A Little History of British Gardening

by Jenny Uglow

I once heard Uglow explain that a group biography is like an opera: some people are singing solo and others duets, while others appear only in the choir. It’s just a delightful story of English history told through plants, and the absolutely mad individuals who, for example, spend their time engaging hermits to be set up in their gardens. And she does it which such self-assurance, starting with the Romans and coming all the way up to the present day.