GARDEN HISTORY GIRL

Miss Willmott's daffodils

The botanical illustrations of Elizabeth Twining

'Menabilly': Daphne du Maurier's real Cornish garden

Trade card of 'James Gordon, Seeds Man', c.1770. Gordon’s shop was located at the Sign of the Thistle & Crown near Philpot Lane,...

‘Exhibition of apples in the Great Vinery of the Royal Horticultural Society, Chiswick, October 4 to 25, 1883’.  From ‘The Gardeners...

'The Mistletoe Seller', by Myles Birket Foster from 'The London Illustrated News', 1854 As I now live in Herefordshire, surrounded by...

'Lily Pool', Plate 16 from Ellen Willmott's book of her own photographs titled 'Warley Garden in Spring and Summer', published 1909 Those...

Plate XLV from 'The Herefordshire Pomona’, vol. 2, 1876-1885 “There is no fruit, in temperate climates, so universally esteemed, and so...

‘Iron Winter Garden for T.W. Vernon Wentworth, Esq., Wentworth Castle, Yorkshire. Designed, Erected, and Heated by Crompton & Fawkes,...

‘Group of Hybrid Iris: 1. Psyche, 2. Charon, 3. Iphigenia'. Coloured plate from a drawing by H.G. Moon, of flowers sent from Haarlem. ...

Selection of plants offered for sale in a Veitch catalogue of the 1890's Introduction During the 19th century, plant collecting in new...

The first Conservatory at the White House by Harriet Lane, built in 1857. From 'Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper', tinted by Hall...

The story of the 5th Earl of Castlewellan's Head Gardener, Thomas Ryan

Plate I from 'A History of the British Sea-Anemones and Corals' by Philip Henry Gosse, 1860 Introduction If you've read my blog about the...

"Embothrium Coccineum". From 'Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l’Europe', Vol.13, 1858 Introduction Many of the historic images of...

'Garcinia mangostana' (the mangosteen), watercolour by Deborah Griscom Passmore, 1909 – said to be agricultural explorer David...

One of Miss Ellen Willmott's few existing 'autochromes' c.1908. The plant featured was identified recently by experts at Royal Botanic...

Castlewellan's Head Gardener, Thomas Ryan, in front of the terrace glasshouses c.1880's. By kind permission of the Ogilvie family...

Corsican lemon by Deborah Griscom Passmore, 1899. US Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection Introduction: A lucky...

Profile photograph of Huge Annesley (later the 5th Earl Annesley of Castlewellan) c.1854-55 Introduction This month, I’m writing about a...

'Christmas Cactus', painting by Christian Mollback I was pondering what to write for Christmas, when a friend reminded me that I’d...

From The Glass Flowers collection. Courtesy Harvard University Herbaria Introduction An article in a Hardy Plant Society journal from...

Painting by Heinrich Schlitt, c.1900, Hungarian National Gallery Do you have a gnome in your garden? If you do, you’re in good company!...

'The Garden House'. Plate 37 from 'Warley Garden in Spring and Summer' by Ellen Willmott, 1909 Introduction Anyone that reads my blogs...

Front cover of June 1st, 2022 issue of 'Country Life' Introduction I have to admit to only buying Country Life very occasionally – it’s...

'Gloire de Dijon Roses from a prize photograph by Mr Henry Stevens', from 'The Gardeners' Chronicle', February 10, 1883 After a day’s...

'In the Conservatory' by James Tissot c.1875 I've always been somewhat taken with glasshouses: be it the Palm House at Kew or smaller...

‘Rubens Peale with a Geranium’, painted by his brother, Rembrandt Peale, 1801. National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA – Patrons’...

Rosa 'Ellen Willmott'. Photograph by Eric Timewell. This rose has been delightfully described as “an Audrey Hepburn of a rose, nothing...

Souvenir Exhibition 'Official Guide' to the Japan-British Exhibition of 1910 priced at one shilling. There was also a daily programme...

‘Still Life with Bowl of Citrons’, late 1640's by Italian artist, Giovanna Garzoni This month I'm stepping out of my comfort zone of the...

Front cover of the US ‘Garden Magazine’, March 1922 edition Most of my garden history research topics relate to the UK, and I’ve always...

'Flowers Before Fares' from 'Funny Folks' magazine. Courtesy Dr David Turner on Twitter. In 1884, the Midland Railway company started a...

The first female gardeners at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew wearing their famous bloomers - a somewhat short-lived and controversial...

For December, I’ve indulged myself somewhat by writing a blog containing some of my favourite garden history topics – the horticultural...

'A Summer’s Evening, Penllergare', by John Dillwyn Llewelyn, August 1854. Note the camera on a tripod on the bank and its reflection in...

In the summer of 1741 as a lively dinner hosted by Lord Petre at his Essex estate, Thorndon Hall, neared its conclusion, the guests were...

Mastheads for The Gardeners' Chronicle (1889), The Gardener's Magazine (1867), Country Life (1900) and The Garden (1880) I am a big fan...

Notice photographed in 2011 at the 6 & B Garden in Manhattan's East Village, New York As you can see from this notice, photographed in a...

'Iris Persica (the Persian Iris)' by James Sowerby. Plate 1 from the first issue of 'The Botanical Magazine or Flower-Garden Displayed'...

Detail from ‘A Primrose from England’ by Edward Hopley, 1855 This painting, A Primrose from England, by the artist Edward Hopley was...

The 'first' Chelsea Flower Show

Detail from the front cover of L. Boehmer & Co.’s catalogue for 1899-1900 In this blog, I'm concentrating on one of the earliest of these...

Nature's own shades of colour

A prickly tale: Eryngium giganteum Miss Willmott's Ghost

"and the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles."