The Garden History Blog

The Pergola, Hampstead.

Posted on 06/06/2020 by The Garden History Blog

My favourite garden in London is very sadly currently out of bounds to the public because of covid19, although I have just taken advantage of the slight relaxation of the lockdown to walk around the outside. But if I can’t get inside I can at least, as a poor substitute, write about it. It’s an Edwardian extravagance of the first order: a wonderful mix of the impressively grand and the elegantly romantic, and shows just what could be done with a bit of vision and a lot of money! Its also a case study in how quickly even a well-built and well-maintained garden can fall into disrepair and be threatened with destruction, but fortunately, also how with a bit more vision and a lot of money it can once again surprise and delight the visitor.

The Pergola

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged conservation, Italianate garden, kitchen garden, london, pergola, Thomas Mawson | 2 Comments

Lady Charlotte and “the job six times too big”

Posted on 30/05/2020 by The Garden History Blog

a pair of Burmese chinthes, mythical lionlike guardian figures, by Rodway Swinhoe

Last week’s post looked at the plant hunting activities of Lady Charlotte Wheeler-Cuffe who travelled around Burma between 1897 and 1921. Today’s continues her story.

In 1913 her husband Sir Otway was posted to Maymyo a small hill station 26 miles north east of Mandalay, which was the summer residence of the governor. Here Charlotte created yet another of her own gardens from scratch, while at the same time playing the leading role in the foundation of what was to become Burma’s National Botanic Garden. I think this must make her unique as I can’t think of another woman ever having been given such responsibility for a national institution.

Please let me know if I’m wrong!

Sunset over the lake in the Botanic Gardens

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged botanic garden, bulbs, Burma, euan cox, plant hunters, Reginald Farrer, Roses, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh | Leave a comment

Jungling with Lady Charlotte…

Posted on 23/05/2020 by The Garden History Blog

Charlotte Wheeler-Cuffe. Photo courtesy of the National Botanic Garden of Ireland.

A few years ago I spent a month in Burma, and one of the highlights of the trip was to see the National Botanic Gardens at Pyin Oo Lwin, way up in the hills near Mandalay. It was rather strange to discover that neither the Burmese friends I’d gone with nor, indeed the staff we spoke to, seemed to know much about the history of the gardens other than the little printed on the information boards, so when I came back I decided to do some research.

I wrote that up for an article in Garden History in 2015 but in the process became very interested in one of the garden’s founders: Lady Charlotte Wheeler-Cuffe.

Don’t be taken in by her title or rather grand appearance in this photo, as she was an intrepid and immensely practical woman who spent 24 years in Burma and let very little stand in the way of her love of plants and gardening.

detail of Dendrobium crepidatum, 1902

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Burma, Glasnevin, kew, orchids, plant hunters, Reginald Farrer, rhododendrons | 2 Comments

Hard Graft and Devastation

Posted on 16/05/2020 by The Garden History Blog

Pomona holding a grafting knife from the Title Page of Gerard’s Herbal, in the 1636 edition

We tend of think of garden history being just about the history of gardens but not really much about the history of gardening itself ie how things are done rather than what is actually done. I was reminded of that sharply when someone got in touch about last week’s post.

When, they asked, did people realise that not only might trees fuse naturally but that they can be deliberately grafted.

I admit I was stumped as I don’t know the history of every gardening technique off the top of my head but I went away to find out the history of grafting and I hope this goes some way to providing the answer.

And by way of a diversion what’s this little bug got to do with it?

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 17thc, grafting, trees | Leave a comment

Growing a 4 Legged Giant

Posted on 09/05/2020 by The Garden History Blog

A miniature by Jean Perreal, 1516,

As gardeners we all know that woody plants are very adaptable. Think of topiary or cloud pruning, of pleaching or hedging where with a little bit of effort we can manipulate trees and shrubs into doing what we want, using their natural instincts to keep growing to our own advantage.

When I saw this 16thc miniature I wondered what was going on but as I started looking closer I realised that our manipulation of plants can be taken to a completely different level.