Since time immemorial people have been proud of their home and garden; whether it was a mud hut or grand palace built of marble to them it was their castle and they defended it with their lives.  However, the furnishing and decoration of a home for show was an indulgence only of the rich, the poor being restricted to functionality and cost, or alternatively whatever they could find or make.

As far as gardens are concerned, they were originally used for growing food and this, together with what could be hunted, was often the only food source for a peasant. However, the ornamental garden originated away back time, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are probably the most famous, although Darius the Great of Persia owned a ‘Paradise Garden’ and the ancient Egyptians also designed ornamental gardens and ponds.

Unlike the Romans the ancient Greeks did not have private gardens:  these were reserved for the temples to the Gods, and even the Roman gardens were mainly places of refuge and worship. In the Orient, Chinese and Japanese gardens both took on the theme of evoking nature in the form of the essence of mountains and rivers, although while Japanese gardens were designed to be viewed from within the house, the Chinese garden was intended to be viewed from within the garden itself. Modern British gardens contain an element of both.

The Renaissance period saw the development of the traditional Italian garden that is so prized today, and it was not until the 18th century that landscape gardening was seen to any extent in Britain. Lancelot Capability Brown is probably the best known British landscape gardener and was responsible for many of the great gardens of England such as Woburn Abbey, Blenheim Palace and Longleat.

It was not until the 19th century that flowers were used extensively in domestic gardens, and the concept of the domestic flower garden is predominantly 20th century.  People now use gardens increasingly to grow their own organic crops, although many find gardening too much of a chore and prefer to live in flats!

Without a doubt the masters of home décor were the Romans with their amazing domestic frescoes and mosaics.  After the fall of Rome, Italian home decoration fell into decline and was resurrected by the Church that commissioned famous artists to produce works for the churches and cathedrals.  This led to a resurgence in home décor as schools were set up and these same artists received private commissions for domestic work.  However, such work was reserved only for the very rich.

And so it remained in the UK for centuries, with home decoration reserved for those that could afford it.  Architects such as Robert Adam were commissioned to design the interiors as well as the exteriors of the homes of the rich, and the great cabinet makers such as the two Thomases - Chippendale and Sheraton - hand crafted their furniture.

British home décor was something only for the rich even into Victorian times.  A typical Victorian home would be full of clutter, with every available space taken up with furniture of one type or another. The decoration itself reflected the times, and was very drab and colourless.  After the death of Victoria, the Edwardian period saw the clutter start to go, and homes became lighter and more airy, although it was the 1930s - 1950s before the common person was able to afford his own home and that is when home decoration and gardens started to flourish.

And so it continues today, with ubiquitous TV shows showing people how to decorate and furnish their own homes and design and plant their gardens.  It is a boom industry, and has been for the past few decades, and the best way to purchase the product you need at the lowest price is through a comparison site that is not only listing eBay auctions offering products at low prices but also the best of the High Street stores.

A Home and Garden Buying Guide.

When buying home and garden items it is important that you are able to get not only the best quality but also the best price.  This can be difficult if you don’t know what you really want, and it is often next to impossible to envisage an item from a photograph.  If it is simply a gardening tool such as a spade or rake, then it is quite easy to buy that online, but a garden bench or barbecue can be very misleading when seen in a catalog.  Our first tip then is:

1.  If you are purchasing a reasonably expensive item, such as a piece of home or garden furniture or an expensive piece of equipment such as a lawn mower or garden fountain, then visit a High Street store first.  Have a look around at various models and take a note of those that you like. Also write down the sizes and prices of those that appeal to you and then go home, get online and visit a price comparison site such as this one.