The Potting-Shed Papers

by Charles Elliot

In these essays, Charles Elliott casts a whimsical eye over gardens and gardening around the globe. From the Japanese craze for the Ingurishu Gaaden (English Garden) to the relentless plundering of tropical forests for glamorous orchids, from Bishop Compton's horticultural obsessions to sex and the single strawberry, Elliott seeks to bring to life some of the more remarkable episodes in horticultural history. He introduces great plant hunters such as the intrepid Pere Delavay and the oddball John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman. His tales come from places as diverse as the Chelsea Flower Show and the jungle-choked gorges and valleys of the eastern Andes - home of the elusive fever bark tree.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Essays

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Alan]

Mentioned in Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything"

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a reread - I enjoyed it as much the second time as the first.

[cellomerl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle, somewhat lightweight book about gardening, written by an expat American living in the UK. This is a series of short pieces on the history of plant-hunting. Each one is only a few pages long, so in no way could this be considered an in-depth book. It’s a pity that it’s not illustrated, which would have made reading it quite a bit more rewarding. But there’s plenty here to enjoy, and inspiration to read more on these subjects. It’s definitely worth reading if you’re heavily into gardening.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very pleasant read covering a variety of interesting horticultural topics