Product Description

Did the Romans have rakes? Did the monks get muddy? Did the potato seem really, really weird when it arrived on our shores? This lively 'potted' history of gardening in Britain takes us on a garden tour from the thorn hedges around prehistoric settlements to the rage for decking and ornamental grasses today. 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 and grand designers and famous plant-hunters. Coloured by Jenny Uglow's own love for plants, and brought to life in the many vivid illustrations, it deals not only with flowery meads, grottoes and vistas, landscapes and ha-has, parks and allotments, but tells you, for example, how the Tudors made their curious knots; how housewives used herbs to stop freckles; how the suburbs dug for victory in World War II. With a brief guide to particular historic or evocative gardens open to the public, this is a book to put in your pocket when planning a summer day out - but also to read in your deckchair with a glass of cold wine, when dead-heading is simply too much.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63727 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Christopher Hirst, Independent, 22 April 2005
‘This book will be a joy for any gardener’

Observer, 24 April 2005
‘Uglow's account of a national obsession is a delight from beginning to end'

The Herald, 23 April 2005
‘Enthralling...an elegant and witty gem’

Customer Reviews

Excellent
Informative and entertaining. Even my gardening-mad mother could not put it down. A must buy.

A little history of British Gardening
Did not know this book existed until looking at Amazon Book web site. Saw title and ordered. Lived up to the title and very useful for my coursework. Very good condition. Prompt service

A Little History of British Gardening by Jenny Uglow
It's a wonderful book but I wish I had bought a new copy. The one that came is second hand and in very good condition but it has a dedication on the flyleaf which makes it a more difficult item to pass on.