A Little History of British Gardening

Did the Romans have rakes? Did the monks get muddy? This lively history of gardening in Britain takes us on a 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, grand designers, and famous plant hunters. Colored by Jenny Uglow's own love for plants and brought to life by many vivid illustrations, it not only deals with flowery-meads, grottoes and vistas, landscapes and ha-has, parks and allotments, 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.