Category Archives: Uncategorized

Natural History: “to be alive is to be watchful”

Posted on 22/07/2023 by The Garden History Blog

Whose 2000th birthday should we be celebrating this year?   Here’s a clue. He was a workaholic military officer and civil servant for the Emperor Vespasian,  and the author of the first book that resembled an encyclopaedia. Usually known as Natural History … Continue reading →

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The royal gardens of Amboise – past and present

Posted on 15/07/2023 by The Garden History Blog

I helped lead a Gardens Trust tour last autumn round gardens of the Loire Valley.  Almost our last port of call was the great early Renaissance chateau of Amboise where a series of  new gardens have  been installed in recent … Continue reading →

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Walter rules the garden … or does he?

Posted on 08/07/2023 by The Garden History Blog

Last week I looked at the origins of Margery Fish’s garden at East Lambrook,  which led to all sorts of mind-struggling with her husband Walter.  This week I want to turn to questions of planting the garden where, you probably won’t be surprised to hear there was … Continue reading →

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A Gardener’s Revenge

Posted on 01/07/2023 by The Garden History Blog

Although I knew the name Margery Fish I didnt really realise how significant a character she was until I heard Catherine Horwood talk about her in one of the Gardens Trusts on-line lectures earlier this year.  Catherine recommended Margery’s first … Continue reading →

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The non-existent plant that actually existed

Posted on 24/06/2023 by The Garden History Blog

Take a close look at this image of the Garden of Eden which appears on the  title page of John Parkinson’s Paradisi in Sole.  How many of the plants can you identify?  Are there any there you don’t recognise? I … Continue reading →

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