The Victorian style and the 20th century style of gardening are almost opposed in ideas, as they are

meant to serve different desires of the society. The modern style of gardening was born as a response to the architectural and urban movement of integration with the natural landscape and as a denial of the Victorian principles.
Victorian style of gardening-Gardening was no longer the exclusive hobby of the upper classes. As industry and commerce prospered, a wealthy middle class emerged who wished to live near their source of income but away from the squalor and overcrowding they had helped to create in the cities. Improved transport and roads made it possible for villas to be built on the outskirts of towns where there was fresh air and an opportunity to display newfound wealth.

There was a desire for gardens with ostentatious features, following the latest fashions and themes, rather than harmonising with the landscape. Communication speeded up with the arrival of the steam engine which epitomised the pace and energy of the time. The Victorian period was celebrated for its progress, invention, new ideas and discoveries. Edwin Budding's new lawnmower invention meant that people could have manicured lawns, while gadgets such as cucumber strai ghteners were becoming increasingly popular. When the Victorians weren't inventing or constructing they were writing about developments in books and magazines so others could benefit. Better printing systems made it possible for more people to gain hortic ultural inspiration from the garden writers of the day, such as Loudon. The impact and spread of knowledge was greater and quicker than ever. Wealthy Victorians also created public spaces. Loudon in the 1830s and 1840s was responsible for designing many public parks, encouraging the use of more broad-leaved trees and plants in place of evergreens. Intricate bedding schemes and patterns were popular. After the Allotment Act in 1887, space for growing plants became available at a reasonable rent to this rapi dly expanding urban class. Victorian gardens were symmetrical, formal and geometric in shape. By using bold coloured flowers they could create interesting carpets of flowers that were seen to advantage from the second floors of their homes. It was a cas e of man taming the environment. Big lawns were popular because that signalled wealth and land ownership. They used lots of fountains, statuary, and black or white wrought iron for seating and fences.

The Victorians introduced the first recognizable version of modern commercial gardening supplies and materials. The big range of new stock created a great market niche for importers and expert suppliers. Having all there resources at hand, there emerged a whole new, very different Modern style of gardening.
20th Century Gardening-Arts and Crafts gardens were considered an example of modern gardening. Arts and Crafts gardens revolved around the idea that the entire household should live and work in harmony with nature. It was considered, at the time, to be a wild but natural style. It made good use of the concept of livable rooms gardens not created for show but for function. Arts and Crafts gardens used a lot of plants that were known to grow easily so that maintenance was low at least as compared to the manicured gardens of the Victorian period. It is easy to understand why this style of gardening is becoming even more popular today than it was back then. And another big reason this style of garden became popular is because gardening became a pastime for the amateur rather than needing a staff of gardeners.

Arts and Crafts was popular from the 1880's until the 1920's. This style incorporated the use of handcrafted dcor, such as benches, pergolas, trellises, topiaries, and other pottery into the landscape. It was characterized by having long straight lined walks and enclosed garden compartments also known as outdoor rooms. Brick walls, trellises, and shrubs, hedges, terraces, and sunken gardens separated the compartmentalized gardens. The pla ntings were in masses and trailed along walls as well as out of cracks inn walls, over walkways. The gardens were meant to show the changes of the seasons as well as a harmony with the nature the hardscapes and plantings had together. The second half of the 20th century provided a wealth of opportunity and new achievements. Horticulturists hit great heights, creating new design styles for both landowners and the general public. After the war, there was a new era of rebuilding the damaged landscape. The 1951 Festival of Britain was a showcase for the new styles and ideas. Modernism became popular, blending urban, public places and new housing estates with the older, more naturalistic form of gardening. Modernism used abstract shapes, concrete, glass and low-maintenance plants. Though very different in principle, both Modern and Victorian garden styles have remained an inspiration for todays design, and have changed the way that society views the importance of landscape and architectural design going in the same direction.