Exploring the diverse contributions of women in gardening, this book spans from the influential Tudor queens to the everyday peasant herb wives. It highlights how women shaped gardening practices and traditions across different social classes and historical periods, revealing their vital role in cultivating both plants and culture. Through engaging narratives, it uncovers the often-overlooked stories of women who have nurtured gardens throughout history, celebrating their impact on horticulture and society.
The suburban garden has introduced millions to the hobby of gardening, and
here, for the first time, is the story of Britain's most numerous, and most
beloved, type of garden.
Part garden history, part social history, this is the first book to celebrate
the story of the British tea garden, born in the eighteenth century, at its
height in the Edwardian era, and now undergoing a serious revival.
As it ranges from the traditions of the medieval marriage bed to Renaissance
paintings of the Madonna and Child, this lavishly illustrated book will
entertain anyone with an interest in history, art or culture. It is full of
unexpected delights that will charm the mind and invigorate the senses - just
like the carnation itself.
"Nosatalgic images of gardening through the ages ... from the people who have tended their own gardens, or the horticultural experts who have influenced our garden designs or plants, to the literature and advertisements that have proliferated through the ages, containing everything from the latest lawn mower to government pamphlets of wartime, urging the country to "Dig for Victory" ... [this] celebrates the fashions and fads that have come and gone through hundreds of years of tending our 'little bits of earth'"--Publisher's description.
In 1941 Lord Woolton, Minister for Food, was determined that the Garden Front
would save England: 'Dig for Victory' was the slogan, digging for dinner the
reality. This book offers a fully illustrated look at the time when gardening
saved Britain.
Almost eighty years after her death, Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) is still one of the most influential of all English garden designers. Best known for her superb use of colour schemes in her hallmark flower borders, she combined an early training in art with self taught horticultural skills. Early influences included William Morris, John Ruskin and William Robinson but it is her partnership with the architect Edwin Lutyens that produced some of the most distinctive of Edwardian houses and gardens. From her house (and nursery) at Munstead Wood, Surrey, Jekyll designed over 400 gardens across Britain and Europe, and some in America - where her archive of designs and drawings is now held.Alongside her close friend Ellen Willmott she was one of the first women to gain the coveted RHS Victoria Medal. Through her articles and books she became the defining voice of early to mid 20th century garden design, creating a style many gardeners still aspire to today. This book will explore her life, influences on her early work in art and crafts, the transfer to Munstead Wood and working relationship with Edwin Lutyens, as well as her own writings and achievements. Her involvement with early women?s gardening schools, and worker?s movements will also be examined afresh. A final chapter will examine her legacy and recent re-assessments and restorations of her work in England and abroad.
Hollyhocks and cabbages, roses and runner beans: the English cottage garden
combines beauty and utility, pride and productivity. Gardens did not just
appeal to the senses, however: they played a philosophical and moral role in
society, and thus in our social history.
