What Did Gardeners Wear In The Tudor Times?

           The Tudor influence on the traditional English garden came after the Reformation. The rich landowners enclosed common land with the intention of creating parks for deer or cattle. This 'natural' landscape look gave way to formal gardens around the house. However, they remained sheltered from the outside world by hedges or walls, which was a typical Tudor feature.

           The Tudors followed the Italians in designing the gardens and the Italian influence mirrored the alignment of the house. This created a harmony of line and proportion that had been missing during the medieval period. Sundials and statues became popular add-ons once more and the gardeners worked dedicatedly to ensure timely weeding and maintenance.

           The gardeners wore very functional clothes. While the women sported their regular long skirts and blouses, with the traditional aprons and scarves to cover their heads, the men folk sported loose trousers, functional shirts and they too covered their heads. They toiled on the activity and the gardens were picture perfect.

           They specialized in the famous Tudor knot gardens, which were intricate patterns of lawn hedges, intended to be viewed from a mount or raised walk. The Tudor gardeners were simple folk whose entire life revolved around the upkeep of the gardens and they actually designed their own lifestyles on the activity.