Really? Lots of "Gardeners" in Victorian Times?

[Mowsehowse]

In one line I researched, I discovered that the grandmother's grandmother was daughter of the Head Gardener at a fairly Big House. 
The "Gardener's Cottage" survived and was quite a good size 4 bed, 2 storey building with gables etc.
The Head Gardener was an important person, and his children played with the children from the Big House!

[pharmaT]

I reckon there would have been a lot of gardeners in Victorian times.  By the time you consider formal gardens in big houses, kitchen gardens in big houses, market gardens, botanic gardens and the many public parks that were opening up.

[diplodicus]

Thank you all for your input. It just occurred to me that I rarely see the term "market gardener" in earlier census returns so that would fit in with the general supposition of "gardener" being a general term.

Malcolm

[ThrelfallYorky]

I've had gardeners who were simply that, domestic gardeners, employed at large houses - inthat case they lived at a lodge to the main hose, and had as boarders other members of the staff.
I have one who was a municipal gardener in a seaside town which prided itself on formally set-out gardens.
 I've also had gardeners in areas with richly fertile soil, the offspring to farmers, who developed later into market gardeners, - and in one case later moved and became the farmer themselves as their generation took over the farm.
It seemed to be a general term, widely used..

[barryd]

.........domestic gardeners, employed at large houses...........

World War One put a stop to many domestic employees.

Stupid War - yes
Tragic War - yes

[andrewalston]

In my part of the world (Lancashire), "Gardener" usually referred to a market garden - vegetables and salads. Some of them got "& Seedsman" added at the odd census, so they were in charge. Occasionally it was used for workers at big houses or in parks, but the context can usually help, such as the row with half a dozen gardeners close to Liverpool's Sefton Park.

The outskirts of towns could be the home of gardeners of either sort - the wealthy built their houses there. People working in market gardens might have the occupation interspersed with "ag lab", while those more used to tending shrubs and flowers would be more likely to take plain labouring jobs between engagements.

I do have a couple of chaps who are down as "Gardener (Domestic)". One of them headed to the USA in 1909 and worked on fancy mansions there. His Draft Registration in 1942 even gives the name of his employer.

[Deirdre784]

My 3 * great grandfather was an agricultural worker, then under gardener, then gardener (from 1841 til his death in 1878). The only picture I have of him (and I know I am really lucky to have found a distant cousin with a few amazing old photos) shows him with a plant    

Edited: tried to add the photo but it's too big (and I can no longer find out how to reduce its size   )

[BumbleB]

A member of my family, born in Tadcaster, appears in the 1841 census as a gardener in Sussex, as part of the household at Stansted Park House.   By 1851 he has married and is in Marham in Norfolk and has his nephew (from Tadcaster) working with him.  Later census entries, all in Norfolk, have him as gardener or nurseryman.