Garden People: Valerie Finnis and the Golden Age of Gardening

(Paperback)

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Description

A glorious photographic record of the postwar English gardening scene by one of the people at its epicentre.

Roald Dahl and his family in their garden at Great Missenden; Nancy Lancaster, society hostess and interior designer, sporting an elegant straw sombrero and snipping delicately at her roses; Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst - these and many other dedicated gardeners are captured here by the discerning eye of Valerie Finnis.

With a spectacular cast of characters at home in their gardens, weeding, inspecting, watering and standing proudly by their plants, wearing the clothes and fashions of the day, and epitomizing life and society in the second half of the 20th century, this book will be devoured by anyone with a love of British gardens or horticulture in general.

Reviews

'An endearing chronicle of a lost age' - Sunday Times
'Fascinating and sometimes hilarious' - The Times
'This is the record of the golden age of British gardening through the eyes of Valerie Finnis, who photographed the nation's greenest fingers with warmth and wit' - The Independent
'Eccentric, wise and beautiful faces peer out at us from a different age. The flowers, gardens and fashion are all fabulous' - The Edible Garden

Author Bio

Ursula Buchan is an award-winning garden journalist and author who has contributed to numerous newspapers and magazines. She trained as a gardener at the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens at Wisley and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and has also presented two television series. Her many books include Gardening for Pleasure, Better against a Wall and The English Garden.