Boston Flora

Tag: Rachel Savage

  • Wednesday, May 6, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern – A Loudon Celebration: Jane Loudon and The Gardener’s Magazine, Online

    The third in The Gardens Trust online course celebrating the bicentenary of The Gardener’s Magazine takes place May 6 at 1 pm Eastern.

    It was exactly two hundred years ago that John Claudius Loudon (1782-1843) started publishing The Gardener’s Magazine, the first periodical devoted solely to horticulture. As Loudon described it, the aims of the magazine were ‘to disseminate new and important information on all topics connected with horticulture, and to raise the intellect and the character of those engaged in this art.’

    In celebration of this bicentenary, the Gardens Trust is hosting a six-part online series that explores the ideas and inventions of this extraordinary Scottish writer and designer, and his equally industrious and radical wife, Jane (?1807-1858). Jane has her own centenary celebrations this year: her novel The Mummy! is set exactly 100 years in the future, in 2126. The career of Jane Webb Loudon is all too often overshadowed by that of her husband, leaving the impression that she did indeed owe him as she said “all the knowledge of the subject she possesses”. But research reveals that she played an important role in the production of The Gardener’s Magazine (with her contributions appearing under the initials ‘J.W.L’ shortly after her marriage to John in 1830) and that it influenced her own short-lived Ladies’ Magazine of Gardening. An examination of her key publications helps us understand her legacy as knowledgeable botanist, best-selling gardening writer and ground-breaking magazine editor, including the role she played in influencing, championing and challenging women’s roles within the garden, the home and wider society.

    Dr Rachel Savage’s interest in garden history started over fifteen years ago whilst working as Head of Marketing for the RHS. Since then she has completed qualifications in horticulture, garden design, an MA in Landscape History at UEA and a PhD exploring house and garden design and the gendering of space in the nineteenth century. A trustee for the Gardens Trust, she has also contributed to Norfolk Garden Trust’s publications on Capability Brown and Humphry Repton.

    Between them, the Loudons were the driving force behind the rise of the amateur middle class gardener, and also the real professionalism of the 19th century head gardener. Their story is fascinating and will make you realise how much we owe to their non-stop work ethic and enthusiasm.

    Series tickets are being offered at the special celebratory sum of £21 for all six sessions, a 50% reduction on our usual ticket price for a six-part series. The ticket for this session may be purchased through Eventbrite HERE

  • Wednesday, October 16, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern – Gardens and the Written Word: Jane Loudon: Author, Editor, Influencer

    Through an exploration of drama, diaries, novels and magazines, this Gardens Trust Wednesday five part series will examine how writers have used gardens and plants to evoke memories, capture ideas of taste and fashion, satirize attitudes, champion social change and give deeper meaning to the world. The chosen authors cover almost four centuries of literature and, through examining their words, we can gain new understandings of the roles, meanings and emotive power of historic landscapes and horticulture. This ticket link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gardens-and-the-written-word-tickets-930348275737 is for the entire series of 5 talks, or you may purchase a ticket for individual talks, costing £8 via the links on that page. (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25). All purchases are handled through Eventbrite.

    Ticket holders can join each session live and/or view a recording for up to 1 week afterwards. Ticket sales close 4 hours before the first talk. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk (If you do not receive this link please contact us), and a link to the recorded session will be sent shortly after each session and will be available for 1 weeks.

    Week Three is on Wednesday, October 16 at 1 pm Eastern. The career of Jane Webb Loudon (1807-1858) is all too often overshadowed by that of her husband John Claudius Loudon, leaving the impression that she did indeed owe him ’all the knowledge of the subject she possesses’. By examining some of her key publications including Instructions in Gardening for Ladies (1840), The Ladies’ Magazine of Gardening and The Lady’s Country Companion (1845) we can better understand her legacy as knowledgeable botanist, best-selling gardening writer and ground-breaking magazine editor including the role she played in influencing, championing and challenging women’s roles within the garden, the home and wider society.

    Dr Rachel Savage’s interest in garden history started over fifteen years ago whilst working as Head of Marketing for the RHS. Since then she has completed qualifications in horticulture, garden design, an MA in Landscape History at UEA and a PhD exploring house and garden design and the gendering of space in the nineteenth century. A trustee for the Gardens Trust, she has also contributed to Norfolk Garden Trust’s publications on Capability Brown and Humphry Repton.