- Plant pots: Now made from plastic or biodegradable material, where they used to be made from clay.
- Fertiliser: It used to be that fertiliser was entirely organic. However, chemicals have now been developed to serve as fertiliser – although many gardeners prefer organics.
- Lawn mowers: Grass cutting used to be a manual endeavour. Early machinery was developed in the 1900s which saw early versions of cylinder mowers powered by pushing. Now, electric-powered motors mean gardens are far easier to maintain.
- Materials: Gardening still uses the basics: stone, clay, timber and soil. Now, however, we use plastic, concrete and stainless steel – which was invented in 1913.
Are UK gardens shrinking?
Alongside homes, which have halved in size when compared to those built in 1920, between 1983 and 2013 British gardens have shrunk from 168 metres squared to 163.2 metres squared.
Additionally, more than two million homes in the UK are without a garden at all according to figures released in 2010. The same study noted that by 2020, around 10.5% of homes would likely not have a garden. Considering research that suggests children who don’t have access to a garden are 38% more likely to struggle with obesity, this is a bleak forecast.
But gardens have seen changes beyond size and access. The entire approach to gardening in the UK has shifted as different materials have come into usage – from synthetic living spaces such as decking to actual gardening tools like fertiliser, which was originally organic. Some of the first things to change were: