Seven Deadly Sins of Gardening: With the Vices and Virtues of its Gardeners - Hardcover

Musgrave, Toby; National Trust Books

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1905400462 ISBN 13: 9781905400461

Publisher: National Trust Books, 2006

Synopsis

This is a very accessible history of the vices and virtues of British gardeners through the ages, particularly those who shaped the National Trust gardens. From the obsessive to the visionary, the eclectic to the eccentric, each chapter explores how a range of different individuals played out their excess in a variety of gardens, thus revealing the gardens' concealed secrets - just how and why they were created; the fortunes lavished and lost; clandestine and unorthodox uses; and hidden meanings for those who want to know how to 'read' a garden. Sir Francis Dashwood's lusty garden at West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, for example, has been described as "laid out by a curious arrangement of streams, bushes and plantation to represent the female form". This is very much a reading book for those passionate about gardens and in particular historical gardens. The chapters cover: Pride and Humility; Avarice and Generosity; Envy and Love; Wrath and Kindness; Lust and Self Control; Gluttony and Temperance; and finally, Sloth and Zeal.

About this title

About the Author:

Toby Musgrave is a leading garden history writer and garden consultant. He has co-presented two series of Lost Gardens (Channel 4) and ITV's The Great Garden Guide. On radio, he was the originator of, and major contributor to, Radio 4's six-part The British Garden. A regular contributor to many magazines and newspapers, he is also the author of 'The Plant Hunters', 'An Empire of Plants', 'Courtyard Gardens' and 'Cottage Gardens'.

About this edition

• Publisher: National Trust Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1905400462
• ISBN 13: 9781905400461
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 176