Anthropologists tell us that human beings have been planting food for thousands of years. The shift from hunter-gather societies to agricultural ones is believed to have occurred about ten thousand years ago. After much trial and error, the first societies that depended on agriculture emerged. Why agriculture?
For starters, it was far more reliable than hunting and gathering. When ancient hunters went out in search of game, sometimes they brought back fresh meat and sometimes they did not. And when the gathers went out in search of fresh fruits and vegetables, sometimes they brought back overstuffed baskets and sometimes they did not.
But when tribes began to plant and harvest their own food, they did not have to depend on chance. They could control their own destinies. More often than not, they would produce enough food to sustain them through the tough winter months without having to rely on the hunters. What about garden designs for homes?
In the modern times, few families actually have to grow food to survive. So why do so many homeowners in the UK keep their own gardens? England is sometimes referred to as a nation of gardeners because so many people plant their own fruits, flowers, and vegetables.
The tradition was actually inherited from the ancient Romans when they ruled Britain (then Britannia) as a protectorate. Romans soldiers introduced new farming techniques that most citisens relied on to see them through the winter months. Today, millions of Britons keep gardens for aesthetic reasons or as a simple hobby.