A Little History Of British Gardening Av Jenny Uglow

<p><b>Get out in your garden and discover the history hidden in the hedges.</b><br><br><i>Did the Romans have rakes? </i><br><i>Did the monks get muddy? </i><br><i>Did potatoes seem really, really weird when they arrived on our shores?</i><br><br>Drawn from Jenny Uglow''s own love for plants, 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 ornamental grasses and ''outdoor rooms'' today. <br><br>Tracking down the ordinary folk who worked the earth - from weeding women to florists - as well as aristocrats and grand designers and famous plant-hunters, A Little History of British Gardening is brought to life by gorgeously vivid illustrations and Uglow''s insightful wisdom. <br><br>Not only dealing with flowery meads, grottoes and vistas, landscapes and ha-has, parks and allotments, Uglow explains, 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.<br><br>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 crisp, winter''s day out - but also to read in your armchair with a well-earned glass of red, after a hard day''s graft in your own garden.<br><br><b>''Enchanting, stirringly evocative and fascinating'' <i>Daily Mail</i></b><br><br><b>''This book will be a joy for any gardener'' <i>Independent </i></b></p>