Founded in Scotland in the 1650s, the Order of Free-Gardeners quickly spread to England and then Ireland. Its main objective was to share knowledge of the trade, and this friendly society based its activities on mutual aid. Today, it is expanding not only in the UK, but also in France, Germany, Monaco, Spain, the Philippines and South Africa.
History
Around 1650: Scottish gardening societies formed to help each other, promote and regulate their profession.
1676: Report from Haddington Lodge, dated August, attesting to the existence of a "first lodge".
1715: A similar lodge is established in Haddington, Dunfermline.
1780: Publication of the Gardeners' Dictionary by Philippe Miller (1691-1771), a botanist of Scottish origin, head gardener of the Chelsea Physic Garden and pioneer of horticulture.
1782: Creation of Lothian and Fife lodges in Edinburgh.
1796: Creation of 3 new lodges in Arbroath, Bothwell and Cumbnathan.
1817: Creation of the British Order of Ancient Free Gardeners (->1972).
1817: Creation of Newton Heath Lodge (number 99) in Manchester. The Order therefore predates any attempt to create a Grand Lodge and corresponding Order in Scotland.
1821: Creation of the Lasswade Lodge.
1822: Creation of Penicuik Lodge.
1845: Stratheden Lodges founded in Letham.
1849: Lasswade St Paul's Lodge of Free Gardeners invited delegates to a meeting to open a Grand Lodge. There had been one in England for some time - the British Order of Free Gardeners.
1849: Creation of the lodge: the Ancient Order of Free Gardeners (->1958) at St Paul's in Lasswade grouping 5 lodges) in Edinburgh. The numbering of the lodges was introduced: Lasswade is number 1 and Penicuik number 2.
1859: Creation of the lodge: St Andrew Order of Ancient Free Gardeners Friendly Society (->1974)
1879: The Western Order opened the St Andrew Order of Ancient Free Gardeners Friendly Society.
1880: The Order first appeared in the PO Directory in the 1880s as the Ancient Order of Free Gardeners located in Edinburgh and Leith.
1911: Reunion of the Lodges of the Ancient Orders, British and Western, and the non-affiliated societies. In total, they represented 70 to 80 lodges, or 12,000 Free Gardeners.
1912: A group of 44 Lodges of Free Gardeners came together to officially found the Ancient Order of Free Gardeners (Scotland) National Insurance Association.
The Ancient Order, the Western Order (St Andrews) and the "Scottish Order" combined for the purposes of the approval of the National Insurance Act creating the Ancient Order of Free Gardeners (Scotland) National Insurance Association. However, each participating lodge (and order) maintained its own identity and traditions.
1928: 79th Annual Conference of the Grand Lodge of the Ancient Order of Free Gardeners (placing the origin of this body in 1849.)
2022 : The I.O.F.G (according to their facebook site) has Lodges in the UK, Belgium, France (a French "branch" exists), Germany, Monaco, Spain, the Philippines and South Africa.
11 December 2022: creation of the Garden: "Les Jardiniers du Temple" in Lyon. Mixed, Scottish, free and totally independent Order of Free Gardening. 7 founding members.
