A little history of British gardening / Jenny Uglow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Uglow, Jenny, 1947-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gardening--Great Britain--History.

Gardening.

History.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

342 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 22 cm

Other Title:

History of British gardening

Place of Publication:

London : Chatto & Windus ; New York : North Point Press, 2004.

Summary:

Did the Romans have rakes? Did medieval monks get muddy? This lively history of gardening in Britain takes us on a journey from the planting of thorn hedges around prehistoric settlements to today's rage for decking and ornamental grasses. It tracks down the ordinary folk who worked the earth -- the apprentice boys and weeding women, the florists and nursery gardeners -- as well as aristocrats, grand designers and famous plant hunters. Colored by Jenny Uglow's own love for plants and brought to life by vivid illustrations, A Little History of British Gardening not only explores flowery meads, grottoes and vistas, landscapes and ha-has, but also tells you, for example, how the Tudors made their curious knots, how housewives used herbs to stop freckles and how the suburbs dug for victory in World War II. This is a book to put in your pocket when planning your ideal green space -- and to read in your deck chair with a glass of cold wine when deadheading is simply too much to face.

Contents:

Introduction: 'Mrs Woodcock's irises' 1

I Seed

1 Did the Romans have rakes? 7

2 Aelfric's list 16

3 Monastic lore 25

4 Pleasure ... 34

5 ... and profit 44

6 Tudor conceits 54

7 The plantsman cometh 67

II Leaf

8 Stuart fantasies 81

9 'Wife, into thy garden' 91

10 Swords into pruning hooks 102

11 Points of view 115

12 Arcadia 125

13 The citizen's box 135

14 Miller & Co. 145

III Flower

15 Brown and his foes 159

16 Victoriana 170

17 Brightness is all 182

18 Cottagers, florists and shows 193

19 Town mouse 204

20 Don't sneer at Mrs Lawrence 210

21 Rebellion 220

IV Fruit

22 The big kitchen garden 231

23 Country Life 242

24 From war to war 255

25 Modernists and artists 266

26 Eat your greens 274

27 The flowers and the wild 285

28 The cherry tree 296

Epilogue: All of us 300

Two Hundred Gardens 325.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

0865477027

OCLC:

55970773