An Almost Impossible Thing

‘The Radical Lives of Britain’s Pioneering Women Gardeners’

by Fiona Davison

This remarkable book charts the lives of six female gardeners, from diverse backgrounds and with very different outlooks and values. The book charts how they used their ability to grow and nurture plants to free themselves from the constrains of societal expectations in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Historical books on gardening, will often give precedence to the great female gardeners Ellen Willmott and Gertrude Jekyll, both of whom were independently wealthy.  Gertrude Jekyll, who is now regarded as one of the great garden designers of this period, always called herself an ‘amateur designer’ and never charged her clients for her designs – instead making her money from selling them plants, which had been grown by her team of gardeners (all of whom were male).

This book looks instead at those women who despite many barriers were forcing their way into an industry that regarded horticulture as man’s work.  Many of us may now see gardens as a place of refuge, this book however showcases a time when British Gardens were an arena for radical and far-reaching experiments.

Acting as a superb window into an industry which to this day is dominated by men.

 

 

£12.00

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