Advert for the Amateur Gardening Periodical, reverse side, 1884 (coloured engraving)

The surge in popular interest in gardening during the Victorian period was the result of a combination of social trends. New plants and seeds had been introduced to Britain via trade and the empire. At the same time a new property-owning class was created by the spread of raillines and the growing suburbanisation of major cities, particularly in England. The new professional and clerical classes generally had small gardens outside their homes. Finally, new working patterns and employment legislation had increased the number of leisure hours available to the average adult. Thus the greenfingered member of society now had time both to tend their garden and subscribe to magazines such as this one.