Product Description

A fascinating, definitive history of garden development and design. From the earliest documented gardens of ancient Mesopotamia to the eclectic landscapes of the 21st century, The Story of Gardening is an engaging tale of the development and design of the garden. Brimming with glorious full-color photographs, intriguing timelines that chart the histories and fashions of individual plants, and evocative narratives, Hobhouse draws on a lifetime of work to create an enlightening overview of designers and styles that have inspired her creations and forged her gardening philosophy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #602257 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 468 pages

From Booklist
In the pantheon of great gardeners, garden designers, and garden writers, amidst names such as Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West, stands that of Penelope Hobhouse. Esteemed for aesthetic designs that have transformed gardens the world over, this prolific author of classic volumes on horticulture's essential elements now takes on the granddaddy of all topics, the history of gardening itself. Scholarly in approach, it is nonetheless accessible in style. Erudite and entertaining, inclusive and intimate, Hobhouse's coverage provides a compelling chronicle of how garden designs and plant migrations around the world and throughout time have influenced contemporary horticultural developments. Sumptuously illustrated with obscure and opulent works of art, this luxurious volume traces the development of gardening from the earliest Mesopotamian gardeners, whose solutions to fundamental horticultural handicaps have benefited gardeners throughout time, to contemporary landscape architects and ecologists charged with developing bold new interpretations that will preserve and enhance the environment for the future. A meticulously researched, magnificently rendered celebration of gardening's enduring charm and significance. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
English queen of garden writing and world famous garden designer, Penelope Hobhouse, presents the history of gardening in an ambitious work charting garden history from the Ancient World through to the present day. From excavations at the pyramids it is clear the pharaohs cherished their gardens and despite water shortages spent small fortunes on building mini oasis' for their enjoyment. The Romans and Ancient Greeks created gardens, cultivating most importantly, medicinal plants, assiduously chronicled by Diosciorades. From the enclosed pleasure gardens of the Medieval Age, tulipomania, the discovery of the Americas and its botanical importance, the rolling landscapes of the 1800s, the great plant-hunters and explosion of botanical knowledge during Victoria's reign through to today's gardens with their fusion of modern and past, Hobhouse paints a vivid picture of the garden's development through the ages. With an incredible number of colour illustrations and photographs, this is both a visual and literal history of world gardening, cleverly pulled together by Penelope Hobhouse to present the definitive guide on the subject. - Lucy Watson

About the Author
Penelope Hobhouse is also the author of Gardening Through the Ages, winner of the 1993 Garden Writers Association of America's Award of Excellence. Hobhouse has designed many gardens throughout the U.S., including a section of the NY Botanical Gardens. She lives in Dorset, England.