10 Gifts Ideas For Gardeners

5 min read

Whether the gardener in your life tends to swathes of lawn and borders, a town allotment, or colourful window boxes and hanging baskets, the Country House Library collection has an abundance of vintage and new books to keep them busy when they’re not digging and weeding!

COLLECTION PENGUIN VEGETABLE GROWER'S HANDBOOK SET 1945/6

First published in 1945, this classic set of gardening handbooks from Penguin was part of the company’s early beginnings as a national institution. Though it had no formal role in the war effort, books such asKeeping Poultry and Rabbits on ScrapsandAircraft Recognitiontransformed Penguin into a trustworthy household name. These two issues on vegetable growing would have been integral in helping the country return to normality and less dependent on imports. The twin book on growing soft fruit also available from Country House Library here.

A STREAM IN YOUR GARDEN 1948

Writing under the enigmatic nom-de-plume of ‘B. B.’ author Denys Watford-Pitchford M.B.E. was a British naturalist, illustrator, art teacher and children’s author. While teaching art at Rugby School, he began contributing regularly to theShooting Times– the name ‘B. B.’ taken from the size of lead-shot he used to shoot geese! Writing an unusual mix of children’s fiction, sporting, nature, and travel books, he was awarded an M.B.E. in 1990. This practical, DIY book from 1948, goes into great detail on how to establish a stream in your garden with comprehensive written and diagrammatical instructions. Dig out other gardening treasures here.

THE OXFORD BOOK OF GARDEN FLOWERS 1963-4

At the heart of non-fiction publishing since 1480, the Oxford University Press is still the largest university press in the world and the second oldest after Cambridge. Today the OUP launches over 6000 titles a year and employs around 6000 people. This collaborative reference book on garden flowers contains 96 colour plates and masses of learned information onwhat to grow in a shady bed or on a north wall', 'garden soils’, miniature gardens and window boxes. The arrangement is seasonal, beginning in the new year with pages on winter-flowering shrubs and early bulbs and herbs. It follows on until in the late autumn it ends with the berrying shrubs and everlasting flowers. A perfect vintage gift for your green-fingered favourite. Pick of the bunch of flower books here.

ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS BY EDWARD HYAMS 1966

Charmingly specific in its brief, this gardener’s reference book from The Garden Book Club, covers July-August flowering shrubs from temperate zones, which will include the British Isles. If there’s any doubt where exactly is temperate, the book contains a map dividing up Britain, Western Europe and North America, to help with where to plant the rhododendrons. Irrigation, propagation, seeds, cuttings, composting and pruning – this is an encyclopedia of shrub-care by one of the early gardening gurus and writers, Edward Hyams. Admire the shrubbery at County House Library here.

BOTANICAL ART NOTEBOOK SET - BODLEIAN LIBRARY, AND V&A ALMOND BLOSSOM & SWALLOW - BALLPOINT PEN

A perfect gift for gardeners and writers alike, this set of three lined notebooks from the famous Bodleian Library of Oxford are based on thePhytanthoza Iconographiaby Johann Wilhelm Weinmann. His immense botanical work published in the 18th century contained over 1000 colour plates of fruit and vegetables. Combine these eye-catching notebooks with the V&A museum Almond Blossom ballpoint pen, and the festive season will be sorted for your favourite gardener.

FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT'S THE SECRET GARDEN 1978

A literary gift for the young garden lover, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 classicThe Secret Gardenhas stood the test of time and still ranks as one of the most absorbing children’s stories. Ideal for boys or girls, the regenerative themed adventures of Mary, Colin and Dickon have been adapted for film, theatre and television. This decorative, hardback edition from 1978 will become an evergreen family favourite. Choose from a number of the book’s vintage and new formats here.

GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS BY E.T. COOK 1907

All great gardeners have to start somewhere and what better place to sow the seeds than with this rare edition from 1907.With chapters on flowers, greenhouses, trees and shrubs, town gardening and many more, this comprehensive reference book has black and white photographs throughout and represents one of the best vintage gardening books in the Country House Library collection.

PERCY CANE... GARDEN DESIGNER, RONALD WEBBER 1975

A latter day ‘Capability Brown’, garden designer Percy Cane (1881-1976) designed scores of now famous gardens and won frequent medals for his gardens at the Royal Chelsea Flower Show. From the grounds of Haile Salassie’s palace in Ethiopia to Ivy House in Hampstead for the world renowned ballerina, Anna Pavlova, Cane designed outside spaces for the great and the good. Appealing to fans of both autobiographies and horticultural literature this vintage edition would grace any book-lovers collection.

PIERRE-JOSEPH REDOUTÉ'S ROSES 1963 - FIRST EDITION

Pierre-Joseph Redouté was nicknamed the ‘Raphael of Roses’ in recognition of his unparalleled talent for painting botanical specimens. He was the official court artist of Marie Antoinette and continued painting through the French revolution. This wonderful first edition from 1963 contains a selection of colour plates from the artist’s folios Les Roses, first purchased by Charles X of France. The whereabouts of the entire collection are now unknown. In 1985, a quantity of original sheets were bought at auction in New York for over $5m. Pick your own bunch of vintage and new books on flowers here.

LADYBIRD 536 NATURE: GARDEN BIRDS 1967

Gardening isn’t only about trimming the lawn edges and pruning the roses. Enjoying your outside space and sharing with nature is often overlooked by the gardening magazines and television programs, and what better way to unwind than by observing the wild birds feeding and nesting among all your hard work. This vintage edition from one of the Britain’s most famous publishers, (written by one of Ladybird’s most prolific natural history authors), would nest quite happily in any collection of gardening books. Find other Ladybird specimens on garden wildlife and plants below:

LADYBIRD: LIFE OF THE HONEY-BEE 1969

LADYBIRD 536 NATURE: POND LIFE 1966

LADYBIRD LEADERS: THE TREE AND ITS WORLD 1975

SUMMARY

Our fascination with gardens and horticulture never wanes and with the emphasis now on maintaining healthy minds and bodies, what better way to find some ‘me time’ than pottering in your private outdoor space. The green-fingered loved one in your life will enjoy strolling through the pages of these specially selected specimens from the Country House Library botanical collection. Find the ideal gift for gardeners here.