Cultivating Gardens: Practical gardening advice through the ages. Online exhibition

Botanists rely on floras, and apothecaries on herbals for the critical task of plant identification. Gardeners need practical advice as well as descriptions of plants—such as on the best times to sow seeds and graft trees, on the latest varieties, on bulb storage, and on tools and techniques. The exhibition traces the development of practical English gardening books from the late 16th century to the Victorian era, and follows developments in 19th and 20th century New Zealand, where new manuals were written for local conditions.