Over 400 gardens across the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States bear the imprint of Gertrude Jekyll, an artist and horticulturist who transformed planting into a painterly discipline. Born in 1843 in London, she synthesized a background in fine arts with botanical expertise to create landscapes defined by precise color harmonies and structural depth.
Artistic Foundations
Before turning to professional garden design, Jekyll trained at the National School of Art in South Kensington starting in 1861. Her early creative pursuits included painting and exhibition at the Royal Academy. Travels to Greece and Turkey in 1863 provided a foundational interest in Mediterranean flora. By the 1870s, influenced by William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, she engaged in diverse crafts including smithing and embroidery, eventually applying these principles of design unity to the spatial arrangement of plants.
Collaborative Architecture
Jekyll is noted for a long-standing creative partnership with architect Edwin Lutyens. Their collaboration began at Munstead Wood, a home Jekyll built in 1895 near Godalming. This synergy extended to many commissions, where Lutyens designed structures and Jekyll provided the surrounding horticultural schemes. Beyond her work with Lutyens, she collaborated with architects like Robert Lorimer and contributed to the design of the British Pavilion at the 1900 Paris Exposition alongside her brother, Herbert Jekyll.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Writing and Theory
A prolific author and editor, Jekyll disseminated her design theories through over 1,000 magazine articles for publications such as Country Life and The Garden. In works like 1899's Wood and Garden and the influential 1908 volume Colour in the Flower Garden, she codified the use of color wheels and impressionistic techniques in planting. She also documented vanishing rural traditions in her 1904 book, Old West Surrey, which featured over 300 of her own photographs.
Recognition and Preservation
Jekyll’s contributions to horticulture were formally acknowledged with the Victoria Medal of Honour in 1897 and the Veitch Memorial Medal in 1928. Her legacy persists through the restoration of gardens such as The Croft, Woolverstone House, and the Manor House in Upton Grey. Additionally, her ethnographic collection, documenting 19th-century country life, remains housed at the Guildford Museum following her donation to the Surrey Archaeological Society in 1907.
Fast facts
- Born: 1843, London
- Died: 8 December 1932, Surrey
- Primary Occupation: Horticulturist and garden designer
- Notable Partner: Edwin Lutyens
- Key Publication: Colour in the Flower Garden (1908)
- Victoria Medal of Honour: 1897
- Veitch Memorial Medal: 1928
- Total Gardens Designed: Over 400
Questions readers ask
Did Gertrude Jekyll marry?
No, she never married.
What inspired her color schemes?
Her approach was influenced by the Impressionist movement, the theories of J. M. W. Turner, and the color wheel.
Where is she buried?
She is buried in the churchyard of St John the Baptist in Busbridge, Godalming.
Achievements
- Worked as horticulturist, painter and non-fiction writer
