Hedgehog Planters and Strawberry Pots: A Look at Gardening Accessories of the Victorian Era

Strawberry Planter by daryl_mitchell from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Wikimedia Commons Image License

Gardening was a popular pastime in the Victorian era. This common hobby created new inventions both practical and fanciful, some of which remained in use beyond the Victorian era. Here are some examples of the unique artifacts that could be found in Victorian homes and gardens.

Crocus Pot (1867–1870) Creator: Ira W. Corey Wikimedia Commons Image License

Hedgehog planters for crocus and snowdrop bulbs were first created in the 1780s, and remained popular through the Victorian era, and after. The holes in top part of the novelty planter allowed bulbs to be planted. The emerging flowers created a fanciful look of spiky floral “bristles” emerging from the ceramic hedgehog’s body. Still enjoyed by home gardeners beyond the Victorian era, the design for this whimsical bulb planter has remained in production for nearly 200 years.

Traditional Garden Trug by Smiths Trug Wikimedia Commons Image License

Unusual and functional baskets made from wood, typically sweet chestnut or white willow, known as trugs, have been around since the Anglo-Saxon period of England. Their re-design by Thomas Sussex in 1829 created a renewed interest in this gardening carry-all. First used by farmers to carry harvested produce, the baskets were presented at the Great Exhibition in the 1850s, where the vessels gained the admiration of Queen Victoria, who ordered several trugs, sky-rocketing their popularity as a must-have garden accessory.

Fern Case (1897) Wikimedia Commons Image License

The fern craze in the Victorian era led to fern-centric indoor gardening and the popularity of fern cases. Originally invented to safely transport live plants across long distances, designed by Nathaniel Ward. These cases were made of wood and glass, often called Wardian cases in honor of their inventor, and became a mainstay of Victorian homes for holding live ferns. This type of fern gardening is the origin of terrarium gardening trend today.

Daisy Grubber, The Illustrated Dictionary of Gardening Google Books Public Domain

Daisy grubbers, a forked metal and wood device for digging up taproots, was another ancient garden accessory that was repopularized in the Victorian era. Originally called wedynge-hoke, it was used to pull a variety of garden weeds. The popularity of this tool was generated by demand for weed removal as grass lawns became a more common feature of 19th century home landscaping.

Strawberry Planter by daryl_mitchell from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Wikimedia Commons Image Licence

Another Victorian-era ceramic on the more practical side of gardening was the strawberry pot or strawberry jar. Pots intended for growing strawberries were mentioned in Victorian era gardening magazines, and these speciality ceramic pots may predate the Victorian era. These urn-shaped terracotta pots with multiple “windows” for placing plants allowed many strawberries to grow vertically, maximizing space in the garden. Strawberry pots also have the advantages of keeping strawberry plants off of the ground, where they can be at risk of rotting. Modern gardeners still enjoy using these pots — more often for succulents or herb gardening than strawberries today.

From the whimsy of hedgehog bulb planters and the practicality of strawberry pots, these artifacts and inventions created for gardening are a fascinating window into the cultivated botanical worlds of the Victorian era.

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