Author Description

This elegantly designed volume brings together for the first time three unique gardening manuscripts by the seventeenth-century writer John Evelyn. Today among literary enthusiasts he is renowned for his Diary, which is second only in reputation to that of his friend and fellow-diarist, Samuel Pepys. And in his own day he was equally famous for Sylva, his great work on trees and timber management. In addition, he was one of the great gardeners of his day, writing meticulous notes on the upkeep of his grounds at Sayes Court. His reputation also lives on through the famed perfumery named for him, Crabtree and Evelyn.In Directions for the Gardiner, Evelyn offers valuable advice on how to cultivate and tend perennials, annuals, root vegetables and trees, with lists of plants and gardening terms and tools. Full of gardening wisdom that is as practical as it is timeless, Directions for the Gardiner is also a fascinating glimpse into our gardening heritage. The Kalendarium Hortense and the Acetaria, the other two works collected here, are equally fascinating for their mixture of practical advice and insights into seventeenth-century horticulture. One of the earliest gardening calendars, the Kalendarium gives month-by-month advice on work in the kitchen and flower garden as well as listing each month's "prime" flowers and vegetables; the Acetaria deals with salad crops, and how best to dress and prepare them for eating.With an introduction and full plant glossary by Maggie Campbell-Culver, a leading garden and plant historian, and boasting an attractive two-color layout and a ribbon marker, Directions for the Gardiner is a charming and eye-opening companion for garden lovers everywhere, and a thoughtful gift for the horticulturalist.