The Head Gardeners

The great head gardeners of British country houses in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries enjoyed a status and an importance that extended far beyond the walled frontiers of their fiefdoms. They were men of strong character who had educated themselves in the sciences of botany, etymology, plant breeding, plant physiology, surveying, perspective drawing and much else. They wrote bestselling books and published the ?rst gardening magazines. The fame of great houses and the reputation of their owners depended upon their skills.

In this scholarly and highly entertaining book Toby Musgrave rescues the head gardeners from the backwaters of horticultural history and restores them to their rightful place as the founders of their profession.