Postscript: the future history of the garden

Planting and garden design have never stood still, in part because fashions change, but also because of external factors. The most conspicuous fashion in recent decades has been the rise of organic gardening, a movement originating in the 1920s, which aspires to sustainability achieved by a synergy with natural systems of soil enrichment and pest and disease control. Another driver of change is the reduction in biodiversity. The Postscript considers the likely impact of climate change on garden design and suggests gardens will continue to evolve, as they have since remote antiquity. Garden design will adapt to changing conditions, but gardens will continue to provide havens of beauty and respite for the weary.