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Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932), created over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and the USA. She contributed over 1,000 articles to Country Life, The Garden and other magazines.
Gertrude should be mostly categorized as a planter then a "designer". She did indeed design, but did it through her plantings rather than traditional design aspects. Gertrude did however create one of the most influential and historical partnerships of the Arts and Crafts Style. Jekyll is well known for her association with the English architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens; she collaborated with him on gardens for many of his houses. She is not remembered for her mind-blowing designs, but for her approach to design. Gertrude took it to the level of art. Her work is known for its radiant color, and the brush-like strokes of her plantings. Gertrude incorporated a grander view for her designs, she saw them as all-encompassing pieces of art. She foresaw and designed in accordance with how people would perceive the design as a whole rather than the dissection of all of its ingredients.
Gertrude Jekyll is known for influencing gardening worldwide and across many generations. She was one of the first to take into account the color, texture, and experience of gardens as the prominent authorities in her designs. Gertrude was a life-long fan of plants of all genres. Later in her life, Gertrude collected and contributed a vast array of plants solely for the purpose of preservation to numerous institutions across Britain. This pure passion for gardening was started at South Kensington School of Art where she fell in love with the creative art of planting, and even more specifically, gardening. She designed over 400 gardens in Britain, Europe and even a few in North America. Her gardens were known for the meticulous attention to color detail, and the lack of consideration to fads of the day. This characteristic of "going against the grain" is a large part of the reason that Gertrude is remembered today. She incorporated new plants, design perspectives and purposes for gardens into every design she created. In North America today there is a specific strain of rose plant that is named after her.
Gertrude was not only an inspiring garden designer, but is also know for her prolific writing career. She has penned over fifteen books, ranging from topics of Wood and Gardening, to the memoirs of her youth. Jekyll did not want to limit her influence of teaching to just the practice of gardening, but to take it a step further to the quiet study of gardening and the plants themselves. Gertrude has numerous influential designs, primarily located in her home country of England.
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