An Almost Impossible Thing

Emma — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

While working at the Royal Horticultural Society, Fiona Davison discovered a cache of letters from a young gardener who was denied a scholarship by the RHS, on the grounds that she was female. Appalled and intrigued to find out what became of Olive, Fiona began to research the wider story of early female professional gardeners and discovered a group of pioneers whose struggles against patriarchy changed forever the rights and opportunities for women gardeners. 'An Almost Impossible Thing' follows six hitherto littleknown women gardeners in the years before the First World War, and examines their lives in the context of suffragism, collectivism and Empire.

The Hidden Horticulturists

Emma — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

‘Delightful… The Hidden Horticulturists pulsates with the extraordinary energy and excitement of the time.’ Daily MailChosen as one of the Sunday Telegraph’s ‘Top Ten Gardening Books of the Year’ _____________________The untold story of the remarkable young men who played a central role in the history of British horticulture and helped to shape the way we garden today.In 2012, whilst working at the Royal Horticultural Society’s library, Fiona Davison unearthed a book of handwritten notes that dated back to 1822. The notes, each carefully set out in neat copperplate writing, had been written by young gardeners in support of their application to be received into the Society’s Garden.Amongst them was an entry from the young Joseph Paxton, who would go on to become one of Britain’s best-known gardeners and architects. But he was far from alone in shaping the way we garden today and now, for the first time, the stories of the young, working-class men who also played a central role in the history of British horticulture can be told. Using their notes, Fiona Davison traces the stories of a selection of these forgotten gardeners whose lives would take divergent paths to create a unique history of gardening. The trail took her from Chiswick to Bolivia and uncovered tales of fraud, scandal and madness – and, of course, a large number of fabulous plants and gardens. This is a celebration of the unsung heroes of horticulture whose achievements reflect a golden moment in British gardening, and continue to influence how we garden today.

Davison, Fiona – The Bell Bookshop

An Almost Impossible Thing

The Hidden Horticulturists