Books and research
A few of my latest publications and projects.
All books available through the usual on-line and on-earth retailers.
An A-Z of Animals in the Garden
From alpacas to zebus, crocodiles to wombats, journey through the individual histories of bizarre garden pets and their often bizarre owners. Who would dream of keeping a bear in the summerhouse, or a peccary in the park? Find out why the artist Rossetti favoured a wombat over a zebu, and if hares make good pets for depressed poets.
Born of my love of the quirky in garden history, explore a secret world where crocodiles lurk in the fernery and flamingos stalk the shrubberies. From the Roman period to the modern day, discover the story of armadillos kept by merchants in London and Queen Charlotte’s filthy-tempered zebra. Recently re-published in paperback by the History Press 2023
Image courtesy J Paul Getty Museum image 1561/2
Daffodils
forthcoming
Celebrating the ‘flower that comes before the swallow dares’ this book will dance with Wordsworth’s daffodils and sigh sadly with Lenten Lilys. Associated with myths of dizzying self-love and the realities of narcotics and poisons. In the 16th century it proliferated through unstable couplings, with the ‘Great Yellow Spanish Bastard’ and ‘Parkinson’s Double’ delighting the florists of old. ‘Van Sion’ travelled to America with the colonists whilst the Isles of Scilly started the cut flower industry with a hat box and a packet boat. The ‘Lent lily has not long to stay’ but daffodils have a long and fascinating tale to tell.
This will be my third book in the Botanical Series for the lovely and heavily illustrated Reaktion Books!
Chrysanthemums’ image courtesy of Liz West Flickr Creative Commons
Chrysanthemums
Published 2020 Reaktion Books
In this fascinating book, I follow the fortunes of the Chrysanthemum through philosophy, art, literature and death, recounting the stories of the men and women who became captivated by it. My second book for the fabulous Reaktion Books with some super reviews!
With a range of vibrant illustrations, including works by Hiroshige, Monet and Mondrian, it will appeal to lovers of art, flowers, history and culture. The latest in Reaktion’s Botanical series – small, handsomely produced hardbacks that recount the cultural and historical significance of various familiar plants. With the chrysanthemum, so rich in spiritual, philosophical and artistic associations, it is on to a winner, especially when the story is told by the inestimable garden historian Twigs Way. With her vivacious prose and unerring knack for unearthing the absurd or delicious detail, Way could probably fashion the minutes of your local parish council into absorbing history: with this flower, she is in her element . . . The illustrations are a delight, ranging from Chinese ceramics to evocative 19th-century postcards from Hiroshige to Monet and Mondrian . . . this is a book packed with unforgettable facts.’ — Ambra Edwards, Gardens Illustrated
image courtesy of Garden Museum
Suburban Gardens
Published 2020 by Amberly in the Britain’s Heritage series
A perennial fascination with the gardens at the heart of England.
England is a nation of gardeners and most of us garden in suburbia. A private paradise encompassed by privet, the suburban garden contains in its small compass the hopes and dreams of millions of gardeners past and present. From Victorian shrubberies to the 1980s ‘Good Life’, these small plots reveal the ever-changing aspirations and realities of the suburban dweller. Lauded by estate agents and satirised in literature, suburban plots are scattered with seating, sundials, goldfish ponds, and that most divisive of features: the overgrown hedge. With one foot in the country and one in the town, suburban garden style wavers from rural retreat to urban chic, decorative to productive, floral to formal. At its heart it is defined by its location and its size. Neglected by history, and sometimes in reality, this book celebrates the gardens that make up the green patchwork of suburbia
Allotments
Published 2017 by Amberly in the Britain’s Heritage series
Going back to my roots . . and a fascination with social histories of garden culture.
Explore the fascinating story of the allotment, from its roots in the Diggers of the seventeenth century to the influence of ‘food miles’ and GM. It includes insights into quirky rules and regulations, murder and looting, and even art and opera on the allotment. Drawing on archival and contemporary material, this richly illustrated book considers both the history and the future of the not-so-humble allotment. This book explores one of the authors favourite topics with new insight and quirky illustrations.
Carnations
Published 2016 Reaktion Books
As it ranges from the traditions of the medieval marriage bed to Renaissance paintings of the Madonna and Child, Spanning the world from the gardens of the Ottoman Empire to the Mothers’ Day traditions of America via Chinese medicines and French empresses, this lavishly illustrated book will entertain anyone with an interest in history, art or culture. It is full of unexpected delights that will charm the mind and invigorate the senses – just like the carnation itself
Review ‘Welcome to the world of Bizarres, Picotees and Malmaisons, of Tuggies Princess, Seattle Shaggy and Mrs Sinkins and the histories and legends of their carnation clan sheer indulgence for gardeners who dream of a border of Clove Pinks, and the rest of us who just dream!’ — Jane Brown, author of books, including Tales of the Rose Tree