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The hidden horticulturists : the untold story of the men who shaped Britain's gardens / Fiona Davison.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: London : AtlanticBooks, 2019Description: xiv, 352 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cmISBN:
  • 1786495074
  • 9781786495075
Subject(s): LOC classification:
  • SB61 .D38 2019
Contents:
Prologue: 'The handwriting of under-gardeners and labourers' -- Introduction: A garden to grow gardeners -- Chapter one. 'The beau ideal': The horticultural elite -- Chapter two. 'Much judgement and good taste': The gardeners who set standards -- Chapter three. 'A great number of deserving men': Life lower down the horticultural ladder -- Chapter four. 'The most splendid plant I ever held': The collector -- Chapter five. 'Much attached to Egypt': Travelling gardeners -- Chapter six. 'Young foreigners of respectability': Trainees from abroad -- Chapter seven. 'A little order into chaos': The fruit experts -- Chapter eight. 'For sale at moderate prices': The nurserymen -- Chapter nine. 'A solitary wanderer': The Australian adventurer -- Chapter ten. 'Habits of order and good conduct': The rise and fall of a head gardener -- Chapter eleven. 'A very respectable-looking young man': Criminals in the garden -- Epilogue. 'Glory has departed': What happened next?
Summary: In 2012, whilst working at the Royal Horticultural Society's library, Fiona Davison unearthed a collection of handwritten letters that dated back to 1822. The letters, each carefully set out in neat copperplate writing, had been written by young gardeners in support of their application to be received into the Society's Garden. Amongst them was a letter from the young Joseph Paxton, who would go on to become one of Britain's best-known gardeners and architects. But he was far from alone in shaping the way we garden today and now, for the first time, the stories of the young, working-class men who also played a central role in the history of British horticulture can be told.0Using their letters, Fiona Davison traces the stories of a handful of these forgotten gardeners whose lives would take divergent paths to create a unique history of gardening. The trail took her from Chiswick to Bolivia and uncovered tales of fraud, scandal and madness - and, of course, a large number of fabulous plants and gardens. This is a celebration of the unsung heroes of horticulture whose achievements reflect a golden moment in British gardening, and continue to influence how we garden today.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Lending Books Elisabeth C. Miller Library Tall Shelves SB469.9 .D28 2019 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 39352800176489
Total holds: 0

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Prologue: 'The handwriting of under-gardeners and labourers' -- Introduction: A garden to grow gardeners -- Chapter one. 'The beau ideal': The horticultural elite -- Chapter two. 'Much judgement and good taste': The gardeners who set standards -- Chapter three. 'A great number of deserving men': Life lower down the horticultural ladder -- Chapter four. 'The most splendid plant I ever held': The collector -- Chapter five. 'Much attached to Egypt': Travelling gardeners -- Chapter six. 'Young foreigners of respectability': Trainees from abroad -- Chapter seven. 'A little order into chaos': The fruit experts -- Chapter eight. 'For sale at moderate prices': The nurserymen -- Chapter nine. 'A solitary wanderer': The Australian adventurer -- Chapter ten. 'Habits of order and good conduct': The rise and fall of a head gardener -- Chapter eleven. 'A very respectable-looking young man': Criminals in the garden -- Epilogue. 'Glory has departed': What happened next?

In 2012, whilst working at the Royal Horticultural Society's library, Fiona Davison unearthed a collection of handwritten letters that dated back to 1822. The letters, each carefully set out in neat copperplate writing, had been written by young gardeners in support of their application to be received into the Society's Garden. Amongst them was a letter from the young Joseph Paxton, who would go on to become one of Britain's best-known gardeners and architects. But he was far from alone in shaping the way we garden today and now, for the first time, the stories of the young, working-class men who also played a central role in the history of British horticulture can be told.0Using their letters, Fiona Davison traces the stories of a handful of these forgotten gardeners whose lives would take divergent paths to create a unique history of gardening. The trail took her from Chiswick to Bolivia and uncovered tales of fraud, scandal and madness - and, of course, a large number of fabulous plants and gardens. This is a celebration of the unsung heroes of horticulture whose achievements reflect a golden moment in British gardening, and continue to influence how we garden today.

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