Today would have been the 174th birthday of Gertrude Jekyll, the legendary British horticulturist and green fingered garden designer. Google has decided to mark this occasion with a special Google Doodle to honour her:
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Image: Google.co.uk
The doodle was designed and created by British artist Ben Giles. Giles has brought together both hot and cool colours to create an awesome garden collage. The illustration includes the Google logo and shows Jekyll standing in her garden watching it grow.
Who Was Gertrude Jekyll?
Gertrude was born at 2 Grafton Street, Mayfair, London, on 29th November 1843. Around five years later in 1848 her family left London and moved to Munstead House in Surrey, where she spent most of her life. Jekyll was a woman of countless talents, as well as becoming one of Britain's most famous horticulturists. She was also an accomplished woodworker, metalworker, musician, composer and botanist. During her life, she designed and created more than 400 gardens across Europe and America, and wrote more than 1,000 articles for magazines like William Robinson's The Garden and Country Life.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales visits the Gertrude Jekyll inspired Arts and Crafts Garden at Barrington Court in Barrington. Credit: PA
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In 1897, Jekyll was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour of the Royal Horticultural Society. Over 30 years later, in 1929, she was also awarded both the George Robert White Medal of Honor by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the Veitch Memorial Medal.
Gertrude died on 8 December 1932, aged 89, and was buried in the churchyard of Busbridge Church alongside her brother and sister-in-law.
What gardens did she design?
Jekyll has been described as "a premier influence in garden design" by both American and British gardening enthusiasts. Some of the most famous gardens she designed include:
- Snowdenham Lane in Surrey
- Lindisfarne Castle in Northumberland
- Upton Grey Manor House in Hampshire
- Hestercombe Gardens in Somerset