case. During the Second World War, at the call of Prime Minister Churchill, citizens grew vegetables for the needs of the army, only rooting gardening in the culture of the country. It is also worth noting that due to the rooting of this trait in the culture of the country, much of the economy is based on people's love for plants: from the creation of special equipment to the sale of soil for each type of flowers.

The annual flower show in the countryside acts as a tradition. They act as a competition, to which people send both flowers and vegetables with fruits. Many gardeners strive to achieve truly huge results, for example, to grow roses with more lush inflorescences, and the cost of each successful plant comes out in several pounds.

Gardening in the UK is one of the important components of culture. It's a sport. This is art.

Literature:

"Gardening in England", magazine "England" No. 7(3), 1963

"Gardens of different countries of the world", De Chime

"Guide to the English", 1999