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A charming and beautifully illustrated book, exploring the facts and folklore of gardening, its history and curiosities.Gardening is an age-old craft, steeped in mystique and peppered with handed-down wisdom, often derived from 'sons of the soil' who grew cabbages larger than their neighbours. If you think gardening has become too scientific and wonder where all the hands-on experience and wonder has gone, this book mines a rich seam of folkloric advice.
A Miscellany for Garden-Lovers takes a stroll through gardening curiosities from ancient Egyptian wisdom and the world of garden gnomes to rhymes and healing gardens. It is packed with information on the history of gardening and the development of tools and practices, as well as garden curiosities and folklore. Illustrated with stunning historical woodcuts and drawings throughout, this makes a perfect gift for anyone with an interest in gardens.
This fact-drenched insight into gardening history will enthral you with its diversity - from digging soil and keeping bees to early plant hunters and weather rhymes.
List of contents
Foreword
Early Garden Tools
Inverting the Sod
Draining Soil
Conserving Moisture in Soil
Sowing Seeds
Early Plant Hunters
Plant Folklore
Weather Folklore
Pest and Disease Folklore
The World of Garden Gnomes
Down on the Farm
Early Lawn
Healing Gardens
Index
About the author
Other titles in the series
About the author
David Squire has a lifetime’s experience with plants and bees. He studied botany and gardening at the Hertfordshire College of Horticulture and at RHS Garden Wisley, where he gained the Wisley Diploma in Horticulture. He also was awarded an N.K. Gould Memorial Prize for his collection of herbarium specimens of native British plants. David’s passionate interest in native plants ranges from eating and survival to their historical roles in medicine, folklore and customs.
Throughout his gardening and journalist career, David has written more than eighty books on plants, gardening and insects, as well as dogs and self-sufficiency, including keeping chickens and honey bees. David’s books have been sold in twenty countries and The Scented Garden won the Garden Writer’s of America ’Quill and Trowel’ award.
Summary
A beautiful gift book filled with charming illustrationgs, A Miscellany for Garden-Lovers will take you through the facts and folklore of gardening.
