English biologist and discoverer of the principle of natural selection. Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published in 1859 and The Descent of Man in 1871. The books aroused great interest and caused immense controversy. In time, the principles were accepted and the idea of evolution was applied to other academic fields. This led to the concepts of landscape evolution and urban evolution (developed by W.G Hoskins and Patrick Geddes). Charles Darwin's garden, at Down House, has been restored and is open to the public. His study of earthworms has been a constant inspiration to gardeners.
Gardens designed by Darwin, Charles