everything you need to know about garden history
The Tale of King Mu, Son of Heaven is an ancient Chinese text which was found written on strips of bamboo in a royal tomb dating to 296BC. It tells of the travels of King Mu of Zhou, a 10thc … Continue reading →
“Botany, an elegant and interesting study, has lately become a favourite pursuit among the higher classes of the community; and the attention to forcing of plants, flowers, and fruits, for the table, has increased the demand for Horticultural Buildings of … Continue reading →
I’ve written several times before about the International Garden Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire but not since 2021 so I thought it was about time for an update after this year’s visit. Chaumont is a wonderful combination of a Renaissance chateau, full … Continue reading →
Did you know that plants move? I don’t just mean by being blown about in the wind, or sending out creeping roots or runners but actually have parts that move spontaneously as if looking for something? Plants look static to … Continue reading →
Many people are passionate about plants but today’s post is about a 19th gardener, author and editor who went one stage further, gave up his promising career as an academic and devoted much of his life to writing about plants … Continue reading →
After last week’s post about William Wrighte and his Grotesque Architecture today I’m going to look at his contemporary, and almost namesake, Thomas Wright for whom he’s often mistaken and not just because of their names. They were both architects … Continue reading →
I often write pieces on here about obscure or forgotten figures but usually when I say something like “very little is known about their life” there is actually just about enough information to construct a mini-biography before looking at their … Continue reading →
It was my birthday recently and a friend gave me an antique print of Varro’s aviary. Like you, my first thought was “who was Varro?” – followed swiftly by – that doesn’t look like any aviary I’ve ever seen before. … Continue reading →
I’m not sure what happened with this week’s post. Some people seem to have received it by email yesterday, and others have reported it hasn’t arrived today, so I’m reposting it. Apologies if you’re seeing it for a second time. … Continue reading →
The Morning Chronicle for Friday, January 24th 1834 reported the death “At Bath, Mrs. Meen, aged 82.” Those six little words marked the end of a remarkably talented, and until recently, largely forgotten, botanical artist and teacher. You might have seen … Continue reading →