'Menabilly': Daphne du Maurier's real Cornish garden
'Menabilly': Daphne du Maurier's real Cornish garden
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James Gordon (c.1708-1780): “a most Knowing and Ingenous" gardener, nursery and seedsman
Trade card of 'James Gordon, Seeds Man', c.1770. Gordon’s shop was located at the Sign of the Thistle & Crown near Philpot Lane,...
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Apple Stories Part 2: The National Apple Congress of 1883
‘Exhibition of apples in the Great Vinery of the Royal Horticultural Society, Chiswick, October 4 to 25, 1883’. From ‘The Gardeners...
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Mistletoe: a Christmas Friend or Foe?
'The Mistletoe Seller', by Myles Birket Foster from 'The London Illustrated News', 1854 As I now live in Herefordshire, surrounded by...
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Miss Willmott's Water Lilies
'Lily Pool', Plate 16 from Ellen Willmott's book of her own photographs titled 'Warley Garden in Spring and Summer', published 1909 Those...
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Apple Stories Part 1: 'The Herefordshire Pomona'
Plate XLV from 'The Herefordshire Pomona’, vol. 2, 1876-1885 “There is no fruit, in temperate climates, so universally esteemed, and so...
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Crompton & Fawkes - and the Wentworth 'Winter Garden'
‘Iron Winter Garden for T.W. Vernon Wentworth, Esq., Wentworth Castle, Yorkshire. Designed, Erected, and Heated by Crompton & Fawkes,...
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William Robinson's monthly journal: 'Flora and Sylva' (1903-1905)
‘Group of Hybrid Iris: 1. Psyche, 2. Charon, 3. Iphigenia'. Coloured plate from a drawing by H.G. Moon, of flowers sent from Haarlem. ...
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The Veitch Nursery: A Family Dynasty c.1808-1969
Selection of plants offered for sale in a Veitch catalogue of the 1890's Introduction During the 19th century, plant collecting in new...
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A "perfect bower of beauty": The White House Conservatory
The first Conservatory at the White House by Harriet Lane, built in 1857. From 'Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper', tinted by Hall...
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Castlewellan Part 3: Thomas Ryan - a Head Gardener's Story
The story of the 5th Earl of Castlewellan's Head Gardener, Thomas Ryan
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"Hidden Beauties of the Sea": the Victorian aquarium
Plate I from 'A History of the British Sea-Anemones and Corals' by Philip Henry Gosse, 1860 Introduction If you've read my blog about the...
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A Belgian Botanical: 'Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l’Europe'
"Embothrium Coccineum". From 'Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l’Europe', Vol.13, 1858 Introduction Many of the historic images of...
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The Fruits of America Part 2: The US Department of Agriculture's 'Agricultural Explorers'
'Garcinia mangostana' (the mangosteen), watercolour by Deborah Griscom Passmore, 1909 – said to be agricultural explorer David...
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Miss Willmott's Orchids
One of Miss Ellen Willmott's few existing 'autochromes' c.1908. The plant featured was identified recently by experts at Royal Botanic...
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Castlewellan Part 2: The “long aisles of glass” - Castlewellan's Glasshouses
Castlewellan's Head Gardener, Thomas Ryan, in front of the terrace glasshouses c.1880's. By kind permission of the Ogilvie family...
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The Fruits of America Part 1: The US Department of Agriculture's Pomological Watercolor Collection
Corsican lemon by Deborah Griscom Passmore, 1899. US Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection Introduction: A lucky...
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Castlewellan - Part 1: An Irish gentleman gardener, the 5th Earl Annesley
Profile photograph of Huge Annesley (later the 5th Earl Annesley of Castlewellan) c.1854-55 Introduction This month, I’m writing about a...
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The Christmas Cactus: flowers for under "gas light"
'Christmas Cactus', painting by Christian Mollback I was pondering what to write for Christmas, when a friend reminded me that I’d...
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"Flowers That Never Fade": The Blaschka Glass Flowers at Harvard
From The Glass Flowers collection. Courtesy Harvard University Herbaria Introduction An article in a Hardy Plant Society journal from...
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The UK's first garden gnomes - or "fairy miners"
Painting by Heinrich Schlitt, c.1900, Hungarian National Gallery Do you have a gnome in your garden? If you do, you’re in good company!...
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In focus: Miss Willmott's published photographs
'The Garden House'. Plate 37 from 'Warley Garden in Spring and Summer' by Ellen Willmott, 1909 Introduction Anyone that reads my blogs...
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Country Life: The Garden Historians’ ‘bible’
Front cover of June 1st, 2022 issue of 'Country Life' Introduction I have to admit to only buying Country Life very occasionally – it’s...
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Photography as applied to flowers: Mr Stevens’ ‘prize picture’
'Gloire de Dijon Roses from a prize photograph by Mr Henry Stevens', from 'The Gardeners' Chronicle', February 10, 1883 After a day’s...
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‘Gardens under Glass’: The Victorian conservatory
'In the Conservatory' by James Tissot c.1875 I've always been somewhat taken with glasshouses: be it the Palm House at Kew or smaller...
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Geraniums (or pelargoniums?) on the windowsill
‘Rubens Peale with a Geranium’, painted by his brother, Rembrandt Peale, 1801. National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA – Patrons’...
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Miss Willmott's Roses
Rosa 'Ellen Willmott'. Photograph by Eric Timewell. This rose has been delightfully described as “an Audrey Hepburn of a rose, nothing...
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The Japan-British Exhibition of 1910
Souvenir Exhibition 'Official Guide' to the Japan-British Exhibition of 1910 priced at one shilling. There was also a daily programme...
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The 'juicy' tale of the Renaissance citron
‘Still Life with Bowl of Citrons’, late 1640's by Italian artist, Giovanna Garzoni This month I'm stepping out of my comfort zone of the...
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Gardening across ‘the pond’ in the early 20th century
Front cover of the US ‘Garden Magazine’, March 1922 edition Most of my garden history research topics relate to the UK, and I’ve always...
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'Beautifying railways for the weary traveller'
'Flowers Before Fares' from 'Funny Folks' magazine. Courtesy Dr David Turner on Twitter. In 1884, the Midland Railway company started a...
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“Gardeners in bloomers”: Early horticultural schools and colleges for women
The first female gardeners at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew wearing their famous bloomers - a somewhat short-lived and controversial...
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A Christmas Present for 1909
For December, I’ve indulged myself somewhat by writing a blog containing some of my favourite garden history topics – the horticultural...
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The Early Amateur Photographers - and the beginnings of 'garden photography'
'A Summer’s Evening, Penllergare', by John Dillwyn Llewelyn, August 1854. Note the camera on a tripod on the bank and its reflection in...
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The ‘Curious and Noble’: Robert James, 8th Baron Petre of Thorndon Hall (1713-1742)
In the summer of 1741 as a lively dinner hosted by Lord Petre at his Essex estate, Thorndon Hall, neared its conclusion, the guests were...
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The UK Horticultural Press:1840s - 1920s
Mastheads for The Gardeners' Chronicle (1889), The Gardener's Magazine (1867), Country Life (1900) and The Garden (1880) I am a big fan...
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‘Booby-trapped’ daffodils and a stolen water lily: 100 years of plant thefts
Notice photographed in 2011 at the 6 & B Garden in Manhattan's East Village, New York As you can see from this notice, photographed in a...
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For the “use of Ladies, Gentlemen and Gardeners”: Curtis’s Botanical Magazine
'Iris Persica (the Persian Iris)' by James Sowerby. Plate 1 from the first issue of 'The Botanical Magazine or Flower-Garden Displayed'...
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The Wardian Case – preventing damage to plants by “monkeys and parakeets”
Detail from ‘A Primrose from England’ by Edward Hopley, 1855 This painting, A Primrose from England, by the artist Edward Hopley was...
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The 'first' Chelsea Flower Show: the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition of May 1912
The 'first' Chelsea Flower Show
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The beauty of early Japanese plant catalogues
Detail from the front cover of L. Boehmer & Co.’s catalogue for 1899-1900 In this blog, I'm concentrating on one of the earliest of these...
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Nature’s own shades of colour
Nature's own shades of colour
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A prickly tale: Eryngium giganteum Miss Willmott’s Ghost
A prickly tale: Eryngium giganteum Miss Willmott's Ghost
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Great Maytham Hall's 'real' Secret Garden
"and the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles."
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For bite-sized posts on garden history-related subjects, as well as
photographs of my own garden, visit my Instagram account above.
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