A History of English Gardening, Chronological, Biographical, Literary, and Critical
Tracing the Progress of the Art in This Country from the Invasion of the Romans to the Present Time

This 1829 historical study explores gardening from Roman times through to the nineteenth century, showing its importance to British culture.

George William Johnson (Author)

9781108037136, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 3 October 2011

460 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.6 cm, 0.58 kg

In this informative study of Britain's rich horticultural history, first published in 1829, George W. Johnson (1802–66), a chemist, political economist and practising gardener, traces the history of gardening in England. He argues that the pursuit is an art which, like other art forms, developed by way of experiments and chance discoveries. The basic facts we know today, such as that vines must be watered, that plants flourish on exposure to the sun, and that animal manure helps to cultivate vegetables, all came about as a result of findings being passed down through many generations, and practice being improved through experience. Tracing the cultural importance of gardening back to biblical times, and relating it to the works of classical writers such as Hesiod, Cato and Cicero, as well as modern scholars such as Linnaeus and Banks, Johnson's work remains of interest to horticulturalists and botanists today.

Preface
Introduction
On the state of gardening in England, from the accession of Edward the Third, to the accession of Queen Elizabeth. AD 1327–AD 1558
On the state of gardening in England, from the accession of Queen Elizabeth, to the accession of George the First. AD 1588–AD 1714
On the progress of gardening in England during the 18th Century
On English gardening from the close of the 18th Century to the present time
Index
Additions.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural history [HBTB]