The Classic Guide to Gardening

The Victorian age, the age of industrial revolution and expansion of cities, was also the age of an explosion of interest in the practice of gardening. This was not merely a private pastime. For the first time, a concerted effort was made throughout Britain to provide extensive gardens for the public to enjoy. More than merely an aesthetic enterprise, the development of public gardens attempted to promote benevolent behavior and decrease social unrest. It was during this period that we saw the creation of infamous and elaborate gardens such as the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, and plants were brought from all around the world and housed in gardens such as James Bateman’s garden at Biddulph Grange, Staffordshire.

The craze for plant collecting that developed in the nineteenth century catalysed the return to a more formal style of garden to display the variety of plant species from across the Empire. In this illustrative tome, Frank J. Scott brought the art of beautifying home gardens to suburban homes. In this comprehensive guide, he demonstrates the simple means with which beautiful gardens may be achieved on small grounds and with little cost.