The earliest English gardens that we know of were planted by the roman conquerors of Britain in the 1st century AD. And it was not until the Middle Ages that gardens once more became important in British life.

Very little was known about the gardens of Anglo-Saxon England, so probable the Anglo-Saxons did not hold gardening to be important, furthermore Monasteries had both kitchen gardens and herb gardens to provide the practicalities of food and medicine.

The monastery gardens were beautiful places but yet functional there were green spaces surrounded by covered walks, also somewhere the garden featured a well, or fountain or some statues. Sometimes castles featured a small courtyard garden, with raised flower beds that were surrounded by paths, seats were strategically placed to provide a view over the castle walls.

The Tudors were influenced by the Italians, creating gardens which mirrored the alignment of the house and for the first time since the Romans left, sundials and statues were once more popular garden ornaments.

The knot garden was contributed by the Tudors where intricate patterns of lawn hedges, usually of box, and the spaces between the hedges were often filled with flowers, shrubs, or herbs. This is reflected in the most famous of gardens Hampton Court Palace near London.

Gardening has always been a matter of personal taste, and previous generations created this outstanding work, these gardens are very often torn down to make way for the style of the next generation and an old English cottage garden utilizes an informal design, and is full of dense plantings and a huge mixture of edible plants, herbs and flowers, and of course creates a graceful and charming landscape.

To create your very own old English garden, obviously plant useful plants, then add shrubs, flowering bushes such as lavender plants, and trees. Of course originally the old English garden was enclosed, but by using shrubs to outline the garden will give an enclosed appeal.

Roses are always a favourite choose, fragrant flowers, and of course herbs, you may like to add other perennials such as geranium plants, but remember if space is at a premium, the herbs were always essential in an old English garden, they provided fragrance and many culinary and medicinal uses.

Tuck flowers into the design of your garden where they fit, and some for consideration are tulips, poppies, marigolds, pansies, and begonia plants, furthermore climbing vines and creeping plants such as sweet peas, wisteria and ivy create an interest and add elegance to your garden.

A spokesman for Blooming Direct a family owned and run horticultural outlet on the island of Jersey said some gardeners will buy only vegetable plants, while others will want to create a stunning display of all different types of blooms, whatever type of gardener you are we have a huge selection of the best in plant life. We are an online shopping facility and go out of our way to ensure you get exactly what you want. We also offer a FREE delivery service on all orders to the UK.

The UK is a nation of gardeners and it makes life easy if you know exactly where to go to shop for your choices.

For further information visit: www.bloomingdirect.com