The popularity of gardening is attested by its long history. Man has long tilled the earth to cultivate food but growing plants for pleasure goes back to prehistory too. Egyptian tomb paintings dating back to 1500 BC show delightful pleasure gardens with lotus ponds surrounded by rows of acacias and palms. And of course in Persia the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the wonders of the world.

The passion for ornamental gardening was adopted by the Greeks, possibly via Alexander the Great. By about 350 BC, the Academy of Athens boasted gardens and Ptolemy's gardens at Alexandra were the envy of the world. Gardening mania spread to Rome and Roman nobles developed extensive and sumptuous gardens at their estates.

As empires rose, so did their passion for gardening. The Byzantine Empire embraced gardening as did the Moors when they conquered the Iberian Peninsular. Meanwhile in Asia, the Chinese and Japanese were developing their own concepts of gardening. For example, the minimalist Zen gardens of Japan stood in stark contrast to the lush creations of Persia and the Near East. Later, the mighty Mughal Emperors of India constructed the Gardens of Babur in the 15th century.

In Europe, the French and Italians were the first to develop new concept in gardening. The villas of northern Italy during the Renaissance were elaborately adorned with greenery. Renaissance gardens were full of scenes from ancient mythology.

In the 18th century, the English passion for landscape gardening led to a greening of the country and a passion for the soil which has persisted until the present day.